Suicide Prevention Week and World Suicide Prevention Day are held each year in September. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Experts estimate that for every suicide there are 29 attempted suicides. Whites and American Indians have the highest rates of suicide…
Ordination and installation worship service in my Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod denomination are joyous, reverent celebrations marking the completion of years of hard work and training. God has provided another shepherd for a flock of his sheep. The recent ordination and istallation of Gatluk Reat at Trinity Lutheran Church, Faribault, Minnesota was the culmination of…
A major feature of the fifth century of Lutheranism is what Harold Lindsell calls the “Battle for the Bible.” The battle for the Bible has affected all denominations, not just Lutherans. As the Bible was subjected to more and more scientific analysis, people started to question some of its accuracy and reliability. Key elements of…
As I pointed out last month, the third century of Lutheranism saw the rise of a new philosophical and theological movement, Rationalism. According to Rationalism, reason, logic and science were the supreme sources of truth and capable of solving all of man’s problems, leaving old-fashioned religious faith as a relic of the past. For much…
This past week was the district convention of the Minnesota South District of the church body to which I belong. Compared to the rest of the country, Minnesota is not thought of as a very diverse place but over the course of 24 hours at the convention I experienced a pretty impressive range of diversity.…
Mirror Neurons 