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.
A student at Concordia St. Paul is demanding protections for gays and lesbians after she said her relationship with another woman cost her a leadership role with a student-led worship group. Nikki Hagan, 19, said the student president of Concordia’s “908 Student Ministry” asked her to resign her informal post as the group’s message coordinator soon […]
Bread for the World Puts Price Tag on Hunger: $160 billion in health care. Hunger and food insecurity are so widespread in the United States they add $160 billion to national health care spending, according Bread for the World, Hunger is a key factor in the U.S. having the worst infant mortality rate among developed countries. The […]
Following public scrutiny of their previous policy, Grand Canyon University evaluated its employee benefits policy and, in order to demonstrate “grace and compassion” toward married same-sex employees, extended employee benefits to partners. GCU was founded by Southern Baptists in 1949, issued a statement last Friday explaining that the school has altered its employee benefits package to include lawfully married same-sex […]
Christian agencies rebuke anti-refugee stance: Catholic, mainline, and evangelical agencies handling refugee resettlement in the United States are calling for communities to welcome refugees and reject the rhetoric of governors calling for a ban on Syrian asylum-seekers in their states in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. Students can survey the initial positions in this […]
A current example of schooling in church and state: America Magazine (from the Jesuits) presents this article on the dispute about vouchers, religious schools in Nevada, and the Blaine amendment. The voucher program is being challenged by American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State “on behalf of a group of […]
The Court will hear birth-control challenges in March, 2016, a challenge brought by faith-based hospitals, schools, and charities that contend the government’s opt-out provision for birth-control coverage does not go far enough to accommodate their religious beliefs. Under the ACA, congregations are not required to provide birth-control coverage for their workers. But religious non-profits that […]
Human-animal Chimeras: Stanford Scientists Condemn Funding Ban — The NIH has put a moratorium on stem cell and embryo research which strives to grow human organs in animals, called “chimeras.” Proponents say this could lead to an endless supply of organs for transplantation and improved drug testing, but opponents say it poses ethical and animal welfare […]
California Law Adds New Twist To Abortion, Religious Freedom Debate: Crisis pregnancy centers, often linked to religious organizations, provide low-cost or free services to pregnant women, while encouraging these women to not have abortions. The Reproductive FACT Act requires all such health care providers to provide written notice that abortion is legally available in California. But several pregnancy centers […]
Americans’ faith in God may be eroding. This theme is considered again by the Pew Center: the vast majority of Americans still believe in God. But there are strong signs that many are less certain about this belief, and a small but growing minority of Americans say they do not believe in God at all. Perhaps […]
“Supreme Court faces new challenges to Obamacare’s ‘contraceptive mandate’” is a helpful update on the cases moving through the courts (such as Little Sisters of the Poor) regarding health insurance, contraceptives and abortion, the church, religious organizations, closely held corporations, and non-religious organizations with moral concerns about government policy. See also the National Catholic Register.
