Items of interest from various sources of religious news and opinion, in print and on the web. Imprisoned Chinese Pastor Won’t Yield. China’s campaign against unregistered Christian churches continues to intensify, with pastors and lay leaders increasingly charged with “subversion of state power.” One such pastor, Ezra Jinn, profiled in the Wall Street Journal, refuses… Read More
Year/Month: 2026/07
Every other month we get an update on what’s been happening recently at our Immanuel Lutheran High School, College and Seminary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The ascension of Jesus, which we commemorated a few months ago, marked several key points in the Savior’s work. It was the acknowledgment that Jesus had successfully completed the work… Read More
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006 Date Hymns Reading Comments July 1 TLH 156 / LSB 431 Leviticus 16 The Lord gives Moses regulations regarding the Day of Atonement. Through ritual sacrifice, the people of the Lord are cleansed of sin. The Day of… Read More
Updates from congregations around the Church of the Lutheran Confession As our Savior stood with the eleven, He was just about to ascend to the right hand of God the Father Almighty. However, before this monumental event took place, He first assured the apostles that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and… Read More
In this series, those involved with CLC foreign missions profile one aspect of our overseas endeavors. [Editor: The following is a report about current activities in the Himalayan Church of the Lutheran Confession in Nepal (HCLCN). It is written, in his own words, by the indigenous pastor who is our main contact in Nepal. Names… Read More
In this series we are reprinting Spokesman articles by early leaders in the CLC. Pastor Emeritus James Albrecht is the curator of the series. Pastor Robert Mackensen (1920-2012) was a charter member of the CLC, and served congregations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado and North Carolina. This article is from the Lutheran Spokesman of September 1988.… Read More
In this series we offer brief introductions to the books of the Bible, including background, authorship, content, and application to the lives of today’s Christians. The author is “the elder,” (1:1) the last living apostle. He wrote from Ephesus (A.D. 85-95) to “the beloved Gaius,” leader of a church under John’s authority. This shortest book… Read More
(Read Exodus 35-36) Roy was the envy of little boys. He was a long-time member of his Lutheran church. Earlier in life, Roy had served as a soldier in Germany after World War II. Now retired, he drove a pickup truck with all sorts of tools in the back. When something broke at church or… Read More
The young couple had been attending worship services for months. They appreciated the sermons and the welcoming attitude of the congregation. They felt at home and inquired about becoming members. Everything was very positive until suddenly without explanation they stopped coming. The pastor reached out to them to ask if something was wrong. The couple’s… Read More
BARTHOLOMÄUS RINGWALT
Written by Craig Owings | July, 2026
Post Categories: HEARTS IN HARMONY—PROFILES OF THE HYMNWRITERS WHO SHAPE OUR WORSHIP,
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Post Categories: HEARTS IN HARMONY—PROFILES OF THE HYMNWRITERS WHO SHAPE OUR WORSHIP,
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Each month we highlight a hymnwriter who authored one or more of the well-loved hymns that we sing today. As you may have realized from previous articles in this series, some of our Lutheran hymn writers have rather dramatic and even grievous “back stories” to their lives. Paul Gerhardt, Johann Heermann, Nikolaus Selnecker, Philipp Nicolai,… Read More
The word outreach has been around a long time. In the early 1900’s, it referred to social welfare programs to help those facing challenges and needs. By the 1960’s, outreach was also being used to refer to an organization’s or business’s contacts to expand operations. In the 1980’s, AT&T produced the “Reach Out and Touch… Read More
“O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!'” (Isaiah 40:9 NKJV) “Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news… Read More