Items included on this page come from a variety of sources. The perspectives conveyed may or may not express a Lutheran ethos. They can serve our instruction as discussion-starters, examples (positive and negative), and illustrations of intersections between God’s two kingdoms, intersections sometimes characterized by tension, sometimes by congruence. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.

Christianity as an Historical Yet Weird Event

Keep Christianity Weird: This review of Destroyer of the Gods by Larry Hurtado (Baylor, 2016), 304 pages, notes that book reminds us how weird Christianity was to the Roman world. Christianity’s sheer familiarity has desensitized us to its radical claims. Hurtado aims to show how the “odd” became “commonplace,” by surveying the first three centuries of the Jesus […]

Atheist China Now Increasingly Religious

Social Sciences

China, once officially atheist, now booming with religion: China is experiencing one of the great religious revivals of our time. Across China, hundreds of temples, mosques and churches open each year, attracting millions of new worshippers. Faith and values are returning to the center of a national discussion over how to organize Chinese life. This is not […]

Refugees: Policy and Practice

A Just Welcome:  The Center for Public Justice (chiefly a Reformed theology orientation) has completed its 7 part series on refugees, the Bible, and public policy.  The series could be used in a companion/comparison study of similar documents from CTCR studies of the LC-MS, from the ELCA, and from the United States Council of Catholic […]

Rom. 13 and the Problem of Vigilantes

Social Sciences

Weaving Ch. 13 Back into Romans: Christians typically read Romans 13 as a stand-alone passage, and this can lead to misreadings. In Romans, Paul  categorically rules out any action of collective or individual revenge as inconsistent with our being transfigured by Christ. This prohibition may seem almost trivial today. But not so long ago, punishment by […]

Europe: Not So Secular as We Hear

Social Sciences

Pew: Here’s How Badly Soviet Atheism Failed in Europe — “The comeback of religion in a region once dominated by atheist regimes is striking,” states Pew in its latest report. Today, only 14 percent of the region’s population identify as atheists, agnostics, or “nones,” reports the Pew Research Center on the surge of Christianity in Europe […]

Defining Science (vs. Pseudo-Science)

Science and Pseudo-Science: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has substantially updated its entry on science and pseudo-science (April 11, 2017).  The discussion can help students realize the epistemological difficulties in sorting out data, hypothesis, information, theory, and ontology.   The new treatment emphasizes “that there is much more agreement on particular cases of demarcation than […]

 

Models, Examples, and Suggestions for Instruction

 
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