A Fable

Mary Todd Once upon a time a woman was invited to write a book on gender that her church wanted to publish. She was told she could write whatever she wanted about women, but she had to agree not to mention the O-word, for the ordination of women was not a subject the church wished…
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Any Friend of Jesus is a Friend of Mine

A Discussion of Fellowship Montana District Pastoral Conference Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod October 8–10, 2002 Stephen C. Krueger Thank you for the honor of your invitation to address your pastoral conference on the matter of church fellowship. I look forward to our dialogue within the boundaries of the Sacred Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. 1. A…
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A Time to Confess

Stephen Krueger (with input from Matthew Becker and David Benke) Principal Author’s Note: I, SK, do not see this statement to be in any final form until members of the church (e.g., participants from the Daystar online conversation) have a legitimate, honest crack at critiquing it. First, I am better appreciating the awesome task that…
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Theses on Women in the Church – Part Three

Arnold J. Voigt III. A FEW SELECTED PASSAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT PERTINENT TO THE DISCUSSION AT HAND WHICH SPEAK TO THE MANNER IN WHICH OUR HOLY GOD DESIRES WOMEN TO EMBRACE THE GIFTS HE HAS GIVEN THEM IN THE SERVICE OF MINISTRY IN THE NAME OF HIS SON  ▬ Women “In Authority” in the Old Testament  ▬ Genesis 21:12:…
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Theses on Women in the Church – Part Two

Arnold J. Voigt Excursus: “The Order of Creation” or “The Orderings of the Creator”? □ “…because it is a woman…” [emphasis added] (CTCR-WIC, 36) □ “The Order of Creation” paragraph is followed by the words “the concepts which these terms denote are of long-standing importance… Luther for example…” (CTCR-WIC, 21). The purpose of this Excursus…
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Ecumenism and Our Identity

John Hannah Whenever we engage Christians who are not Lutheran, our own identity is challenged. We find ourselves asking questions like these: “Who are we as Lutherans?” “Where did we come from?” “Who were we?” “How did we get to be what we are now?” The late, great Jaroslav Pelikan is said to have invented…
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Conflict, Confession, and Unity

Conflict, Confession and Unity: Addressing Doctrinal Issues Faithfully and Fraternally for the Sake of Christ’s Mission Rev. Dr. David H. Benke, Presenter PACIFIC SOUTHWEST DISTRICT 2004 ANNUAL THEOLOGICAL CONVOCATION February 16–19, 2004 Suncoast Hotel, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada The Practice of Theology, Prayer and Worship in the 21ST Century or How Do Churches and…
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LCMS 2000: Advice for an Advisory Synod

Dr. Ralph A. Bohlmann There is a great deal of concern within the LCMS about the proper relationship between the synod and its members. Just a few months ago, the chairman of the synod’s Task Force on National/District Synod Relations (Rev. Eugene Oesch, May 2000 Reporter, p.3) publicly expressed his surprise “at how little some church…
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