Do the Religious Beliefs of the Supreme Court Justices Influence Their Decisions? — For the first time in its history, the bench is composed of three Jews and six Catholics, including several devout Catholics. The editors of Moment interview a group of nine legal thinkers about the Justices’ religious predispositions.
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
A Case Study on the Concept and Perception of Original Sin
A Case Study on the Concept and Perception of Original Sin — The chief of the Atlanta Fire Dept. was fired in connection with a book he published. This article titled “Original Sin is Problematic” discusses the widening conceptual, cultural and practical gap between the way the church understand sin, how those outside the church […]
From Jihadist to Moderate Muslim
From Jihadist to Moderate Muslim — This 40 min. audio from NPR’s Fresh Air interviews a British citizen who extracted himself from radical Islam. He explains how he was recruited at age 16, describes 4 stages of radicalization, 3 approaches to recruiting, and includes an interesting discussion on adolescent identity. Could offer useful insight into […]
Duke University and Muslim Worship
Duke University and Muslim Worship — This article offers briefs the reader on several views surrounding the use of the Duke University Chapel as a location for Muslim worship.
Changing Our Mind
Changing Our Mind — Sojourners has begun a series that “explores the ongoing conversation within the church over LGBT identities, affirmation, and inclusion. As the push for equality expands, how are communities of faith participating and responding — and is it enough?” For those following various discussions within the church, this source will give you the Sojourners take on […]
The Future of Catholic Schools
The Future of Catholic Schools — “Catholic schools have kept generations of immigrant children in the bosom of the Church while helping to lift them to economic success. But that legacy is at risk. The children of Hispanic immigrants have drifted away from the Church and fallen behind in economic terms. The fact that Catholic […]
How the Public Significance of Christianity is Changing
How the Public Significance of Christianity is Changing — All notions of justice presuppose ontology and anthropology, and so a revolution in fundamental anthropology will invariably transform the meaning and content of justice and bring about its own morality. This compels us to reconsider the civic project of American Christianity that has for the most […]
True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of our Complex World
True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of our Complex World — A review of a new, brief book by David Skeel from IVP, 2014: If we shift from origins arguments to the world as we actually experience it, we will need to explain sensations like our sense of beauty and evil, as well as the […]
Faith on the Hill
Faith on the Hill — Nine-in-ten members of the newly elected 114th Congress are Christian — a significantly higher share than is seen in the general population. Many other major religious groups are also represented in the body, including Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and the unaffiliated. This Pew Center report does the break-down.
A Teacher’s Guide to Discussing Religion in the Public Classroom
A Teacher’s Guide to Discussing Religion in the Public Classroom — From a public high school social studies teacher, this brief article continues the discussion of the place of religion in tax-funded schools and the role of religious content in civil discourse in a liberal democracy.
