Above: Quote by Tertullian, Early Church Father  (160 A. D.?-220 A. D. ?); photo, martyrdom of 21 Coptic Christians, February 12, 2015. ************************************ By David Yeghnazar.  Yeghnazar was born in Tehran, Iran.  He is the executive director for Elam Ministries, founded in 1990 by Iranian church leaders, to strengthen and expand the church in the Iran region […]
1346) Persecution Backfiring Read More »
“I, Benjamin take thee Annie, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.” Â Â Â In 1876 when Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1851-1921; pictured above) made this vow to his bride, Annie Kinkead, he meant
1332) In Sickness and in Health Read More »
Above: Refugee camp in Sudan ———————    (…continued) Whose side would you be on in this story?    William Willimon spoke at a seminar one time at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.  I was there and I heard the story from him in person. I am retelling it from memory so it
1209) Going Overboard for Jesus (b) Read More »
 Above: Duke University chapel, Durham North Carolina ———————   William Willimon is a Methodist minister, and for many years was the chaplain at Duke University. Duke, like many colleges and universities in the United States, was founded by Christians, and still offers worship services for students in their beautiful chapel. As chaplain, Willimon was the
1208) Going Overboard for Jesus (a) Read More »
Above image:Â Vietnam Reflections, by Lee Teter, 1988 ——————- Â Â Â (…continued)Â Four Scripture passages that speak to this issue… Â Â Â I Samuel 17 tells the familiar story of David and Goliath. Â David, probably only 15 or 16 years old, accepted the challenge to fight the giant warrior Goliath, and David killed him on
1146) A Sermon for Memorial Day (b) Read More »
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Hanover, Minnesota; May 30, 2016    Pacifism is defined as “opposition to war or violence of any kind, and the refusal to serve in the military because of one’s beliefs.”  There is, in the history of the Church and in the history of the United States, a long and noble
1145) A Sermon for Memorial Day (a) Read More »
Mark 8:34-36  —  Then (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will
1072) Faithful Unto Death (b) Read More »
   We have grown used to hearing about Muslim extremists who sacrifice their lives in suicide bombings.  They will gladly blow themselves up, along with as many innocent victims as they can take with them, believing that they are serving their god in a Holy War.  They die gladly, believing that upon death they
1071) Faithful Unto Death (a) Read More »
By John Mansur, from The Moral Compass: Stories for Life’s Journey, edited by William Bennett, 2008, pages 466-7. This is a remarkable story of sacrifice born of deep friendship. Â The author says, “I heard this story when I was in Vietnam, and it was told to me as fact. Â I have no way of knowing
1060) No Greater Love Read More »
“If you are going to say the R-Word, I hope you say “Respect.” By Lutheran pastor and author Walter Wangerin (1944-2021), in Christianity Today, Â page 66, August 10, 1984. Â (Notice the date of this article. Â Wangerin now objects to the use of the ‘R’ word, and it is no longer used; but it was commonly
