My parents were married for 10 years and were sad that they were still childless. When they heard in 1930 that the orphanage in Fort Dodge, Iowa (“The Least of These,” November 2011), was opening, my grandmother and my mother went to visit that day and actually came home with a darling baby boy! There […]

Thank you, Dr. Jerald Joersz, for addressingthe question on the certainty of God’s forgiveness in the November issue of The Lutheran Witness. I appreciated how you directed them to God’s Word and Sacrament and not to their feelings as the place to find theassurance of God’s grace. However, I alsowouldhaveencouragedthem totake advantage ofprivate Confession and

by Adriane Dorr A food shortage, lack of water, starving Somalian refugees and hungry Kenyan Lutherans: Each of these hardships, caused by the current drought in East Africa, is cause for the Rev. Walter Obare Omwanza, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), to pray. But Obare and the members of the

by Rev. Larry Vogel I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know Me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Me; I am the Lord, and there is no

by Stan Palmer Although written from a modern evangelical perspective (Fuller Youth Institute), “Silence is Not Golden” is a thought-provoking discussion about the ongoing parental challenge of effectively communicating and nurturing the Christian faith in our children. It is a problem that not only transcends denominational boundaries, but it is one that is worsening in

by Rev. Gregory Alms Advent is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Church Year seasons. It gets no respect. In the mad rush to Christmas, the season of Advent can get pushed aside like hapless shoppers in the way of a bargain at Wal-Mart. When churches try to keep this time of preparation for the birth

by Dr. Gene Edward Veith What with gay marriage, single parenthood, just living together and soaring divorce rates, its little wonder that 40 percent of Americans think that marriage is obsolete. Most Americans no longer think marriage is necessary for having sex. (60 percent believe its morally acceptable to have sex before marriage.)  Or necessary

By Theodore Stolp Christ will be cradled. Agitation may ban the Christmas crche from some public place. Yet the cradled Christ is still before men. “Away in a manger,” sing children’s voices. An art print of a famous crche adorns a national magazine. Homes vie in creating the most attractive manger scene. Even live actors