Items included for this subject area 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.
Key voices still missing from stories on pregnant teen banned from Christian school’s graduation: This link takes you to the GetReligion coverage of this case that is getting attention in the popular media. The GetReligion page includes links to several sources. The situation and the responses make a useful case study for Mt. 18, ethics, […]
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 […]
Symposium: Law and Religion in an Increasingly Polarized America — Nine articles here discuss a range of topics including Hosanna-Tabor, religious accommodation in a democracy, religious sovereignty claims in a diverse society, and the restroom debates. The several points of view will inform the reader about points of agreement and disagreement.
Of Fruit Trees and Newborn Babes: Luther and Wesley on Moral Transformation — The author explores how and why Lutheran and Methodist understandings of moral transformation differ by analyzing Luther and Wesley’s writings, along with theologians of their traditions who have been influenced from both. (Recall that Wesley was powerfully affected by Luther’s Commentary on […]
Faith Formation in a Secular Age: Most views on faith formation focus on keeping young people in religious institutions. This article instead contends, following Charles Taylor, that we face a secular age where the plausibility of belief itself has been undercut. Therefore, this article will explicate Taylor’s perspective next to these popular faith-formation programs, showing where they […]
Predictors of Tuition Worth: Psychological Sense of Community, Institutional Integrity, and Student Thriving — This study of Christian colleges indicates students’ subjective perceptions of the value of their tuition dollars depends on their sense of community on campus, dealing with financial difficulties, and perceiving that the institution is meeting the expectations created during the admissions process.
American Views on Morality: A 30 min. audio program on culture’s continued divergence on what is moral. Morally, people are coming from different places, and this is why we run into indignant people every day who can’t believe that we’re thinking something completely different. 8 out of 10 Americans are concerned about the moral behavior […]
Five rational arguments why God (very probably) exists: Robert H. Nelson is Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland, and author of God? Very Probably: Five Rational Ways to Think about the Question of a God (Cascade, 2015). This article begins with mathematics and offers a brief summary of the content, and can serve as a starter piece […]
Trafficking in Priceless Goods: The Invisible Epidemic of Modern Day Slavery: The author, Wendy L. Patrick, J.D., is a career prosecutor in the San Diego District Attorney’s Office with years of experience prosecuting human trafficking cases and sex crimes. She has a MDiv degree and a PhD in Theology, is an ordained Baptist minister, and is […]
Sources on Sologamy: News stories and articles surface from time to time on the cultural trend of self-marriage or sologamy. Students can examine this trend in terms of social psychology, biblical themes and doctrine, media trends, anthropology, and other means of analysis. The topic can serve as an intro to larger units or studies in […]
