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.
“Freedom” vs. “Liberty”: Why Religious Conservatives Have Begun to Favor One Over the Other: Etymology is not usage, and language is fluid. This article can help students consider definitions and applications of the concepts of two important words in the public square. And consider the claim of the last quotation.
Opening up some legends: Mormons reveal founder Joseph Smith’s ‘theocracy’ plans — Church Historian’s Press has issued an annotated volume in its ongoing Joseph Smith Papers series: “Administrative Records: Council of Fifty Minutes, March 1844–1846,” ($59.95). These legendary texts have been kept ultra-secret the past 170 years. And for good reason, writes Richard Ostling.
Delight in the Good: Students can use this essay to consider the social role and influence of media and entertainment and what sort of aesthetic to apply to ubiquitous modern media. “Our human ability to delight in the world means that entertainment is part of human nature. Today, technology makes entertainment so ubiquitous that our […]
A New Culture Of Cooperation In Academia Is Emerging: Students can gain a big-picture perspective from this brief essay. “Questions that span the curriculum (for a wide sample, go here) are essential to both scientific and humanistic research, having broad social implications. To a large extent, they are at the core of a liberal arts curriculum, […]
Where is God on the Small Screen? As important as religion is in the lives of many viewers, television has had a tentative relationship with it. NYT critics take a look at Greenleaf, how television’s congregation has expanded, and where there’s room for improvement. TV is less a part of the student’s week than in […]
Absolute worst newspaper: Why this one goes on ‘Shame List’ for journalism malpractice — Campus Pride, an LGBT advocacy group, released its annual Shame List, highlighting “The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth.” GetReligion offers an assessment of news coverage on this story, what is news, what is not, and what is sound journalism. Could be […]
From Meilaender’s book, Neither Beast nor God: To be human is to learn to live and love within limits—the limits of our embodied, mortal life, the limits of those whose being opens to God. It is to acknowledge, honor, and esteem the particular place—between the beasts and God—that we occupy in the creation. One need […]
Where Her Whimsy Took Me: I had reduced the texts I encountered—books, poetry, films—to great mountains of useless shale, through which ran a few veins of useful ore, raw materials for my current project. My task: to excavate the ore and purify it into argument. Literature became useful. Utilitarian. Impoverished. Then I was arrested by Sayers.
AP report about private colleges has a familiar doctrine-shaped hole: This opinion/watchdog piece raises issues about how well the mainstream news services report on Christian colleges and the culture shifts. Students can practice basic critical thinking skills by searching and examining several related stories to see if the writer’s concern is justified. The current California […]
Streaming Church Services: “We are looking at the popularity of Facebook Live, Snapchat and Periscope, so churches want to be there where they can reach people,” says DJ Chuang, consultant and leading expert on social media, the Internet and the church. This 8 min. video clip and transcript looks at the pros and cons.
