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.
Rick Steves’ Luther and the Reformation: The popular travel guide, author, and TV host has produced a program on the sites that take us to Luther’s complicated political world of the 16th century. The package includes slides, discussion, Q&A, travel information, and kit for presenting the video. For the online material, go to https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/tv-specials/luther
For Darwin Day, 6 facts about the evolution debate: This piece from Pew begins by saying, “When Darwin’s work was first made public in 1859, it shocked Britain’s religious establishment.” That statement itself needs more attention, and Darwin’s work was initially received with mixed responses. Nevertheless, here are Pew’s six facts for today.
What Churches Can Bring to the Battle Against Servitude: This report concerns the multitude of scourges now described as modern slavery: bonded or indentured labour, human trafficking, prostitution rackets involving trafficked persons, and the criminal exploitation of vulnerable people on the move, and that anybody who consumes a product made with bonded labour, or patronises a business […]
The Refugees Among Us: Our theology of vocation (callings) calls upon us to pay special attention to our location. That is to say, it focuses on how God has placed us in particular places at particular times. The needs of our neighbor in these locations and at these times function as God’s call for us to […]
Homeless Find Rest in Faith-based Shelters More Than Others: Religious organizations provide more than half of the emergency shelter beds for homeless people in major cities across the country, a new Baylor University study shows. In a study of 11 U.S. cities, 58 percent of emergency beds for the homeless were at faith-based organizations. The […]
The Deafening Silence of “Religious Freedom” Defenders on Trump’s Muslim Ban: This clamorous essay, while overwrought, can raise for students some issues that the church needs to weigh, especially in terms of the two kingdoms, Jn. 3:16, Mt. 25: 31ff, and Col. 4:5-6. Students can also consider how the writer’s case might be made more dispassionately […]
Beyond Dissent and Compliance: (Note: one free download) Throughout history and across many societies, people have been facing conflicts between faith and the law. This paper exposes and defines central dynamics of these conflicts by empirically investigating how educational leaders in religious communities tackle, reduce, and resolve conflicts with the law. Three main dynamics emerge.
Self-organization of the human embryo in the absence of maternal tissues: Remodelling of the human embryo at implantation is indispensable for successful pregnancy. Yet it has remained mysterious because of the experimental hurdles that beset the study of this developmental phase. Here, we establish an in vitro system to culture human embryos through implantation stages in the […]
Is AI a Threat to Christianity? This more-than-whimsical article may be a way to explore views on soteriology, redemption, restoration, and texts such as Rom. 8:18-25. “While theologians aren’t paying much attention, some technologists are convinced that artificial intelligence is on an inevitable path toward autonomy. This trajectory raises some fundamental questions for Christianity—as well […]
Evangelical Experts Oppose Trump’s Refugee Ban from Christianity Today and American ‘Christianity’ Has Failed from Sojourners — These two articles may be useful for addressing the refugee issues for church and for the civil order from somewhat different perspectives.
