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 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 […]
The Christian, Lutheran Faculty: This edition of Issues in Christian Education offers 8 readings to assist with considering the formation of faculty, including three editorials, three feature articles, and a summary of ten recommended readings. Includes content for elementary through college.
Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Feb. 2017: Many theological topics remain priorities in the life of millennials, yet there remains a deep concern about the sustainability of these priorities given the immense debt that so many have accrued. Theset two articles offer common sense ways of preventing debt from standing as a barrier to a professional vocation; […]
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.
The Catholic Schools Saved by Vouchers: In Milwaukee, Catholic churches have kept their schools alive with the help of vouchers. A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper explains that vouchers actually staved off imminent school closures in Milwaukee, though they did not improve the church’s overall finances. The research shows that vouchers can both help and hurt […]
Assessing the Faith-Based Response to Homelessness in America: Findings From Eleven Cities — From the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, the report was undertaken to provide an estimate of the impact, socially and economically, of FBOs in eleven cities across the country in responding to homelessness. Almost 60% of the Emergency Shelter Beds, what many […]
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
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 […]
Bible Lessons at the Lunch Bell: Released Time programs began in 1914 and allows public school students to attend privately sponsored religious classes during school time. Though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled public schools cannot endorse any religion or try to convert students during class, it upheld the constitutionality of released time in 1952 with certain limits: Released […]
