Nov2014
War and peace
by Rev Dr Maurice Schild
Professor Hermann Sasse came to Australia in 1949 with the post-war migrant wave. Notwithstanding his call to lecture in Church History at Immanuel Seminary, he was still to some extent a refugee—with push factors perhaps stronger than the pull factor. Born in July 1895, Hermann Sasse began theological studies at the University of Berlin in… Read more
Nov2014
Eyes focused, finger on the pulse
by Reid Matthias
As the sun set below the western horizon, darkness settled over the ocean like an ebony blanket. I stood on the balcony, grasping the railing and watching lightning bolts touch the water, far out to sea. I was torn: to fish, or not to fish? That, my friends, is the real question. Then, in the… Read more
Oct2014
A welcome peace!
by Rev Dr Steen Olsen
I met Anja* when she had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It happened many years ago, when I was a Lutheran chaplain in a large city hospital. We saw many patients who had come to Australia after the Second World War and had a Lutheran background but no connection with a congregation. “Have you… Read more
Sep2014
Let Jesus speak!
by Rev Dr Steen Olsen
You are relaxing with friends. Most of them are not Christian. They know you are involved in the Lutheran Church. One of them says, ‘I saw on the news that another clergyman has been charged with abusing children.’ What do you say? Do you get defensive and say that it really is only a very… Read more
Sep2014
A day to remember
by Rachel Kuchel
Picnic … a day of nerves and excitement. In the 1800s the annual school examination was monumental for students, teachers and congregations alike, for everyone was invited. In 1857, teacher Martin Basedow and his pupils assembled in Dr Carl Muecke’s independent Lutheran Church (Tabor) in Tanunda, South Australia, along with 150 parents and friends as… Read more
Sep2014
The Holy Grail … is a servant’s cup
by Reid Matthias
Sometimes it seems like every church is on an endless quest to figure it out—to find the formula to bring people into membership. I guess we’ve tried every possible recipe: a dash of new programs, some exciting three-point preaching, maybe even a (gasp!) drum kit somewhere in the general vicinity of the sanctuary. We’ve copied… Read more
Aug2014
Evangelism must die!
by Rev Dr Steen Olsen
‘What needs to occur is nothing short of the death of evangelism.’ That got my attention. It’s a quote from the last chapter of a remarkable little book called The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution¹. The authors go on to explain, ‘By this we mean that the prevailing opinion about evangelism as one program in… Read more
Aug2014
Evangelism must die!
‘What needs to occur is nothing short of the death of evangelism.’ That got my attention. It’s a quote from the last chapter of a remarkable little book called The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution¹. The authors go on to explain, ‘By this we mean that the prevailing opinion about evangelism as one program in… Read more
Aug2014
Dear Teacher
by Rachel Kuchel
In 1847 Johann Ferdinand Mueller underwent a public examination in front of the Lobethal congregation, at the end of which he was awarded a certificate in teaching. With this, Ferdinand Mueller became the first Lutheran teacher to be trained in Australia. In September 1842 Ferdinand began teaching at Lobethal, shortly after its settlement. His teaching… Read more
Aug2014
My precious
by Reid Matthias
There are three things that I have learned not to poke fun at in Australia: Vegemite Slim Dusty Cricket It’s very easy to ridicule Vegemite because it tastes like scrapings from the oil pan of a rusted-out old ute—but I promised Christine that I wouldn’t make fun of it. I don’t know much about the… Read more
