The Church is not a throwaway society — quite the opposite. In God’s economy there is no person pointless enough to throw away.…
Lutheran Witness
Interpreting the contemporary world from a Lutheran Christian perspective
Being someone’s someone
It is a fine thing — a very fine thing — to consider those around you as essential contributors to your identity. Not everyone is a spouse. Not everyo…
The Paschal Lamb and the Angel of Death
For Christians in the Early Church, cross and resurrection were not in opposition to each other. Their Easter worship services and sermons were a cele…
The most influential book
The answers to life’s biggest questions and challenges aren’t to be found in yet one more new book, but in one very, very old one.…
I challenge you to read the Bible
There is no problem of faith, life, family or Church for which the Bible does not have answers. As we move toward the Synod’s 175th anniversary in 202…
Lutheran Witness: April 2018
The April issue of The Lutheran Witness looks at Christian missions through the lens of Easter and sees Easter anew through the eyes of LCMS missionar…
Easter is coming — no FOOLIN’!
Though the Gospel we preach may be “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,” God’s beloved children are no fools. We know what really h…
The sights and sounds of Holy Week
Even though we know how the story of Christ’s passion ends, the sacred readings, hymns and services of Holy Week keep our longing for Easter fre…
Piety vs. Pietism
Though often used interchangeably, the theological terms “piety” and “Pietism” actually have very different meanings. Can you tell them apart?…
They need us to be Lutheran
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor.1:18). …
What is the good life?
The “good life,” the greatest life, is life reconciled to God our Maker and to our fellow human beings — in love, forgiveness and yes, great joy.…
The right response to #MeToo? #Repent
The past months have seen allegations of sexual abuse made against some of the most powerful men in America. Many of these men say they’re sorry. Now …
Lutheran Witness: March 2018
In its Lenten issue, The Lutheran Witness explores a few of the elements that make up the Bible’s counter-cultural vision for “the good life.”…
Letting these gifts be blessed
Our marriages and families, and we ourselves, are better for shared mealtimes. So how do we cherish these gifts together on a regular basis?…
Hard times for Hollywood (and other news worth knowing)
Reexamine major news stories from a Lutheran perspective with Gene Edward Veith’s new monthly “World Views” column in The Lutheran W…
What to give up for Lent?
Lent is not so much a time of “giving things up” as it is a time for adding things that increase our awareness of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus.…