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.
The Fantasy of Addiction: Peter Hitchens finds himself in the middle of the addiction debates on a BBC talk show, and offers this assessment. “It was the disaster of the Christian religion that it assumed [it’s] triumph would last forever and outlast everything, and so it was ill equipped to resist the challenge of a […]
Word and Image: Martin Luther’s Reformation: The Morgan Library & Museum in NYC offers a dozen online displays of its major exhibition for Ref 500 including Young Martin, Works of Art in Medieval and Early Modern Devotion, the Reformation Media War, Luther on Trial, the Bible, the Art of Reformation, and Luther’s Household Objects.
The Last Jedi? In Real Life, Jedi Can Be a Religion; Court Says Environmentalism Is Not A Religion —Students can examine these two cases for elements and charateristics of what the culture may or may not recognize as religion. May be useful for courses in sociology, psychology, world religions, public policy, and mission.
Distinctive Christian Citizenship: This series of articles presents a variety of approaches and ideas to help Christian citizens bear the office of citizenship faithfully and distinctively The series will include theological reflection, formative and sustaining practices, philosophical explication, systemic analysis and exhortation, and some examples of what this looks like in a local community.
School Choice Bill Heard: This 3 min. audio clip serves as an example of current school voucher debates in several states. Proposed tax credits for scholarships to nonpublic schools provoked opposition from public school supporters at a public hearing at the Nebraska State Capitol. Students and congregations can consider the positions presented here, then further consider […]
The changing nature of America’s irreligious explained: (From Richard Flory, Senior Director of Research and Evaluation, University of Southern California) The “nones” category is a fuzzy one with many maintaining some type of religious or spiritual beliefs and practice. However, the bottom line is that the data show consistently and clearly that over time, formal religious institutions are […]
In Remembrance of Me: Memory, the Life of Faith, and the Life of the Church — Here are five presentations covering a spectrum of dimensions of memory including the neuroscience, communal memory, Biblical themes, theology, and remembering the sermon. From the 2015 Theological Symposium at Concordia Seminary.
The Big Thieves Hang the Little Thieves — Luther on a Market Economy: This video presentation from Luther scholar Carter Lindberg, given at Concordia Theological Seminary in January, 2016, examines the various views about Luther’s positions regarding a profit economy, feudal assumptions, and the onset of the modern age, and how many views fail to […]
Terry Waite: 25 years ago, Waite was daily news–a hostage negotiator taken hostage for five years by terrorists in Lebanon. These two recent items examine his analysis of the Middle East, his poetry, and his faith. For example, Waite has come to value corporate silence, “which is something sadly lacking in our society today,” and the […]
Why Hell Can’t Freeze Over: Quantum Physics And Absolute Zero — We frequently hear popular references to “quantum” in movies and TV. Here is a brief, readable intro to the basic themes in classical “common sense” physics and the quantum world. Instructors and students in various disciplines–psychology, theology, lit, math, and others–can consider the implications.
