World Lutheran News Digest From Kfuo Radio

There’s been a chaplaincy in the military since the early days of the revolution. Chaplains provide spiritual and material comfort for young Americans going in to harms way to protect the country. Many chaplains have put themselves at risk and even paid the ultimate price for their faith. Even in peace time, a chaplain’s task can be trying and even dangerous. The military’s role has always been to protect our freedoms. But what happens when some of those freedoms are denied to the very people who wear the uniform? What happens when the military’s role is changed not just to protect the nation, but to serve as a tool for social engineering? LCMS Director of the Ministry to the Armed Forces Rev. Craig Mueller talks about these topics on today’s WLND.

Whether its a hurricane in Haiti or a tornado in Perryville, Missouri, a typhoon in the Philippines or a tsunami in Indonesia, Lutherans respond with mercy. The LCMS Disaster Response Team helps provide material assistance as well as spiritual help to victims of disasters. The Disaster Teams work with local congregations and missionaries who know the area and help coordinate relief efforts. Helping those in need is one way we witness God’s mercy. We love because Christ loved us first. The Rev. Michael Meyer, Manager of Disaster Response for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, talks about how the LCMS responds to disasters around the globe. Learn more about Disaster Response at lcms.org/disaster.

Sweet Cakes by Melissa finally got their day in court. The Oregon bakery was owned by Aaron and Melissa Klein, a devout Christian couple. Their problems began about four years ago, when a woman asked the Kleins to create a special wedding cake for her daughter, who was planning to marry her lesbian partner. The Kleins declined, saying that as Christians, they could not prepare a special cake celebrating gay marriage. The lesbian couple then filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Administrative hearings were held, and they went against the Kleins. They were forced to pay a $135,000 fine that resulted in them closing their shop. They were also given a gag order, preventing them from discussing certain aspects of the case, including their religious opposition to gay marriage. But the Kleins refused to stop fighting even though they lost their business. With the help of the First Liberty Institute, the largest legal organization in the country dedicated exclusively to protecting religio

In times of crisis pregnancy, what about the child’s life? Imagine an 18-year-old woman with an unwanted pregnancy, and she decides to end it. But what of the life she’s ending? What might that child become? Guest Kim Glassman can answer that question. Her birth mother chose life for her and put her up for adoption with a caring family. Hear her story on today’s WLND.

Warfare and unrest is creating a flood of refugees. The United Nations estimates there are more than 21 million refugees worldwide. Resettling them is a controversial topic. President Trump, citing problems in Europe and concerns about terrorism, wants a 120-day delay in accepting refugees into the United Sates until the vetting process is examined. Lutherans have long been involved in helping refugees. In 1939, the National Lutheran Council set up a department to help Lutheran refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. In 1954, the LCMS worked with what would become the Lutheran Immigration and Naturalization Service. Guest Linda Hartke, President and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, says there is a lot of misinformation concerning refugees, including the exactly the exact definition of what is a refugee, the vetting of refugees as opposed to immigrants, and where they are from. She addresses those topics on today's WLN. Learn more about their work at lirs.org.

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the country joined in the 44th Annual March for Life in Washington D.C. to voice their opposition to abortion on demand. In the past, mainstream media has given the March scant coverage. Was it different this year? Media Research Center writer Katie Yoder talks about how this year's March fared in the media.

Guests Rev. Dr. Kevin Armbrust, Erik Lundsford, and Deaconess Pamela Nielsen from the LCMS Communications Team talk about the experience of being at the Washington, D.C., March for Life and reflect on the sights and sounds of the March. The 2017 March for Life is estimated to have had between 500,000-600,000 marchers, one of the largest in history.

Republican Donald Trump is now the 45th President of the United States, but more than 60 Democratic members of Congress refused to attend the inauguration last week, claiming that his presidency is illegitimate. Guest Tim Goeglein, Washington Observer, talks about the temper of the nation’s capital..

How often have we heard people say that Christian beliefs are extreme, or that religious people are extremists because they believe in marriage between one man and one woman or in life beginning at conception? Does the research support or refute these claims? Guest Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council joins Kip Allen for World Lutheran News Digest.

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are challenging Missouri laws requiring abortion centers to meet the same medical standards as a colonoscopy center. Host Kip Allen discusses this latest challenge with Missouri Right to Life Legislative Liaison Susan Klein.

75 years ago today, December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into World War II. The millions of American men and women who responded, the Greatest Generation, sacrificed much, and some people have made it their business to keep the memory of these veterans alive. Guest Denise Goolsby, a long-time reporter for the Desert Sun Newspaper in Palm Springs, California, has interviewed more than 400 veterans about their wartime experiences. Host Kip Allen talks with her about these wonderful people.

The Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in the Baronelle Stutzman case involving Stutzman, a flower arranger who refused to make a special floral arrangement celebrating a friend’s gay marriage. Guest Kellie Fiendorek, attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, talks about the oral arguments and their implications for the outcome of the case.

The pro-life movement is hopeful following the recent elections. World Lutheran News Digest host Kip Allen discusses the situation with Lutherans for Life Executive Director Rev. Michael Salemink. Learn more about Lutheran For Life at lutheransforlife.org.

On November 11, we observe Veterans’ Day and honor those who served our nation in the military, including chaplains. The first Lutheran chaplains served in the Revolutionary War and the first Missouri Synod chaplains in the Civil War. Listen to Chaplain Craig Mueller, LCMS director of Ministry to the Armed Forces, speak about the role and history of chaplains in the military with Kip Allen.

It’s no secret that Christian artists are under attack. Secular and LBGT groups seek out and use government to punish Christian artists who refuse to create artwork celebrating what Christians consider sinful, such as gay marriage. Bakeries, florists, and other have been driven out of business and fined or threatened with prison. The situation in Colorado is especially grievous where not only can a Christian refuse to create art, but cannot even voice their religious objection to it. But Christians are starting to fight back. Graphic Designer Lorie Smith’s dream is to create websites for people celebrating their marriage. As a Christian, she cannot celebrate same-sex marriage. Smith is being proactive. Before she even opens her web design business, she asked Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to challenge the restrictions. World Lutheran News Digest host Kip Allen speaks with ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco who is handling the case.

Have you ever heard the expression "it doesn’t translate"? This problem is especially prevalent today when trying to understand Arabic words and phrases from an Islamic culture that has an entirely different worldview than the west. Does the word "Islam" really mean peace, or do Christianity and Islam mean the same thing when using the word "martyr?" Mistranslation leads to misunderstanding. Kip Allen discusses this with Arabic linguist and Middle East expert Dr. Timothy Furnish.

Who will be the voice for the voiceless? Guest Stuart Migdon, Filmaker, talks about his newly released pro-life movie "Voiceless" and explores how we can change the unplanned pregnancy conversation from despair to hope. Learn more about the film at voicelessthemovie.com..

First Liberty Attorney Matthew Kascmaryk discusses a recent U.S. Civil Rights Commission report stating the terms "religious liberty" and "religious freedom" are code words for "Intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance." Learn more about the First Liberty Institute at firstliberty.org.