There are few better tributes to a Christian than to say “he is a man of good conscience.” Such a man will do only what is consistent with his conscience and will take no action contrary to it. He has carefully informed his conscience according to the Word of God and then carefully heeds it in even the most tempting and challenging of contexts. As Luther said so long ago, once the godly man’s conscience has been made captive to …

I’ve made it no secret that Harold Senkbeil’s The Care of Souls is a book that has made a deep and immediate impact on me. I hope you’ll indulge me in another brief excerpt from it that I found particularly meaningful. Here he discusses the role of conscience in the Christian life and, therefore, in pastoral care. ***** The simple fact is that all pastoral work, be it for those outside or inside the community of faith, has to do …