The Resurrection of St. Benedict’s: Here is the 60 Minutes page and video on St. Benedict’s Prep, the all-boys prep school in Newark for low-income students of color that has a graduation rate of 98 percent. See also the Huffington Post story.
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 Story of God Series
Here is Sojourners’ interview with the producer of The Story of God, the National Geographic six-week series hosted by Morgan Freeman. “The with this series was to go beyond the things that divide us and investigate the biggest questions — ones that unite the human experience.” The series dives deep into the big questions that cut […]
When to Disobey
Why All Christians Should Consider Civil Disobedience: The April 2016 cover story for Christianity Today explores the issue of when to say no to Caesar. Lutheran readers can further explore this issue in terms of the doctrine of the two kingdoms and the Reformers’ dealings with their regional princes, electors, and Rome.
Polygamy, Due Process, and Equal Dignity
Polygamy after Windsor: What’s Religion Got to Do with It? Although First Amendment jurisprudence would subject polygamy bans to a higher level of scrutiny, this heightened protection comes at a cost. The landmark same-sex marriage case, United States v. Windsor, and the opinion’s protected liberty interest of “equal dignity” provide polygamy advocates with substantive grounds to protect their […]
Free-Exercise Right or Anti-Establishment Immunity?
The Religious-Question Doctrine: This essay argues that the source of judicial inconsistency in applying the U.S. religious-question doctrine is confusion about whether the doctrine protects a free-exercise right held by religious individuals and groups against government interference, or is instead an anti-establishment immunity stemming from a structural disability on government (and especially judicial) action with respect […]
The Good Death: Dying in America
‘The Good Death,’ hard to find, and religion’s role may be to blame: So writes Ann Neumann in The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America (Beacon Press, 2016). “The Good Death” is a call for people to examine their own wishes around end-of-life issues and decide what role religion — either theirs or that of […]
The Limits of Utilitarianism
What’s the Value of Utility? A brief essay that can help students quickly reconsider assumptions about value, what is important, why, how we assess value, versions of moral calculus, different ethical theories, and personal and public policy. The greatest happiness for the greatest number may sound like a noble idea, but exactly how are we supposed to […]
A Study Bible on Justice
Why Justice Divides Us: The Bible’s “justice”—God’s justice—means something quite different from what we usually think. In ordinary conversation justice stands opposed to mercy. It is not a word filled with grace, but with law. If you do good, justice will reward you. If you do evil, justice will bring you the punishment you deserve. Many […]
Christians in the Military
Continue to Ponder Christian Soldiers: Here is the index to seven articles in the Christianity Today series which tries to set out the diversity and complexity of voices represented by our military personnel and their communities, which includes civilians. The aim is to begin conversations about the Christian soldiers in Scripture, worship, and theology, as well as the […]
Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice
The Science of Injustice–a book review: Author and law professor Adam Benforado contends that injustice “is built into our legal structures,” and “its origins lie . . . within the mind of each and every one of us.” He argues against the Enlightenment view that we are rational beings in control of our thoughts and beliefs. Because […]
