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YOUR WEEKLY E-NEWS
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Am I supposed to forgive someone who doesn’t repent?

Matthew Rauh

On July 23, 2025, the sentencing hearing was held for Bryan Kohberger, who confessed to the brutal murder of four college students in Utah. The families of the victims were allowed to speak. Obviously, they were emotional. Many were angry. All were hurt. One statement stood out. It was spoken by the mother of one of the victims: “Jesus has allowed me to forgive you for murdering my daughter without you even being sorry or asking for this.”

That brings us to our question: “Am I supposed to forgive someone who doesn’t repent?”

Explore more from the September issue:

Straight talk: A path to a stronger WELS college of ministry

Straight Talk Sept 2026 with Richard Gurgel A path to a stronger WELS collect of MInistry
You may have heard that Martin Luther College (MLC) is facing the challenge of having lost license eligibility for newly enrolled students entering teacher training programs. How did this happen? Well, it’s not because we somehow were producing poor . . .

Speaking truth to power

AugsbergConfession
They were laymen. They were courageous political leaders. And they were faithful Lutherans. Theirs is a truly fascinating story—an account of incredible courage, life-or-death drama, and unwavering conviction. It was the summer of 1530. Nine years earlier, . . .

Parent conversations: Talking to your kids about sex

mother and daughter talking sitting on ground leaning on green couch
This month’s author, Bradley Snyder, doesn’t pull any punches. He wants you to talk to your kids about sex. As a parent, as the campus pastor at a WELS high school, and as the chairman of Conquerors through Christ, Snyder knows how important it is that . . .

WELS web ad september 2026
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