Items included on this page 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.
From Myth To Science: Can We Make Sense Of The Origin Of All Things? Marcelo Gleiser offers a thoughtful essay that students can evaluate for insight and/or subtle fallacy. “Contrary to what some scientists say in hyped-up statements in books and social media, we can’t build a scientific model out of nothing — science needs […]
A Renaissance of Clicks: The Case for More Religion Reporters — This 3o min. audio program is an interview with Emma Green and McKay Coppins, both reporters for The Atlantic, about the state of religion reporting in mainstream media and how The Atlantic approaches the Godbeat.
Here He Stood: Talking with the Creators of ‘Luther’ — This interview on the production of the documentary, Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer, discusses selection rationales for presenting complex content. Students can consider the decisions needed for communicating theology, history, and biography as well as some key themes from the Reformation. The […]
Luther’s Translation of the Bible: Here is a thorough and thoughtful study on communication, language, and text, and Luther’s masterful use of these in his work with Scripture. Upper division students can benefit from this reading and gain an appreciation for both modern and historical strategies in communication and the nature of texts. Lots of […]
The Real “Anti-Science”: Agree or disagree, this argumentative essay can assist students with teasing out the continuing public issues over science education, definitions of science, science and ideology, and who speaks for science. “There are at least three means by which these supposed defenders of science actually undermine it through their political tactics.”
Margaret Atwood on Christianity, The Handmaid’s Tale, and What Faithful Activism Looks Like Today: This detailed interview with the author whose novel has received renewed interest may offer students a way to consider how religion and theological themes are treated in literature. The teacher could easily assemble a course around this and other selected novels […]
Why Does the Bible Require New Mothers to Atone after Childbirth? — Leviticus 12-13 says that when a woman gives birth, she is impure for several weeks, after which she must offer two distinct sacrifices: an “olah,” or burnt offering, and a “ḥatat,” or sin offering. This article offers some different views on the text. How might […]
A new kind of sacred space on campus: Despite a drop in enthusiasm for organized religion among young people, many are still looking for avenues to spirituality that value dialogue, understanding, empathy and authenticity. The recently opened Snyder Sanctuary at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., is an architectural answer to facilitate this spiritual search, to help people of […]
Interview With Religion Writer Bob Smietana: Smietana is senior writer at Facts and Trends magazine whose work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today. “A religion writer is somebody who writes about religion, religious practice, religious from the ideas behind religion to the nitty‑gritty practice to the arguments over money, to the […]
Why we need Mary Oliver’s poems: For theology and liturgy, poetry has always mattered. Scripture begins and ends with poetry and contains swaths and snatches of it throughout its vast remainder. The rites of Christian worship across the centuries have endured in part because they are poetry in the mouth, poetry in the ear, poetry to […]
