Heavenly sounds, humble tool
Voices of Faith

Heavenly sounds, humble tool

“I relish the experience of playing for Sunday services,” said Natalia Paruz. That isn’t unusual coming from a Lutheran professional musician, but Paruz plays an unusual instrument—the musical saw. The…

My faith journey: Holy conversations
Voices of Faith

My faith journey: Holy conversations

It was a Thursday afternoon after the leaves had turned color on the trees that punctuate the concrete plaza in front of the student union at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln….

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Voices of Faith

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

When I was a young seminary professor just starting out in teaching church history, I would often get some variation on the question “What’s a nice girl like you doing…

Truth and lies
Voices of Faith

Truth and lies

During a sabbatical several years ago, I did research for what became a book on pastoral truth-telling and came across an intriguing idea authored by Sissela Bok, an ethicist and…

I’m a Lutheran: Ryan Henry Mitstifer Walton
Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Ryan Henry Mitstifer Walton

Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, Tucson, Ariz. Sophomore at Sabino High School, Tucson I believe God subtly tries to push me to do things. While it’s not a force that controls…

The gifts of discipleship in <i>Avengers: Endgame</i>
Voices of Faith

The gifts of discipleship in Avengers: Endgame

As the title suggests, Avengers: Endgame is a movie about endings. Not only does the film complete the story begun last year in Avengers: Infinity War, in which our heroes…

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Voices of Faith

This is my brave

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) I walked…

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Voices of Faith

Thanking God for adults without children

A married woman without children, remarks a character in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, is the “very best preserver of furniture in the world.” We might never state our feelings so clearly,…

Using the Bible in context
Voices of Faith

Using the Bible in context

Editor’s note: In this five-part series, former ELCA Presiding Bishop Herbert Chilstrom examines the authority and interpretation of the Bible. Part one explored how we understand the Bible’s purpose and how…