Items included for this subject area 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 Genome Project–Write: As human genome-scale synthesis appears increasingly feasible, a coordinated scientific effort to understand, discuss, and apply large-genome engineering technologies is timely. The overarching goal of this effort is to understand the blueprint of life provided by the Human Genome Project (HGP-read). Some critics express concern that the project intends to synthesize a trans-human: The […]
As California’s End of Life act goes into effect, some doctors question where to draw the line: Physicians are contemplating this new law and whether they would ever write a prescription for death. “We have always, up till now, been able to say we will never hasten a death,” Dr. Neil Wenger said. “Suddenly, that bright line is not […]
The Radical Theology That Could Make Religious Freedom a Thing of the Past: “So, what is it? Dominionism fundamentally opposes America’s venerable tradition of church-state separation — in fact, dominionists deny the Founders ever intended that separation in the first place.” Check other sources on dominionism. This discussion can assist students in the larger discussion of […]
The New Hobbesians: This editorial challenges the Canadian government’s movements toward euthanasia. “C-14 does nothing to protect the right of objecting institutions or individuals to decline to participate in assisted suicide and euthanasia…[and] endorses the Hobbesian dictum that “private consciences” are dangerous because they “weaken” the state, and must be comprehensively subordinated to “the public conscience.”
‘Spiritual But Not Religious’: Rethinking the Legal Definition of Religion – (Note: one download allowed) Courts and legal scholars misunderstand a burgeoning group of Americans who identify as “spiritual but not religious,” excluding them from religious protection. A recent case dismissed as nonreligious the beliefs of a plaintiff whose beliefs are paradigmatic of this growing cohort. […]
When Being Pro-Life Did Not Mean Being Conservative: Students can use this Q&A to consider the extent to which terms such as “liberal” and “conservative” are useful when assessing social views informed by religious heritage and theological traditions. The article explores a time when liberal Democrats opposed abortion with vigor, and conservative Republicans remained largely indifferent.
Transgender Confusion Goes Beyond Elementary School Bathrooms: In this 30 min. audio clip, Mark Yarhouse (Wheaton College) discusses the confusion that characterizes the current politics of gender identity and the church’s responses. “People experience legislation as an attack on the things that they believe in, and other people think that legislation is symbolic of the things […]
This New Religion Is Causing an Existential Crisis at American Colleges and Universities, NYU Prof Says:The religion of fundamental social justice sweeping across college campuses is so alarming, intense, and dripping with such extreme liberal fundamentalism, says Jonathan Haidt, it has created an existential crisis for American academia while punishing heretics with public shame. In […]
Few Protestant Pastors, Churches Prioritize Prison Ministries: Most Protestant pastors go to jail, at least for a visit, and want to help prisoners and their families. But their churches often lack the training or finances to run an effective prison ministry. The report comes at a time when incarceration rates in the United States remain at record levels. […]
The Ken Starr-Baylor story shows how religious schools struggle to deal with sex assault: This coverage addresses the dual problem of how to balance the country’s encouragement of sexual assault victims to come forward with campus rules that restrict sexual behavior and, as a result, often inhibit open discussion. See also the discussion from Baylor alumnus Terry […]
