I have a few comments regarding The Shack and the article by Rev. Steven Borst in the May Lutheran Witness. Even though, as Pastor Borst says, the book has some good points, my concern is its vicious attacks on Orthodox theology and the anti-church and misleading messages the book portrays. Many people may read this
I appreciate Dr. Karl Barth’s response to my April Witness article, “Reservations on the Resurrection?” and I certainly agree that the Gospel writers did a much finer job of recall than did my students in the illustration provided! The point, again, was simply to demonstrate that, in terms of the human dimension, people seeing the
My husband teases me about being “an old Lutheran.” In this day of universal informality, lots of decency and manners seem to have gone out of style, even in church. Perhaps it is the floor plan of our church, but I can’t help but notice that people don’t seem to observe what was once known
by Dr. William B. Knippa I was diagnosed several months ago with a terminal illness. I think I’m over the initial shock of hearing that news. I have wonderful family support, and I know heaven is waiting for me, but I’m still scared. I’ve heard people talk about dying a “good death” or “dying well.”
‘O Sleeper, Awake!’ My husband’s beloved grandmother was called to her eternal home at the age of 101 (while holding her pastor’s hand). During her funeral service, our 5-year-old son, Jack, became restless. First, he asked to take off his shirt because he was hot. Then he was hungry. When he said he was sleepy,
by Rev. Thomas E. Engel Our old barbecue grill was as rusted as an old wreck in a junkyard. So my wife and I spent the early part of April shopping for a new gas grill. When we found one that met our needs, the grill’s big box barely fit in the trunk of our
At one convention, . . . I got a question I don’t recall having been asked before: ‘If you could change one thing in the LCMS, what would it be?’
by Diane Strzelecki As part of a presentation last March to the National Lutheran Administrators Conference, Rev. Ron Weidler, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Batavia, Ill., listed a series of steps that enhance the ministry efforts of a congregation. Weidler and Immanuel principal Glenn Steinbrenner, along with leaders from the two additional schools that were
by Roland Lovstad Ministry among immigrants in neighborhoods such as Detroit’s Mexicantown depends on willing and committed volunteers as well as church workers. As he reviews Iglesia Luterana Pan de Vida en Belén, Rev. Gregory Lorenz remarks, “Our ministry exists only because we have partners and that includes congregations and individuals.” The congregation and LATINO
by Diane Strzelecki Like families in many communities, the Ellis family was unchurched. Today, the family worships at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Batavia, Ill. Corinne Ellis tells her story to Lutheran Witness editor-at-large Diane Strzelecki. We moved to Batavia four years ago and had planned on sending our son to public school. In fact, that was
A “seamless ministry” between church and school unites a congregation in outreach to its community.
by Scott Snow As the “dog days of summer” fade into preparations for kids going back to school, there will still be time for many families to squeeze in that last exciting opportunity to get away before the more relaxed schedules of summer become distant memories. Others will know the excitement of welcoming these travelers