The Lutheran Witness Podcast

Lutheran Education can be a sacrifice, both in terms of expense and time. The Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz shares how this is a sacrifice worth making for the good of your children and the church. To read all of Dr. Koontz’s article this month, visit cph.org/witness and subscribe.   Read more at witness.lcms.org/the-magazine. For more information on The Lutheran Witness or to subscribe to the magazine, pl...

Our children see “influencers” on a regular basis. They show up in social media apps, television and much more. The Rev. James Baneck reminds us that God has placed parents and church members as key influencers in the lives of our children, and this means parents, pastors and teachers are often the best placed influencers to encourage children to consider church work vocations.   If you enjoyed th...

Witchcraft has resurfaced among modern Americans. This is part of the religious beliefs of the Nones, who tend to have a buffet style of faith: Pick what works for you. The Rev. Dr. Jon Furgeson, in the March issue of The Lutheran Witness shared some updated research and background on the growth of witchcraft and offered suggestions for avoiding it in our modern times.   Read more at witness.lcms....

In the March issue of The Lutheran Witness, the Rev. Peter Burfeind explored the deity behind the belief structures of the Nones. Many of them fear, love and trust in the government above all things. Where did this come from? How did it develop? Listen on for more details. Visit cph.org/witness to subscribe to The Lutheran Witness.   Read more at witness.lcms.org/the-magazine. For more information...

The Word of God remains central to the task of reversing the trend toward disaffiliation among our children. The Rev. Joshua Hayes offers some advice on how to inculcate the regular study of God’s Word in your home. For more, visit cph.org/witness and subscribe to The Lutheran Witness. Read more at witness.lcms.org/the-magazine. For more information on The Lutheran Witness or to subscribe to the m...

The Nones are the fastest growing religious group in America. Where did they come from? What do they believe? This article from the March issue of The Lutheran Witness explores these roots and more. Read more at witness.lcms.org/the-magazine. For more information on The Lutheran Witness or to subscribe to the magazine, please visit witness.lcms.org. Sound effect obtained from zapsplat.com.

Every issue of The Lutheran Witness includes the “Snippets,” short little news items from around the LCMS and around the world. But, in the podcast edition, you get a little extra commentary from the editor on why he selected these particular news items. Enjoy your March 2023 Snippets. Read more at witness.lcms.org/the-magazine. For more information on The Lutheran Witness or to subscribe to the m...

Pastor Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), offers a reflection on his years of service as president of the LCMS. This raw picture shares both the joys and challenges of this work. Find more at witness.lcms.org/2023/what-it-is-like-to-be-president-of-the-synod and witness.lcms.org/the-magazine. For more information on The Lutheran Witness or to subscribe to...

The March 2023 issue of The Lutheran Witness addresses the Nones. For many, this is a difficult topic to address, in part because of past failures. We learn to fall on the grace of God. This episode will give you a preview of what’s coming in the rest of this month’s issue of LW.   This month, enjoy receiving the entire issue of LW as a podcast. To support this work and help us continue, please pu...

Rev. Anthony Oliphant, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, IL, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching Scripture” feature in the March 2023 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled "Encouragement in Christ" on Philippians 1:27-2:2. This year, "Searching Scripture" will study the book of Philippians, so stay tuned each month for a new Bible study. Follow along and search Scripture...

Rev. Anthony Oliphant, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, IL, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching Scripture” feature in the February 2023 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled “Reasons to Rejoice” on Philippians 1:12-26. This year, “Searching Scripture” will study the book of Philippians, so stay tuned each month for a new Bible study. Follow along and search Scripture wi...

The Rev. Michael Kasting shares the joy and sorrows of serving as a caregiver for someone struggling with Alzheimer’s. Make sure you also see the full story shared in this pamphlet. This is part of the story from the February issue of The Lutheran Witness. Download a free PDF of Into the Valley of Shadows. Purchase Into the Valley of Shadows. Learn more in the February issue of The Lutheran Witnes...

Rev. Anthony Oliphant, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, IL, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching Scripture” feature in the January 2023 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled “Grace and Peace to You” on Philippians 1:1-11. This year, “Searching Scripture” will study the book of Philippians, so stay tuned each month for a new Bible study. Follow along and search Scripture...

Rev. Roy Askins, Managing Editor of The Lutheran Witness, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching the Scriptures” feature in the December 2022 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled “Stand Firm” on Ephesians 6:1-24. This year, “Searching the Scriptures” will study the book of Ephesians, so stay tuned each month for the next Bible study. Follow along and search the Scriptures with us! Find...

Rev. Roy Askins, Managing Editor of The Lutheran Witness, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching the Scriptures” feature in the November 2022 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled “A Profound Mystery” on Ephesians 5:22-33. This year, “Searching the Scriptures” will study the book of Ephesians, so stay tuned each month for the next Bible study. Follow along and search the Scriptures with...

Rev. Roy Askins, Managing Editor of The Lutheran Witness, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching the Scriptures” feature in the October 2022 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled “Walk in the Light” on Ephesians 5:1-21. This year, “Searching the Scriptures” will study the book of Ephesians, so stay tuned each month for the next Bible study. Follow along and search the Scriptures with us!...

Lisa Clark, Senior Editor of Curriculum Resources at Concordia Publishing House, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about Sunday School through the years, including when it first began, how it made its way to the United States, concerns about this method of teaching at the beginning of the practice, and how Sunday School has changed in the LCMS in the last 50 years. Read Lisa and Deaconess Anna Johnson'...

Rev. Jason M. Braaten, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tuscola, Illinois, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the history of Vacation Bible School, as he wrote about in the September 2022 of The Lutheran Witness, including the concept of the first Vacation Bible Schools in the United States, how these programs were vastly different depending on the location of the students, how Vacation Bible...

Rev. Roy Askins, Managing Editor of The Lutheran Witness, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching the Scriptures” feature in the September 2022 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled "Walk in Love" on Ephesians 4:17-32. This year, "Searching the Scriptures" will study the book of Ephesians, so stay tuned each month for the next Bible study. Follow along and search the Scriptures with us! F...

The Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, pastor and evangelist of Trinity Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about his article in the August 2022 issue of The Lutheran Witness titled "Four Accounts: One Truth, The Baptism of Jesus," including some misunderstandings regarding events recorded in Scripture in multiple accounts or by multiple writers, how to best approach these section...

Rev. Roy Askins, Managing Editor of The Lutheran Witness, joins Andy to talk about the “Searching the Scriptures” feature in the August 2022 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled "United in the Bond of Peace" on Ephesians 4:1-16. This year, "Searching the Scriptures" will study the book of Ephesians, so stay tuned each month for the next Bible study. Follow along and search the Scriptures with us!...

This June, the Rev. Roy S. Askins, managing editor of The Lutheran Witness, was asked by the LCMS Kansas District to speak on their convention theme, “Proclaim, Teach, Share,” based on 1 Peter 2:9–10. This podcast is the second 45-minute presentation that looked at those who describe themselves as religiously “None,” and how we might work on our witness into the home.  Listen to Part 1 of these pr...

This June, the Rev. Roy S. Askins, managing editor of The Lutheran Witness, was asked by the LCMS Kansas District to speak on their convention theme, “Proclaim, Teach, Share,” based on 1 Peter 2:9–10. This podcast is the first 45-minute presentation that addressed the theme verse and how this has been interpreted by The Lutheran Witness throughout its 140-year history.   Part 2, to be published ne...

In this article, the Rev. Dr. Jason Lane, professor of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin, explains why God’s pronouns are important and how the move to stop using masculine pronouns grows out of a feminist theology that rejects a biblical view of God. You can read the article on The Lutheran Witness website. For more information on The Lutheran Witness or to subscribe to the magazine, ple...

Rev. Dr. Jonathan Shaw, LCMS Director of Church Relations and assistant to the LCMS president, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the Russia-Ukraine War, including the questions we should ask to understand if we should be involved in this war, how we understand the kingdom of the right and the kingdom of the left, how we understand just war theory, how our understanding of these things have change...