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.
Christianity Today as well as GetReligion have both recently run articles that caution against nuisance and advocacy websites that post or pass along bogus news claims. The concern is that Christians who are to be “wise as serpents, innocent as doves” end up lapsing on both counts. The topic may be useful for courses in […]
From The Boston Globe and Mercatornet: When those without philosophical training speak with authority on philosophical issues, problem ensue. The authority they hold in one domain – say, science – doesn’t translate in the way they imply. Richard Dawkins is arguably the most prominent example, but others – such as Neil deGrasse Tyson – are […]
An exchange students can learn from is going on between sociologist Robert Wuthnow and the Pew Research Center. Wuthnow raises several concerns about the accuracy and conclusions of polling and surveys, particularly about culture shifts in religion. The Pew Research Center responds. Check the highlighted links here for content useful in sociology, statistics, journalism, psychology, […]
This review of the Planned Parenthood incident and their use of abortion organs and tissue can help students consider several elements of the controversy and particularly why the issues continue to be intractable. The discussion could be used with courses in research, journalism, ethics, psychology, pre-law, and other social sciences.
The Magic of Words: this article on the nature of language and some recent research on words as abstractions or as labels of particulars can serve as a quick introduction to discussion on the astonishing capacity of language–a closed, finite system of words (though, of course, it is more than that–to arrive at meaning, communicate […]
The porn industry is betting new advances in the technology can convince more people to pay for the content, since sales of traditional adult video have actually been slowing. Revenue growth among adult and pornographic websites increased at an annualized rate of just 0.3% to $3.3 billion over the five-year period ending in 2015, as […]
What is the Future of “I”? — From Kenneth Hayworth, Senior Research Scientist with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, comes this 9 min. video on consciousness, identity, ethics, and being human. It may serve as a good example of current ideas in evolutionary psychology and can provoke much discussion for courses in neuroscience, religion and […]
The Christ and Pop Culture Website — Here is a fellowship of (mostly) young Christians keeping an eye on the intersections and misses of Christ and popular culture: “CaPC is an online magazine that addresses important issues and topics in popular culture” whose mission is “to edify the Church, glorify God, and witness to the […]
Covering Religious Violence: 8 Factors Journalists Should Know — Journalists and policymakers must not jump to the conclusion that religious differences are enough to fuel religion-related violence, warns Prof. John Wolffe, in a report titled, “Religion, Security and Global Uncertainties.” Wolffe advocates digging deeper to learn why and how stable, diverse communities break down, resulting […]
Pop Culture Gets Religion (or not) — Christianity Today offers a 2014 summary of God in pop culture. It includes themes about memory, justice, the source of evil, the recent Bible movies, and other ways that popular culture presents religious ideas our students take in.
