What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family

Word from the Center
Written By LCRL Staff

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My new book, What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family, is a collection of columns I have written over the past several years calling on Americans to return to these core values that will bring about cultural and political renewal.‍

So many of our current problems have come about because of our abandonment of the values of faith, family, and freedom, but we still have hope, even during the darkest times, if we remain faithful as Christians and citizens to be salt and light in our culture. That is why I wrote these columns and compiled them together with assistance from my friend Craig Osten, in this book.‍ ‍

Here is just a short excerpt from one of the columns:

‍ ‍Americans Still Believe in the Bible, But More Choose to Go It Alone

‍Several years ago, Dan Edmunds, a diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association, said, “One of the most destructive problems is the breakdown of community, and it is this breakdown that has often led to the breakdown of persons. Though we may put many around us, we are alone.”‍ ‍

For decades, a major source of community for many Americans was their local house of worship. While those attending may have had varying degrees of commitment to living out their faith, they would gather to enjoy fellowship with each other as they passed through the various stages of life—from childhood all the way to life’s eventual end.‍ ‍

Unfortunately, fewer Americans are enjoying such community these days, and we are worse off for it. While there may be a lot of people coming in and out of their lives, fewer have the deep, abiding ties developed within a religious body. As a result, they are more alone than ever.‍ ‍

A few weeks ago, I read about a Marist Poll that found, while 54 percent of Americans still believe in the “God of the Bible,” they increasingly shun religious services—and the numbers are even worse for younger generations. ‍ ‍

This is the result of the trickle-down occurring as religious attendance has been declining with each passing generation. As Daniel Cox writes, “The parents of millennials and Generation Z did less to encourage regular participation in formal worship services and model religious behaviors in their children than had previous generations.”‍ ‍

As has been said, values are caught, not taught, and millennials and Gen Zer’s are seeing the lack of commitment from those older than them and are following their sad example—and are feeling increasingly isolated as a result.‍ ‍

While a slim majority still says it believes in the God of the Bible, their lack of connection with a local religious body has profound consequences not only for themselves but for our society.‍ ‍

Compared to those who either infrequently attend religious services or do not attend at all, regular attenders are more actively involved in their communities and have stronger social ties with others. Is it any wonder that the unraveling of civility and our social fabric started to occur when attending weekly services became an option rather than a priority?‍ ‍

And without a rock such as local religious bodies to attach to, people become morally, emotionally, and physically adrift—something we see played out daily. In addition, with the loss of commitment to a religious body comes the loss of a vital institution that has always been a source of connection with others.‍ ‍

America was built on civic groups and other associations, like attending religious services. It was these associations Alexis de Tocqueville said, “form a society,” and in their absence, society disintegrates into individualism and moral confusion.‍ ‍

If we are going to restore community in America, one of the first places to start is to get people back to houses of worship, instead of watching sermons on TV or not attending in any form at all. Such a community changes our orientation—from self to selfless —as we become connected with others in the common bond of faith. Such a community will bring a restoration to our current fragmented state and bring us back together again for the common good—for us and society.

**** ‍

It is my hope that these columns – and this book – can be a tool to restore the values upon which our great nation was founded – vigorous faith, strong marriages, nurturing families, and a common good that believes in the dignity of every individual. 

What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family can be purchased at https://www.fidelispublishing.com/.  Reprinted here by permission.

Be Informed
Planned Parenthood’s annual report is out. Check out this recent podcast with Dr. Michael New of the Charlotte Lozier Institute to discover why any number of abortions is still too many.

Be Equipped
Dr. Seltz and Timothy S. Goeglein discuss the common-sense—but often lost—truth that healthy families are key to a healthy, civil, and humane society.

Be Encouraged
We are no longer terrified sinners but God’s own children because of what Jesus has done for us. And so, the Day of Judgment becomes good news for us—because it is the day when the One we love most returns to bring us home in peace.” –Dr. Kari Vo, Lutheran Hour Ministries

See Also
What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family
What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family

My new book, What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family, is a collection of columns I have written over the past several years calling on Americans to return to these core values that will bring about cultural and political renewal.

So many of our current problems have come about because of our abandonment of the values of faith, family, and freedom, but we still have hope, even during the darkest times, if we remain faithful as Christians and citizens to be salt and light in our culture. That is why I wrote these columns and compiled them together with assistance from my friend Craig Osten, in this book.

Pastors and Politics
Pastors and Politics

My inbox regularly scolds me that pastors should keep their noses out of “politics.” For some of my fans, this weekly column only raises their eyebrows. For others, it ceaselessly raises their ire.

I’m usually too busy giving my opinion to bother with self-justifications. But there is something so foundational that it should be discussed from time to time. Sadly, although it grounds everything that we say and do, it is almost forgotten.

Here’s What’s Coming to America and the West Unless . . .
Here’s What’s Coming to America and the West Unless . . .

By the time a society realizes it has created what I like to call “secular blasphemy laws,” it is usually too late to admit that’s what they are.

They won’t be identified that way, of course. They will arrive dressed in the language of “dignity,” “inclusion,” and “harm prevention.” They will be framed as modest legal guardrails against “dangerous speech.” But functionally, they will do what blasphemy laws have always done: punish issues of conscience, punish people for expressing beliefs that contradict the reigning moral orthodoxy of the ruling elite.

And that statement is not hypothetical. There is already a test case that is happening right now in a modern, democratic, European nation.

Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty: Can Both Be True for the Christian?
Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty: Can Both Be True for the Christian?

‍Forty-seven people were executed in 2025, the highest number of executions in the United States since 2009. Four have been executed in 2026 as of March 1, and 18 more are scheduled for this year.
The death penalty is a deeply controversial issue. A 2024 poll by Gallup reported that 53% of Americans were in favor of the death penalty. 43% opposed it, and the remaining 4% had no opinion. These numbers have fluctuated significantly over the past 50 years.
As a 20-year-old student at a public university, I had never given capital punishment much thought until my school’s newspaper published an article about the high number of executions last year. I realized I didn’t know exactly where I stood on the death penalty. So, as a lifelong Lutheran, I naturally turned to the LCMS’ frequently asked questions webpagefor an answer.
According to the FAQ, the LCMS’ official position is that “capital punishment is in accord with the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions." It points to several verses in Scripture that support its position.

‍ ‍In Romans 13, the apostle Paul stated that every person is subject to the governing authorities because all authority is given by God.

Salt of the Earth
Salt of the Earth

Pepper is the spice of life, adds life to the party, but salt makes everything better. Salt makes chocolate more chocolatey, butter more buttery, makes the perfect crust for the perfect steak. Taste your soup, and find it bland? Salt's absence is often the problem. Salt preserves and cleanses, melts the ice on a winter road. So valuable is salt that we get from it our English word for “salary.” And when a fellow can be counted on, we call him the salt of the earth. He's the guy who can be counted on, the kind of fellow who turns a town into a hometown that people love. Salt is marvelously a mineral, showing that God loves man, had us in mind from the very beginning.

Equality vs. Egalite
Equality vs. Egalite

The Declaration of Independence speaks of us all being created equal. Such a notion is biblical, in as much as every human being has dignity, is created in the image of God. This truth is underlined by God's word to Noah: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man." Such an assertion of equality does not mean that we do not have roles to play. The father is the head of the family, and children are to honor father and mother. To the husband is given headship, along with the responsibility to sacrifice himself for his wife and to protect and provide for his family. To woman is given another glory. For good reason, the bride is adorned in white and rightly receives attention.

Jesus vs. Caesar
Jesus vs. Caesar

“Savior.” “Lord.” “Son of God.” If you asked someone in the ancient world who these titles referred to, they might tell you “Jesus.” But depending on who you were talking to, they might also tell you “Caesar.” Modern readers of the Bible often miss the fact that some of the language the New Testament uses to talk about Jesus was also commonly used to talk about the Roman Emperor, who was not just a political leader, but someone whom people worshipped and even offered sacrifices to.

Faith in Politics
Faith in Politics

I post a lot on Christianity, a lot on Lutheranism, but also politics, and what it means to us as Christians. But when it comes to liberal and conservative, these are not two sides to one coin. It cannot be dismissed as CNN vs. Fox. I love God first and recognize that the family matters. Politics matter because our neighbor matters and because we care about the things needful, including the sanctity of life and the free exercise of religion.

 

But on the other side, it's different. I have a lot of liberal friends who post about liberal issues all the time, much of it to do with what they perceive as justice. But Christ hardly comes into view. In some ways, there was a lot more talk about Christ loving the immigrant or the homeless person, and that was used as an argument for bigger government. But among younger people, Christ hardly comes into view. Liberal Christianity was a kind of step on the way, but hardly holds the minds or inspires the hearts. And so it goes that a liberal Christian often finds her enemy is the conservative Christian, the one who cares about the Virgin Birth and Christ as the one redeemer, the only begotten Son of God.

LGBTQ+ = Subverting the Created Order
LGBTQ+ = Subverting the Created Order

“The LGBTQ community." What other sin is talked this way? Is there a murdering community? A gossiping community? Since when does an alliance in sin spoken of in such positive terms? But this community is one that speaks lies that lead to the destruction of the family and to loneliness and isolation.

 

Typically, when attempting to cloud the issue, we are told that questions concerning sex and gender are "complicated." Really, it isn't. God created us male and female. The confusion arises from the deceptive ideology that pushes it. We are told that detransitioners are extremely rare. Have they not met and talked with those in the growing detransition community? We have members who have been lied to and have escaped the clutches of the deceivers, though they are not unscathed medically or emotionally. We are told that trans people do not simply decide to be trans. But they mention nothing of the work of Abigail Shrier and many others who have clearly demonstrated that the transgender phenomenon is a social contagion, especially now among women, an ideology that is spread by the secular left and through destructive influencers on social media.

Marriage: Conforming Couples to Christ’s Image
Marriage: Conforming Couples to Christ’s Image

Love is not a red, red rose at all. It is work — hard, hard work. It endures sacrifice and pain for the sake of someone else. It subdues one’s own desires, opinions and needs, being patient and kind, not resentful or angry or insisting on one’s own rights or way. It does not live for pleasure and satisfaction or self-actualization. Christian love is defined by Christ and follows His example as confessed in 1 Corinthians 13. Christian love lives entirely for someone else.

Get Up, Dress Up, Show Up: March for Life
Get Up, Dress Up, Show Up: March for Life

Luther grounded his understanding of civil government and its duties toward God in creation, teaching that rulers are a type of father. In the Large Catechism he wrote, “Thus we have two kinds of fathers presented in this commandment, fathers in blood and fathers in office, or those to whom belongs the care of the family, and those to whom belongs the care of the country. Besides these there are yet spiritual fathers.” Luther recognized the universal responsibility of all mankind to acknowledge and serve God in accordance with one’s particular station. All earthly rulers, whether of Israelite or Gentile nations, were expected to follow God’s Word. If they did not serve the Lord, like emperors Nero and Domitian, they would be held guilty by Him. Luther maintained a consistently positive estimation of Constantine and other Christian rulers throughout his writings — especially their aid in resisting the grasping tyranny of the papacy. He held up David and the other faithful kings of Israel as examples of the universal duty of rulers to acknowledge and serve God.

Constantine the Great: Hero of Luther and Exemplary Christian Ruler
Constantine the Great: Hero of Luther and Exemplary Christian Ruler

Luther grounded his understanding of civil government and its duties toward God in creation, teaching that rulers are a type of father. In the Large Catechism he wrote, “Thus we have two kinds of fathers presented in this commandment, fathers in blood and fathers in office, or those to whom belongs the care of the family, and those to whom belongs the care of the country. Besides these there are yet spiritual fathers.” Luther recognized the universal responsibility of all mankind to acknowledge and serve God in accordance with one’s particular station. All earthly rulers, whether of Israelite or Gentile nations, were expected to follow God’s Word. If they did not serve the Lord, like emperors Nero and Domitian, they would be held guilty by Him. Luther maintained a consistently positive estimation of Constantine and other Christian rulers throughout his writings — especially their aid in resisting the grasping tyranny of the papacy. He held up David and the other faithful kings of Israel as examples of the universal duty of rulers to acknowledge and serve God.

Praying Colors, Morning and Evening
Praying Colors, Morning and Evening

I’ve also sometimes struggled, I’ll confess, to reconcile my own civic duty to honor our nation’s flag with my Christian call to “fear, love and trust in God above all things.” The melody blaring from a speaker mounted high upon a tower reminds me eerily of church bells “chiming and calling” Christians to Sunday worship (LSB 645), or of a muezzin summoning Muslims to daily prayer. Although colors isn’t meant to be a spiritual act of devotion, the striking resemblance it bears to such ancient religious practices is hard to ignore. 

Beware the Lemmings
Beware the Lemmings

Social media today functions much like the volatile crowds Gustave Le Bon described over a century ago when he observed, “Crowds are only capable of thinking in images, and are only to be impressed by images. It is by images alone that great leaders can be followed.” In the digital world, people aren’t working through truth with patience and reason; they’re reacting to symbols, slogans, memes, and bite-sized videos that bypass the mind and stir the gut and emotions.

Chilling to the Bone
Chilling to the Bone

"We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism." Thus far Mamdani, whose words are chilling to the bone. Now we might counter that rugged individualism is a whole lot better than collectivism, and we'd be right. Collectivism means you lose your identity, you become a number, a statistic, a victim, and a ward of the state that cares not a whit about you.

 Collectivism has the warmth of a Siberian gulag, a dark North Korean night. The fact that Mamdani can get away with such rhetoric, even after Communism has taken the lives of tens of millions of people, is frustrating.

The Blessings of Success and Power
The Blessings of Success and Power

What's a blessing, and what's a curse? When it comes to earthly matters, it's often not clear. Success can be a killer, especially when it comes with fame. Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley, for sure, and a whole host of late 60s heroes who died at the age of 27. The Beatles benefited from being four, so were less susceptible to lackeys.

Demanding Your Highest Allegiance
Demanding Your Highest Allegiance

There is no trouble too large for the government to solve, no concern too small for it to care about. Such words might be spoken of God, for whom nothing is impossible. Have you trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. What a friend we have in Mamdani?

Luther’s “Wise Turk” Quote That He Didn’t Say
Luther’s “Wise Turk” Quote That He Didn’t Say

We are hearing more and more that famous quotation from Martin Luther: “I’d rather be ruled by a wise Turk than by a foolish Christian.”  The problem is, no one has been able to find that famous quotation in any of the voluminous works of Luther.  It appears that the quotation is apocryphal.  I suspect it may have originated as an attempt to explain the implications of Luther’s doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, as in, “Luther would have rather been ruled by a wise Turk. . .” which then was recalled as “Luther said he would rather have been. . . .” Read more from Dr. Gene Edward Veith here.

2026: Restoring Faith, Realizing Protections
2026: Restoring Faith, Realizing Protections

As 2025 ends, as faithful Lutherans, there is much to be thankful for as we have seen many positive developments for faith and freedom.

Pregnancy resource centers are booming while Planned Parenthood clinics are closing their doors. It looks like we are beginning to see a spiritual revival among young adults as they reject the emptiness of the culture they see around them. And several states have passed common-sense age verification laws, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, to protect innocent children from accessing graphic pornography online.

So, what is ahead for 2026? What policy advancements can we make to continue this positive momentum back towards faith and freedom?

Dark Days in Illinois
Dark Days in Illinois

Today is a dark day in the history of Illinois. Governor Pritzker—of whom every LCMS pastor in Illinois prays for each week and will continue to do so—signed into law . . . the “End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act,” granting terminally ill patients who have received a prognosis of six-months to live or less the ability to receive a pill in order to end their own lives.

Throwback: Nothing Can Overpower the Persevering Blessing of Christmas
Throwback: Nothing Can Overpower the Persevering Blessing of Christmas

A blessed Christmas to all of you “for today (many years ago) in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12). The life, death and resurrection of Jesus came as a blessing to the world even though the world didn’t deserve it and, even worse, was unreceptive to receiving Him as the gift that He was for them (see John 1:10-13).

We Are Slaves of Christ
We Are Slaves of Christ

We are slaves of Christ, but earthly slavery is not a good thing. Slavery is an institution of the fallen world. I am led to understand that even today there are fifty million people living as the property of others. I'm not sure what would happen if we added to that number those enslaved in various systems like North Korea. But bonds and fetters are not to be celebrated or commended, and if someone might say that it is a good thing, I have never seen anyone volunteer to be on slavery's receiving end. This is not to be a Pollyanna or to hide our heads in the sand. Throughout history, when one nation has conquered another, slavery has resulted. There will always be wars and rumors of wars, and life is messy. And yet slavery is not a good thing. And we can say so without losing sight of the fact that we as Christians are slaves of God, even as we are His children.

40 Days for Life
40 Days for Life

[Weeks ago], a group from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, gathered on the sidewalk that runs by the local Planned Parenthood. There were perhaps 15 of us in all, but what a mighty and faith-filled people. A young couple, a father with three or four little ones in tow, a student from Germany, another from Australia.

 

What of it? Things change, and prayers are answered. Just as few predicted the fall of the Soviet Union and the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, we were supposed to think that Roe v. Wade was set in stone, a law surer than the Ten Commandments. Stare decisis, we heard ad nauseam. But in step six wise and courageous judges, and we got the Dobbs decision. Now, that didn't happen by accident. It was a matter of persistent. Persistent prayer, persistent marching, persistent lobbying and electioneering. Why bother? 60 million little ones who have lost their lives. And still counting.

From Throwing Rocks to Linking Arms
From Throwing Rocks to Linking Arms

America has changed dramatically since the 1950s and 1960s. Back then, in the years after World War II, it was a halcyon time for religion in this country. Christianity was assumed in society; it was the default setting. Christians were denominationally focused; fights largely occurred within the faith. Now, the threat comes not only from within but also from without, from secularists and zealots determined to belittle Christianity and, if it were possible, bring about its downfall.

The times we live in call for a different mentality and a different strategy. They call for Christians of all stripes to band together to fight an enemy that seeks to curtail our influence in society and even — it’s hard to avoid this conclusion — completely silence our voice in the civic sphere.

In Defense of Giving Thanks
In Defense of Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving takes a lot of flak these days. Christmas haters are called “Scrooges” or “Grinches,” but haters of Thanksgiving are considered socially conscious and realistic. For many Americans, the fourth Thursday in November is an annoying holiday with racist origins — an excuse to force innocent citizens to gorge on poorly prepared, outdated foods while fraternizing with uncongenial relatives. It is, moreover, a day of hypocritical tension between trite demands to “be grateful” versus a Black Friday rush through the mall. Dismissively labeled “T-day” on social media, Thanksgiving is becoming mere no-man’s-land stuck between the two towers of Halloween and Christmas.

Thanksgiving by Presidential Proclamation?
Thanksgiving by Presidential Proclamation?

Thanksgiving worship services, held at the request of the government, seem strange in modern America. Some American Lutherans have wondered if this is appropriate. Our government allows the murder of babies. How can its leaders ask us to pray and give thanks? Others have questioned whether or not the annual request itself is a violation of the separation of Church and State, and still others have suggested that it might be a misunderstanding of the two kingdoms.

Getting Involved
Getting Involved

Is it alright for Christians to be involved with politics?

The Bible contains no specific command that either requires or forbids Christian involvement with politics. However, through the prophet Jeremiah, God teaches His people that they should, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf” (Jer. 29:57). In other places, God teaches that Christians should obey and pray for those in positions of civil authority (Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:17; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13). These passages, together with the general biblical teaching that Christians should care for and promote the welfare of their neighbor, would suggest that Christians should participate in the process of deciding how we, as a nation, shall live.

Losing Their Religion
Losing Their Religion

Having lost their religion, they start a new one. Folks who no longer read their Bible, or believe it, begin to create substitutes. I just heard of some crazed figure predicting that the Lord would come back in September. Of course, he could have, or he might come in November, or in 1000 years, but no one knows the day or hour, only the Father. And yet, then later in the day I see a 1990 video of Meryl Streep warning us about global warming, and calamities that would come in a "very short time." By the year 2000, it would be too late. Since then, global warming has turned into climate change, but the apocalyptic fever still runs high with a fervor that would make a Bible belt Pentecostal blush.

Gay Marriage and the Nanny State
Gay Marriage and the Nanny State

A good friend suggests that putting an end to gay marriage would be just another example of the nanny state, by which he means government overreach and intrusion into the private lives of our people. It's a cry for freedom from a libertarian point of view. In other news, I see that just 6 percent of Gen Z women think that personal success includes having children. Add to that the fact that a quarter of all children live in a home without dad. Add to that the fact that Senator Kaine, representative of many on the left, said that our rights come not from God but from government.

 

What to make of it? This summer I read The Communist Manifesto for the first time. Marxism is predicated on the idea that the state should have precedence over the family. Marxists see strong families as an obstacle to the state's influence. Homes are an example of private property, and family wealth promoted the practice of inheritance and intergenerational wealth. A traditional conservative says that God comes first, then family, and then the nation, which is not to be equated with the government. The Marxist seeks to put an end to all of that.

_______ Nationalism
_______ Nationalism

How should we fill in the blank? Traditionally Christian nations have a spotty record, but compared to what? A Hindu nation, where people are divided according to castes? A Muslim nation, where women are treated like property? A Communist nation that leads to wholesale slaughter? The Spanish Conquistador might be faulted, but consider the world of the Aztecs, the mass human sacrifice.

 

Then shall it be a secular nation? Is our nation somehow worse for having "In God we trust" on our money," for saying "under God" in the pledge? But is there a neutrality to strive for? Vacuums are soon filled, and we end up with cultural Marxism in which children are given puberty blockers, then hormones, leading almost inevitably to mutilating surgery. We end up with the destruction of the family. But this secularism is not neutral, to each his own. In some states, a parent can lose his child if they do not affirm their children's gender delusion, a delusion often encouraged by the secular state.

LCRL Staff
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