Christ, Culture, and Thinking About Secularism — Near Eastern Studies Professor Michael Brown looks back at the prescient essay on an advancing secularism written by Lutheran theologian Wolfgang Pannenberg twenty years ago: “In a secular milieu, even an elementary knowledge of Christianity, its history, teachings, sacred texts, and formative figures dwindles. It is no longer […]
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.
"Open Book" by R. Marxhausen: the Bible, the book open to us all
An Amicus Brief on the Public Purpose of Marriage
An Amicus Brief on the Public Purpose of Marriage — From the Ruth Institute, this brief to the Supreme Court seeks to distinguish public purpose, prevailing interest, and personal affect and commitment, arguing that the courts have largely confused these concepts in recent rulings. May be useful for helping students learn the themes and concepts.
Anabaptists Work on Unity Over Same-Sex Differences
Anabaptists Work on Unity Over Same-Sex Differences — In the first nine months of 2014, 10 churches left the Mennonite Church USA. Meanwhile, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) voted to delay a formal position on its policy against same-sex relationships, effectively allowing faculty to indefinitely violate the current policy. Meanwhile, the larger denomination is seeking ways […]
Te Q Conference: the Christian Debate on Sexuality
The Q Conference: the Christian Debate on Sexuality — The Q Conference did not mirror the debates common on cable news networks, but they may more closely resemble the national conversation in many homes, workplaces, and churches about topics ranging from the connection between spirituality and sexuality to Americans’ attitudes on religious freedom laws, and […]
Religion Complicates Calif. Vaccine Debate
Religion Complicates Calif. Vaccine Debate — The issue of religious exemption for vaccinating children has become a key theme in current legislation on the senate floor in Sacramento.
Biblical Archaeology’s Top Ten of 2014
Biblical Archaeology’s Top Ten of 2014 — CT’s list of the broad variety of institutional and salvage excavations taking place in the lands of the Bible including the tomb of Stephen, the temple at Tel Burna, the “stone rejected by the builders,” and more at Herod’s temple. Students benefit by understanding an historically informed faith.
An Articulate Lutheran Small Business Owner on Same-Sex Marriage
An Articulate Lutheran Small Business Owner on Same-Sex Marriage — NPR has a series on same-sex marriage views in North Dakota. This 7 min. audio clip can offer students a clearly expressed view from a thoughtful layperson with which they can agree and/or disagree.
Public Accommodation and Private Litigation
Public Accommodation and Private Discrimination — The author seeks to clarify existing distinctions in religious freedom and civil rights laws and court actions. The reader will need to consider how the author and participants in these issues parse this effort and the distinctions. However than may be, the article may be useful.
Nancy Pearcey: Youth Groups Depend Too Much on Emotionalism
Nancy Pearcey: Youth Groups Depend Too Much on Emotionalism — In this interview, Pearcey discusses the five principles detailed in her new apologetics book, Finding Truth (David C. Cook, 2015): identify the idol, identify the idol’s reductionism, test the idol’s validity, test the idol’s consistency, make the alternate case for Christian faith. Pearcey works from […]
The Case Against Gay Marriage: Top Law Firms Won’t Touch It
The Case Against Gay Marriage: Top Law Firms Won’t Touch It — There are no major law firms urging the justices to rule against gay marriage. Standing up for traditional marriage has turned out to be too much for the elite bar. The arguments have been left to members of lower-profile firms.
