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.
Christian Women Writers of the Medieval World: Meet the first known dramatist of Christianity, the most famous female exegete of the nature of the Trinity, the author of the earliest known autobiography in English, and three more fascinating contributors to the life and mind of the medieval church. And Joan of Arc is not even mentioned! […]
How the FBI Is Hobbled by Religious Illiteracy: As religion takes an ever-higher profile in America’s national-security concerns, the FBI will play a crucial role in determining how groups are treated. Steven Weitzman, Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses his new book about the history of the FBI […]
What Kind of Freedom Does a Republic Promise? — Students can consider terms, themes, and biblical congruence and non-congruence in this essay that argues, A righteous republic is based on a certain vision of the common good—and not just any vision, but a vision that draws deeply on prophetic religion. That is what makes it […]
Black Churches Matter: Research Ties Attendance to Positive Outcomes: Several new studies build on past research to continue revealing how faith is associated with positive outcomes for black Americans amid the realities of discrimination and economic, political, and social inequality. In one study of black adults, neither education nor income predicted a sense of optimism—a hopeful attitude […]
A Film Editor In The Land Of Astrophysicists: Continental drift, worlds in collision, and microbes too small to see–all ideas rejected by science in earlier times. But this case study offers students some discussion on why and how science engages with some hypotheses and not others, and why this is both not-so-good and good.
Good Intentions, Lack of Plans Mark Church Response to Domestic Violence: When it comes to domestic violence, Protestant pastors want to be helpful but often don’t know where to start. Most say their church would be a safe haven for victims of domestic violence. But many don’t know if anyone in their church has been a victim of […]
The Johnson Amendment on Nonprofit Speech: This topic presents an opportunity for students to evaluate a current issue on religious liberty, the Gospel as the church’s principal free speech, and the intersection of God’s left-hand kingdom and Gods’ right-hand kingdom. These two articles offer an introduction for comparing, contrasting, and fashioning an informed position. How […]
Protecting Minority Voting Rights: While concerns about minorities are frequently expressed via identity politics – politicizing divisions among citizens based on social or ideological similarities – I would suggest that we, as Christians, should look at minorities as a way to identify “the least” and to work to protect their political rights as we pursue justice […]
Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life by Makato Fujimura (IVP, 2017) — In Culture Care, artist-author Fujimura issues a call to cultural stewardship, in which we become generative and feed our culture’s soul with beauty, creativity, and generosity. We serve others as cultural custodians of the future. This book on cultural stewardship is […]
Symposium: Law and Religion in an Increasingly Polarized America — This edition of the Lewis & Clark Law Review offers 9 feature articles including discussions of Hosanna-Tabor, religious accommodation, religious sovereignty, and social polarization.
