A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE CLC SNAPSHOTS OF CONGREGATIONS FROM AROUND THE CHURCH OF THE LUTHERAN CONFESSION “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” (Psalm 50:2 ESV) For years—over a quarter of a century—the God of grace has sustained a remnant of His people in the Atlanta area. At first, it… Read More »Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Loganville, Georgia Read More

Written by: Frank Gantt pastor of St. Luke’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Lemmon, South Dakota. “Since it has pleased Almighty God in His good providence to call this brother out of this present life, it is proper for us, before committing his body to the earth, to hear in our bereavement the admonition and comfort of God’s… Read More »Why Would a Pastor Refuse to Bury Someone Read More

The short answer to this question is that infants are in need of the same forgiveness that adults need, because they have inherited the sinful nature of their parents. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Human… Read More »Why Do We Baptize Infants? Read More

Strictly speaking, the appropriate word for the issue of divorce is serious. We are serious about divorce because we strictly adhere to the Word of God. The seriousness of divorce is not determined by “our church,” but rather by what God has said in His Word. God is serious about His institution of marriage, and… Read More »“Why is Our Church So Strict about Divorce?” Read More

“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!” (FOURTEENTH IN A SERIES) Pastors Answer Frequently-Asked Questions Is the use of alcohol a sin? Of course we know that that cannot be the case. Christ Himself drank from “the fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29), and in the institution of His Supper, He attached His word of promise to the… Read More »What About Alcohol? Read More

No, the Bible doesn’t contain any mistakes. Everything it says is reliable and true, since it is given by inspiration of God. This is what makes it “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV). Yet, skeptics are challenging the reliability of the Bible all the time,… Read More »Does the Bible Contain Mistakes? Read More

The chief concern for Christians in all things is to glorify God. Scripture says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV). The issue of legalized marijuana is no different. The answer was simple when the use of marijuana was illegal in… Read More »“What are the Concerns for Christians Regarding ‘Legalized’ Marijuana?” Read More

Started as a mission in the early days of the Synodical Conference, St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1909. In March of 1908, the Herman Ferking family was making its way from Greenway, South Dakota, to Lemmon. At Roscoe, South Dakota, there was a layover of several hours between train connections, and Pastor… Read More »St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Lemmon, South Dakota Read More

“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!” (TWENTY-THIRD IN A SERIES) Pastors Answer Frequently-Asked Questions It may be surprising to learn that the Bible doesn’t say a lot about homosexuality. It is mentioned specifically in just a handful of places (such as Leviticus 18:22-24, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:9-10). However, what the Bible says… Read More »“What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?” Read More

“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!” (TWENTY-Sixth IN A SERIES) Pastors Answer Frequently-Asked Questions You will not find the word sacrament in the Bible. If you were to do a quick search in a concordance, the closest match you would find is sacrifice. One can easily see that, as far as spelling is concerned, the two words… Read More »“What is a sacrament, and how many are there?” Read More

This question begins with an unfortunate assumption; namely, that praying or singing requires certain visible motions. Praying is more than the folding of hands and the closing of eyes. Singing is more than opening the mouth and matching musical notes with one’s voice. Praying and singing are acts of worship, and worship is always primarily… Read More »“Why don’t CLC members pray or sing at other churches?” Read More

“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!” (THIRTY-SECOND IN A SERIES) Pastors Answer Frequently-Asked Questions Grace is a word that one will hear in almost any church that claims to be Christian. Even those denominations that deny Christ’s deity as well as those who don’t speak about the cross will talk about grace. Grace is a recurring word… Read More »“What do Roman Catholics mean when they say that salvation is by grace?” Read More

WALTHER’S LAW AND GOSPEL One of the hallmarks of the Lutheran Church is its proper understanding and application of the Bible’s two main teachings—Law and Gospel. Dr. C.F.W. Walther’s seminal work, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, is the basis for this two-year series. Note: page numbers given are accurate for the 1929 and… Read More »Two Principles for Correct Preaching Read More

READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER (COHABITATION) Passages that will help you respond when people say… Unfortunately, this is no longer a common question. I say “unfortunately” because the reason the question is so seldom asked any longer is that our society has gone so far down the road of sexual perversion that “living together” hardly… Read More »“What’s so bad about a couple living together outside of marriage?” Read More

READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER (SOCIAL GOSPEL) Passages that will help you respond when people say… As the word is typically used, a job is work performed for pay. In that sense, the church has no job. All that God provides us, whether for body or soul, He provides “purely out of fatherly divine goodness… Read More »“The church’s job is to help people with their earthly needs.” Read More

UNDERSTANDING THE CULTS — JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES In this twelve-part series we are taking a brief look at some of the major cults, past and present, that have found adherents in the United States. Your pastor can help you if you’d like a more in-depth study of a particular group. In a previous article addressing the… Read More »Jehovah’s Witnesses Read More

The Unification Church was established by Sun Myung  Moon (“Shining Sun and Moon”) following the Korean War. Claiming that he had received a vision from God, he started out to fulfill his mission of uniting all of Christianity under one headship—his own. Previous articles in this series have noted that most cults can be identified… Read More »The Unification Church Read More

UNDERSTANDING THE CULTS In this twelve-part series we are taking a brief look at some of the major cults, past and present, that have found adherents in the United States. Your pastor can help you if you’d like a more in-depth study of a particular group. The Baha’i religion is one of the more difficult… Read More »The Bahá’í Religion Read More

UNDERSTANDING THE CULTS In this twelve-part series we are taking a brief look at some of the major cults, past and present, that have found adherents in the United States. Your pastor can help you if you’d like a more in-depth study of a particular group. Imagine thinking that the magazine that you are currently… Read More »The New Age Movement Read More

BEST. JOB. EVER! Are you a young person pondering a career? Have you considered becoming a pastor or a Christian day school teacher? This twelve-part series is meant to coincide with the work of the President’s Committee on Partners in the Public Ministry (CPPM). Its aim is to help you think more deeply about the… Read More »It Has the Best Support Read More