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.
Threatened by Terrorists, Nine Monks Made an Amazing Decision: Seven study questions for Of Gods and Men, which follows the true story of monks who were serving Algerian villagers in a variety of ways when intolerant Islamic extremists decided to drive them out. Assembling in the Monastery of Our Lady of Atlas, they were faced with […]
J.J. Wright’s ‘O Emmanuel’ mixes it up: J.J. Wright’s album of sacred music, “O Emmanuel,” produced with the University of Notre Dame’s Children’s Choir, is inspired by “antiphons,” traditional texts dating back to the fifth century. Wright has added jazz and gospel music to create an album that is difficult to categorize.
A Solstice Devotional for the Faithless in Trump’s America: Students can read this secular homily from a former Christian as a testimony of concerns, appeals, and petitions for the kind of society for which a notable demographic in today’s world hopes. Compare and contrast the themes with a traditional Christian narrative and hope.
Words to think about: Al Mohler asks who has the power to define ‘truth’ in this media age — Students can use this discussion about news, truth, journalism, and religion to consider the issues and tensions always in play when the culture and the media in particular addresses religion stories, teachings, and theology: “The blurring […]
A German Christmas: From The Millennium of Music, this audio program presents some of the best known music of the Nativity from period of the Reformation, including Vom Himmel Hoch, O Magnum Mysterium, with a little Bach thrown in. Comments from Robert Aubry Davis.
A Bible Translation for Everyone? Released by the ABS in 1966, Good News for Modern Man—the TEV—was a cultural phenomenon and one of the most successful religious publications in American history. For 25 cents the public could read a Bible in plain English, representing an important chapter in the post–Protestant Reformation quest to make the Bible accessible […]
Are millennials leading the way in rejecting Gideon Bibles? Students can use this brief commentary and analysis to consider issues in journalism, customer service, culture shift, evangelism, and other ways in which religion and society intersect. “When more people than ever are objecting to any sign of religion in the public square, a well-known hotel […]
Finals Week – Spoken Word by Stefan Vandenkooy: Here is the 3:30 min video from Daniel Robinson making the rounds about the purpose of a college degree. This brief piece might be an item either to close a semester or open a semester. Several related links can found be in a brief search.
Christmas Music Tells the Story: Students can consider ways to analyze hymn content and the role of language as a vehicle for the means of grace. “Carols and hymns are amazingly succinct theological statements,” says Eileen Guenther, professor of church history at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. “There is more theology in a few […]
Bridging the digital divide, company gives churches free websites: Students can consider the pros and cons of digital tools for local ministry. TicketNetwork executive Don Va started Grace Church Websites to meet a need he discovered while talking to his friend, the Rev. Boise Kimber of New Haven, Conn. “We had purchased a website for […]
