Sanctity of Life: The Complexities of the Abortion Issue

Dr. Norman Metzler Emeritus Professor of Theology Concordia University, Portland, Ore. The abortion issue has become central to much of what is happening in our nation politically, morally and spiritually. Many would contend that it is one of the top issues, if not the single most influential issue, behind our presidential election, the selection of…
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Is This a Bonhoeffer Moment?

By Pr. Eugene Brueggemann A Bonhoeffer moment is a moment of truth. It is a time of urgent necessity that is calling the church to bear witness to the truth when it is under prolonged and intense attack. Many American Christians, impressed with Bonhoeffer’s role and writings in the Nazi era, see parallels between then…
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An Eerie Parallel

By Dr. Norman Metzler In recent political developments at the presidential level, a parallel has become quite evident between the Watergate machinations of President Richard Nixon and his subsequent resignation from office, and the possibly actionable machinations of President Donald Trump that could rise to the level of impeachable offenses. There is another fascinating parallel…
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For Crying Out Loud

Reflections on Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination by Robert Schmidt Have you noticed the “numbness?” Citizens of the most powerful nation on earth are in a funk.  No, don’t pay attention to the wordsmiths who make their living championing and bashing.  Look rather at the bus riders, the shoppers, the teachers, and the clerks.  Then…
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On “Creationist” Discussions in the LCMS

Dr. Norman Metzler Professor of Theology Emeritus, Concordia University, Portland, Oregon The defense of the “truth” in the matter of faith and science within the LCMS is certainly alive and well. An article published in the Summer 2017 edition of the Concordia Seminary St Louis Concordia Journal by Prof. John Jurchen of Concordia Seward caused such an…
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Learning from the Global Church

Rev. Dr. Paul Mueller Executive Director, Center for Applied Lutheran Leadership (CALL) Concordia University, Portland, OR Paul Mueller is a LCMS pastor who was called to serve as a missionary to Liberia. Later he became the LCMS mission director for all of Africa.  He has a Ph.D. in Missiology from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft….
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A Review of Roland Allen’s The Ministry of Expansion

At its last convention, the Missouri Synod ended the licensed deacon’s program, which previously had authorized lay people, without a seminary education, to administer the Lord’s Supper in smaller congregations when an ordained pastor was unable to be present. Addressing that issue from a Biblical perspective is almost a voice from the grave in a new,…
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The Stumbling Block

Eugene Brueggemann Eugene Brueggemann is a premier historian of Lutheranism in America. This article reflects his rich campus ministry experience at Kent State, Northwestern University and the University of Illinois in Chicago. He has also served parishes in New York and Colorado. A contributor to the online Daystar conversation posed this classic question: “If God’s…
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