Talking About God in Public — A review of Rowan Williams’ new book, The Edge of Words: God and the Habits of Language (Bloomsbury, 2014): when we talk about God, we do so mutedly and usually only in the confidence of our private sacred spaces. If we’re going to regain our confidence in finding words for […]
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
Relationships in America Survey
Relationships in America Survey — This study from the Austin Insitute looks at how social forces, demography, and religion continue to shape attitudes about family, marriage, and intimate relationships. The survey was designed to document trends that affect individual and familial well-being covering a wide variety of human-interest topics, from their participation in religious services […]
A Primer on the Religious Naturalist
A Primer on the Religious Naturalist — “Scientific inquiry has provisioned us with a mind-boggling new core narrative — the epic of evolution, the epic of creation, the universe story, big history, everybody’s story — where humans and human cultures are understood to be emergent from and, hence, a part of nature.” This brief piece […]
DOJ: Atheists as Ministers of the Gospel?
DOJ: Atheists as Ministers of the Gospel? — the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s high-profile 2013 decision that the longstanding clergy housing allowance was unconstitutional; but the Dept. of Justice also offered the argument that for the case to gain standing, atheists could apply for status as “ministers of the gospel […]
Making Payroll: Minimum Wage and Lutheran Non-Profits
Making Payroll: Minimum Wage and Lutheran Non-Profits — Many nonprofits, including some faith-based charities and social service organizations, find themselves in the unenviable role of fighting poverty while paying poverty wages. Mosaic, a Lutheran social ministry serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in ten states, exemplifies this dilemma.
Art and Craft: Free Will, Sin, Biochemistry, Art Forgery, Psychopathology, and Jurisprudence
Art and Craft: Free Will, Sin, Biochemistry, Art Forgery, Psychopathology, and Jurisprudence — Very hard to categorize, this remarkable case involves a bipolar forger who gives away his work under false but not criminal pretenses. Students may find this a fascinating cross-discipline case study involving theology, biology, psychology, criminology, and assorted other -ologies.
The Link Between Religious Freedom and National Security
The Link Between Religious Freedom and National Security — An interview with Thomas F. Farr, Director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and former diplomat, and his concern about a lack of interest in religious liberty in the State Dept. and why it matters.
Before “I Do”: Premarital Experiences and Marital Qualtiy
Before “I Do”: Premarital Experiences and Marital Quality — For almost one-third (32 percent) of those in a nationally representative sample, their relationship with their eventual spouse began as a hookup. And those who said their relationship began by hooking up reported lower marital quality than people who didn’t start their relationship that way, says […]
The City is Complex: Lessons from “The Wire”
The City is Complex: Lessons From “The Wire” — This article from James K.A. Smith’s Comment Magazine uses the HBO series as an allegory for exploring the ambiguities of human institutions and human nature (What is man that Thou art mindful of him?): “Exegeting the life of cities requires that we forego simplistic definitions, naïve […]
When Sex Offenders Confess to Clergy: Three Mistaken Beliefs
When Sex Offenders Confess to Clergy: Three Mistaken Beliefs — Boz Tchividjian is an associate professor of law at Liberty University and former prosecutor who examines whether pastors are prohibited from reporting child sexual abuse disclosures made by perpetrators. See also Uncle Sam Eavesdropping Outside the Confessional Booth and the CTCR study document, “The Pastor-Pentitent […]
