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.
The Becket Fund and other law firms and scholars came to the defense of Blaine Adamson, the owner of a small printing company, who has been ordered by the government to print shirts promoting a gay pride festival and to attend government-mandated “diversity training.” Among his supporters are LGBT-owned businesses such as BMP T-Shirts as […]
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 […]
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 […]
Lyle Denniston updates the ACA birth control mandate cases: enhancing the likelihood that the Supreme Court will soon take up the legality of the Affordable Care Act’s birth control mandate, a federal appeals court has differed with six others and temporarily barred the government from enforcing the mandate. That outcome came in two decisionsby the U.S. […]
The California State Legislature gave its final approval to a bill that would allow doctors to help terminally ill people end their lives. Four states — Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont — already allow physicians to prescribe life-ending medication to some patients. The California bill, which passed in the State Senate by a vote of […]
The Pew Research Center numbers Christians in the Arabian Peninsula at 2.3 million—more Christians than nearly 100 countries can claim. The Gulf Christian Fellowship, an umbrella group, estimates 3.5 million. These migrants bring the UAE’s Christian population to 13 percent. Among other Gulf states, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar are each about 14 percent Christian, while Oman […]
In an almost unprecedented move, five federal judges issued an opinion sharply criticizing their court’s refusal to correct its recent decision that would force the Little Sisters of the Poor to assist the federal government with its contraception distribution plan. The opinion criticizes the decision against the Little Sisters as reflecting a “dangerous approach to religious liberty,” noting […]
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 […]
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 […]
