Oliver Olson has written a 72 page monograph revisiting the practice of confirmation. Says Mark Mattes in his introduction: “If we were to adopt the implication of Olson’s work, admit that a grave error was made in the late 1960’s, the educational program of the church for young people would look quite different. We would […]
What does science know and not know (scio, Latin, to know)? Perspectives vary on the role of science in culture. Two recent popular articles–one from National Geographic and the other from Mercatornet–provide students with an opening discussion on some of these views as an introduction to the larger discourse.
This case on student religious speech involves students gathering during free time in the school day for prayer and discussion. The school maintains that the activity occurs during instructional time. Students have brought their case to the ADF for litigation. The case can serve as a good example of both students and administrators trying to […]
Shanghai would seem an unlikely place, on the edge of WW II, for Jewish refugees to flee. But as the Nazi regime stepped up its anti-Semitic persecution in the mid-1930s, German Jews were running out of options. This improbable cross-cultural intersection of world events reveals some profound truths about the arc of God’s redemption […]
In this both-kingdoms case and an evident recognition of at least some role of natural law in the left-hand kingdom, Judge Richard J. Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled that employers do not need to provide insurance coverage for contraception even if their objections are moral rather […]
An oncologist addresses the patient’s questions about God, medical care, and caregivers, asking, “If they balk at the mere mention of God, do doctors miss an opportunity to comfort patients in their most trying times?” Students can consider the pros and cons of heath care workers including or excluding matters of faith in their care […]
This JAMA research on meetings of family and health care providers in the intensive care unit finds that considerations of faith or spirituality occurred in fewer than 20% of goals-of-care conferences, and health care professionals rarely explored the patient’s or family’s religious or spiritual ideas. Students can discuss the role and place of religion in family and […]
S. 1598, the First Amendment Defense Act, sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one […]
“What Religious Freedom Isn’t” is an op/ed from the editors of Christian Century which questions the opposition of Duquesne University to adjunct faculty organizing for a union. Pacific Lutheran University has also recently moved through adjunct union activities and review from the NLRB. Among the issues are matters of institutional shared governance by full-time […]
In this review of Phil Zuckerman’s new book, Peter Leithart finds that Faith No More (Oxford, 2015) opens a window into the souls of people who have stopped believing that they have souls. “With atheism and apostasy on the rise, it’s worthy of careful study by those of us who want to prevent apostasy and reclaim the […]
