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 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 […]
In Defense of Churches: Can the IRS Limit Tax Abuse by “Church” Impostors? A large gap in our Tax Code allows certain religious organizations to amass extraordinary riches while preying on the faithful. Their conduct is causing damage to the church as an institution and is inconsistent with the purpose of tax exemptions—to provide a public […]
Religious Freedom in an Egalitarian Age by Nelson Tebbe (Harvard University Press, 2017): “In Religious Freedom in an Egalitarian Age, I argue that these disputes, which are admittedly complex, nevertheless can be resolved without irrationality or arbitrariness. I describe a method called social coherence, which provides a way to reach justified conclusions, even in situations […]
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.
Preaching Paradox and the Paradox of Preaching: a brief yet thoughtful discussion about conveying the faith to the faithful and others who are interested. Though directed at preaching, the theme applies to teaching, conversation, and other ways that “dangling questions can be more powerful than trite answers.”
Distinctive Christian Citizenship: This series of articles presents a variety of approaches and ideas to help Christian citizens bear the office of citizenship faithfully and distinctively The series will include theological reflection, formative and sustaining practices, philosophical explication, systemic analysis and exhortation, and some examples of what this looks like in a local community.
Adam Francisco on Luther as Apologist: Christians delight in assertions. They adhere, affirm, confess, and maintain the assertions—the faith—once delivered to the saints. There are times, however, that a bold confession requires more than just mere assertion. “When you have to engage the Jews and Turks,” Luther wrote, “you must use all your cleverness and effort […]
In Remembrance of Me: Memory, the Life of Faith, and the Life of the Church — Here are five presentations covering a spectrum of dimensions of memory including the neuroscience, communal memory, Biblical themes, theology, and remembering the sermon. From the 2015 Theological Symposium at Concordia Seminary.
Lutheran Triumphalism — From the intro to the Jan. 2017 edition of Logia (Issue 26 – 1): “The articles provides valuable insights as to the nature of Lutheran triumphalism [and] its contemporary relevance, especially in light of the forthcoming Reformation 500 observances. The only valid answer to the question of Lutheran triumphalism is the theology of […]
Court Orders Further Hearing In Suit By Church Member Challenging His Expulsion: [T]he court is not deprived by the first amendment of jurisdiction to resolve whether the plaintiff was in fact expelled from the Church because this decision is not so intertwined with religious principles that it can make this determination without interfering with a […]
