In the June/July Lutheran Witness article, “How Good Is Good Enough,” the sign posted by Shepherd of the Hills in San Antonio, Texas, got my attention. It speaks to the doubts so many have and addresses with clarity why faith in Christ is what is necessary for our eternal salvation. There is so much misinformation
I’m finally writing a letter of thanks for the wonderful Lutheran Witness. We have been getting it for years. We read other people’s responses, so it’s good we are finally responding. I saved a 20-year-old Witness—not quite so fancy paper in those days. I gave it to our former young pastor, and he was so
As you read these lines, we will have traveled this summer with both Luther and Paul, visiting Rome and Turkey, where our New Testament churches took root and grew. The June/July Lutheran Witness projects a Martin Luther exhibiting a rock-like determination to read the apostolic words of Paul, who indeed was knocked down on the
God Bless the Jack Karches in our midst! EMT, chaplain, pastor! I can’t imagine a better combination for this day and age. What a thought-provoking essay, so much so that I ask for a sequel by Rev Karch. Regarding the last incident he mentions, I want to know how he would respond to those parents
As you can see from this contents page, we’re bursting at the seams this month—with stories about Katrina, the flooding this summer in the Midwest, and Mission Central, to name just a few.
Some days, it seems, our 24/7 news cycle brings us little but glum news. Fuel is at an all-time high. The stock market is in the doldrums (or worse). When will the housing market recover? For Christians, each day also seems to bring a new challenge to our faith. Among those challenges: differing assertions about the structure of marriage.
Thanks to President Kieschnick for his article in the May issue of The Lutheran Witness regarding the critical need for more pastors to serve our congregations. What is not mentioned, however—and I imagine that it is due to space limitations—is that there are any number of qualified and experienced pastors on candidate status who are
Thank you for Chaplain Schroeder’s “Lifeline” story, “They Will Place Their Hands on Sick People,” in the May Lutheran Witness. Jesus commissioned His followers to preach, teach, and heal. While Luther valued all three Gospel outreaches, the LCMS often seems ambivalent about Jesus’ ministry of healing. If, after reading Chaplain Schroeder’s article, some would like
Thank you for Edie Sodowsky’s article in the May issue of The Lutheran Witness (“When at Last I Near the Shore”). I have seen what she so touchingly describes happen countless times as I have engaged in the ministry of visitation. Sagging heads,vacant stares, unresponsive minds drawn briefly and joyously back into a precious moment
I must express my profound disappointment and sorrow that you chose for your April issue to print such a mean-spirited letter from a reader directed toward Paine Proffitt’s illustrations in the December Lutheran Witness. It was a serious lapse in judgment. We Christians are called to encourage one another, not to tear each other down.
You highlighted 50 lives changed by compassionate Christian action (“50 Faces of Mercy,” March). Captivated, I read each and every story. Well done. Paul KochBowie, Md. Read More Letters to the Editor Send letters to “Letters,” c/o The Lutheran Witness, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295; or send them via e-mail to
Dr. Gerhard Bode, in “The Gift of the Holy Spirit” (May 2008), had the right idea when he wrote, “The Holy Spirit active in the apostles on Pentecost is the same Spirit who works in believers today.” But he really did not say how, when, or why this is true. How can you write an