(RNS) — Members of the Syrian opposition generally want a democratic government that protects the rights of minorities, though many also want a constitution based on Islam, according to a recent survey. Their aspirations are important because the Obama administration has…
New LHM documentary debuts Sept. 30
“The Intersection of Church & State,” an hourlong documentary produced by Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), will debut Sunday, Sept. 30, on the Fox Business Network as paid programming at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. (Check listings for local times.) The program, which…
Anniversary
Concordia College Alabama in Selma, Ala., will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a special 11 a.m. worship service followed by a luncheon, campus tours, reception with the president, and alumni ball on Nov. 2; homecoming parade, presidential luncheon for donors,…
Judge blocks law that prevents preaching in French Quarter
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a city law that was recently used to arrest Christian evangelists who were preaching on Bourbon Street during Southern Decadence, the annual celebration of gay culture in the…
LCMS launches ‘Free to Be Faithful’ awareness campaign
By Vicki J. Biggs In response to increasing intrusions by government into the realm of the church, the LCMS is launching “Religious Liberty: Free to Be Faithful,” an education and awareness campaign aimed at inspiring LCMS rostered members and laity to…
Poll: White working-class voters still looking for a candidate
(RNS) — The white working class, a potentially rich bloc of voters for Republicans or Democrats, hasn’t settled on Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama, a new study from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows. “These white working-class voters are…
Amish petition for bail after beard-cutting hate crimes verdict
CLEVELAND (RNS) — A federal judge has given defense attorneys until Sept. 27 to convince him that nine Amish defendants convicted of hate crimes should not be imprisoned until their sentencing Jan. 24. In a motion filed Sept. 21, Assistant U.S.…
Convention mailing includes information for election of president
LCMS congregations are advised to quickly pass along to their 2012 district convention delegates information in a postcard that is being mailed to congregations Sept. 28. The postcard announces an Oct. 15 test for those who will participate in the…
Update: Judge allows Texas cheerleaders to use Bible banners
(RNS) — Texas cheerleaders can continue to use banners with Bible verses after a court granted them a temporary restraining order against their school district. A judge in Hardin County, Texas, issued the order Sept. 20 after parents filed suit on…
Convention Corner (October 2012)
With Barbara A. Below As staff at the International Center sort through the logistical side of the 2013 Synod convention — with matters such as voting ballots and seating; bylaws; and nametags — the Rev. Timothy Pauls is hard at…
After shooting, Sikhs push for more legal protections
(RNS) — U.S. Sikhs are taking heart in a widely publicized Senate hearing on hate crimes and a pledge by the Justice Department to consider tracking hate crimes directed at their community. The Sept. 19 hearing featured Harpreet Singh Saini,…
Few spots remain for National Disaster Response Conference
If you’re a member of an LCMS congregation who’s involved in disaster response, you might want to consider attending the Synod’s Fourth Annual National Disaster Response Conference, Oct. 8-10 at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. A limited number of…
Texas cheerleaders clamor for G-O-D at football games
(RNS) — Cheerleaders at an East Texas high school are fighting their school district’s orders to stop using Bible quotes on their signs at football games. In August, a school with fewer than 500 students 30 miles north of Beaumont, Texas,…
Germany's Voigt elected chairman of ILC
By Adriane Dorr Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany was elected chairman of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) during the council’s most recent meeting Sept. 16-21 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The Rev. Dr. Albert B.…
Official notice: convention reports and overtures (October 2012)
The deadline established by bylaw for the submission of reports and overtures to the 2013 convention of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is March 2, 2013. Boards and commissions of the Synod are asked to submit their reports to the convention…
Official notice: requests for reinstatement (October 2012)
JOE C. FAIRCHILD, Huntsville, Ala., has applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. JAN BRENNAN, Spring, Texas; JILL RACHELLE DURAN (nee STEVENS), Broken Arrow, Okla.; THEODORE L. HENN, Reisterstown, Md.; LINDA M. MCGAW,…
