This LA Times article, “Gov. Brown signs controversial assisted-suicide bill,” covers the news item itself with several quotes and views on the event. Students and courses interested in the topic can begin here and move to other sources and analyses. The California law will permit physicians to provide lethal prescriptions to mentally competent adults who […]
The Columbia Journalism Reviews examines “Why the religion beat poses unique challenges for some reporters.” The article may serve as a discussion piece for students in journalism and writing. This first person account considers the issues reporters may sometimes face when covering news related to religio: “A unique challenge facing many religion reporters involves the need to be […]
“Who’s Your Teacher?” is an essay on our sacred duty to teach the devil to death and begins this way: “Martin Luther’s prescription for pastors and preachers (including himself) who neglect the catechetical training of their congregation was characteristically colorful and coarse: ‘we deserve not only to be given no food to eat, but also […]
In his article, “Sporting Transcendence,” Richard Mouw explores the themes in athletics of competition, transcendence, felllowship, and community. This brief essay may serve to induct students into the multifaceted experiences of human nature for players, teams, observers, fans, and the larger culture. Mouw also links to an article by Martin Siegel in America titled, “Good Sports: Getting Closer […]
Pope Francis is boosting the reputation of the Catholic Church among Protestant pastors in America. As church and culture relations continue to change, nearly 4 in 10 say the pope, known for his humility and concern for the poor, has had a positive impact on their opinions of the Catholic Church, LifeWay Research finds. Almost […]
A Tennessee judge has ruled against a PCUSA minister, Rev. Roger Dermody, in his defamation case when a Presbyterian Mission Agency Board internal investigation found that four PCUSA employees had participated in the creation of an unauthorized mission work plan. Dermody filed a lawsuit against PCUSA, accusing the denomination of defamation. In its defense, the church specifically […]
“Quantum Physics and the Need for a New Paradigm” will provoke advocates of philosophical naturalism, intelligent design, science-of-the-gaps critics, and other participants in the disputes about origins and explanations of reality. The author, physicist Ruth Kastner, is talking her book (Understanding Our Unseen Reality: Solving Quantum Riddles) here but does a fair and concise job of […]
“How Christian Institutions Can Stay Christian Amid Secular Pressure” is a thorough interview with the authors of Free to Serve: Protecting the Religious Freedom of Faith-Based Organizations by Stephen Monsma and Stanley Carlson-Thies (Brazos, 2015, 208 pages). They discuss the concept of principled pluralism and strategies to offset the secular assumption that only nonreligious ideas should inform civil […]
“Churches step in after feds drop Fugitive Safe Surrender” is an in-depth article on a program for fugitives from law enforcement. Churches in more than 50 cities have hosted Fugitive Safe Surrender events over the past decade, some of them more than once, resulting in thousands of cleared warrants. Churches are integral to Fugitive Safe […]
“What Happens When the Moral Majority Becomes a Minority?” This article overviews a response to the culture shifts call “the Benedict option” that has received some attention from both Christian and non-Christian commentators. Student can use the essay as an introduction to the discussion of whether the church should step back from the current culture, or […]
