By James H. Heine ST. LOUIS — At its regular meeting Feb. 16-19, The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Council of Presidents (COP) adopted unanimously “an open letter of comfort” that addresses the recent controversy surrounding the participation of a Synod pastor…
ST. LOUIS, February 25, 2013—Raise the subject of immigration and be prepared for a spirited debate. Christians who hold to the Scriptures can have varying personal and political views about the best ways to compassionately care for and serve those who come to live in the United States from other countries. A new report, “Immigrants Among Us,” by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) offers theological guidance from a Lutheran perspective for thinking through immigration issues and some practical guidance for ministering to immigrants.
By Kim Plummer Krull Nearly three months after Superstorm Sandy, eight elderly, single women struggling to resume their lives along the hard-hit New Jersey Shore were among those offered a helping hand with debris and tree removal by Shepherd’s Heart…
(RNS) — Not all Catholics appreciated Pope Benedict XVI’s staunch defense of Christian orthodoxy, traditional marriage and life from conception to natural death. But American evangelicals sure did. As word spread Feb. 11 of Benedict’s resignation, many evangelicals lamented the impending…
By Adriane Dorr When it comes to the Church’s song, “Vivid imagery and fresh language can help the worshiper see a truth about God in a new way,” noted the Rev. Dr. Stephen Starke, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church,…
(RNS) — Thomas Jefferson is back in Washington — in the form of a new edition of the “Jefferson Bible” distributed to politicians by a national humanist organization. The American Humanist Association (AHA) has delivered electronic and paperback copies of Jefferson’s…
ST. LOUIS—January 22, 2013—Lutherans are marking the milestone 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion by participating in the national “March for Life” and attending the first-ever Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Life Conference Friday, Jan. 25, and Saturday, Jan. 26, respectively, in Washington, D.C.
By Kim Plummer Krull While Congress and insurance companies continued to crunch numbers concerning Superstorm Sandy financial assistance, congregations in the LCMS Atlantic and New Jersey Districts made Christmas a bit happier for families who lost their homes and for those…
By Vicki Biggs In Africa, a child dies of malaria every 60 seconds. As part of the ongoing efforts of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI) to reverse this statistic, leaders from the LCMS, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and Lutheran churches…
By Kim Plummer Krull Swimming in the pool. Eating yummy Thai food. Being with Dad, who travels to other countries for work. Those are some things Emma Hanson, 12-year-old daughter of LCMS career missionaries Rev. Carl and Chenhsi Hanson, says…
Americans who sign up to serve their country in the U.S. armed forces expect challenges — especially if their duty includes combat. But service members also encounter challenges far from the battlefield, after they come home. “Warriors of Faith —…
(RNS) — There is a moment in Steven Spielberg’s masterful new film “Lincoln” when the 16th president asks the kind of big question usually tackled by religion: Why are we here? “Do you think we choose the times into which we…
The Good Shepherd Institute of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music for the Church, located on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., will hold its annual conference Nov. 4-6 on the theme “Shepherd of Tender Youth: Connecting Postmoderns…
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council revolutionized life inside the Roman Catholic Church, hundreds of bishops from around the world are gathered in Rome to confront an external threat: a mounting tide of secularization. The Synod…
“Youth Ministry 2013” (YM 13) — a Jan. 7-8 symposium for all “who are serious about youth ministry” in the Synod — will explore how effective youth ministry “cuts across generational lines,” says the Rev. Dr. Terry Dittmer, director of LCMS Youth…
By Sarah Schafer LCMS partner churches in Haiti and the Dominican Republic report property damage, injuries and widespread flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Isaac. In Haiti, an already fragile country struggling to rebuild after the 2010 earthquake, four people lost…
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