Why Go to Church? A reader wrote a letter to the editor of his local newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I’ve heard perhaps 1,500 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember
We are living in a time of anxiety, conflict, and concern. People are anxious today about employment and job stability; about the price of gas, other fuels, and food; and about the future leadership of our country.
A Minnesota LCMS family honors a wedding-day tradition born out of both taste and economics.
Books on Luther and Paul, or on the history of Pauline interpretation, are often quite technical (and often in German). However, here are a few possibilities for further reading that are relatively accessible and provide broader background for the topics touched on in my story that appears in this issue of The Lutheran Witness.
Recently, in a Sunday School class I was visiting in an LCMS church, someone asked a question—and the pastor answered—regarding “degrees of glory.” Is this something the Lutheran Church teaches? I have been a Lutheran Christian all of my life and don’t recall ever having heard about “degrees of glory” before. Or have I just
I enjoyed so much the article “Seeing what God wants us to see” in the April edition of The Lutheran Witness. It brought to mind a personal experience that I had some years ago. I had always had a fear of flying and was dreading my upcoming flight to Toronto on business. I had only flown
by Rev. Ben Eder Sunday, June 15, is Father’s Day. A familiar Bible text regarding fathers is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Although this story is usually told from the perspective of the “lost son,” what about the father in the story? What was his responsibility? And how does he respond to the wanderings—and
I read with interest President Kieschnick’s article, Pastors Wanted, projecting the synod’s need for pastors in the next 10 years and appealing to congregations and pastors “to think of men to whom the Lord has given such gifts (for the pastoral ministry)” … and to “encourage these men to consider the ministry.” This past April,
For two millenia, the apostle Paul and his writings have been central to the history of the Christian faith.
by Rev. Timothy C. Cartwright I am a great advocate of outreach and evangelism. As with my current congregation, Grace Lutheran in Ashland, Org., and with all the congregations I have served, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hudson, Ohio, where I first met Leo Mehl and his wife, Marjorie, (see the print edition of
After a four-decade career that spanned the globe, Leo Mehl, one of the most influential people in modern motorsports, has found a spiritual home.
by James Heine Because we focus on pastoral recruitment, education, and support in the May issue of The Lutheran Witness, we asked our clergy contributors this question: Who first encouraged you to consider the pastoral ministry, and what effect did that encouragement have on your life and on your desire to become a Lutheran pastor?