Three Myths About the Crusades and What They Mean for Christian Witness: Paul Robinson sorts through the news, media, literature, and film portrayals of the Crusades to examine the fiction in the popular imagination and provide some alternate informed discussion. Helpful for classes in history, journalism, and media.
The Secret Ingredient of Our Poverty Relief: Economists are showing that hope makes a statistical difference in developing nations but that hope comes in two forms. Wishful hope or “hope that” is important but lacks human agency. We hope that something will happen, but believe we have little or no influence over it. Aspirational hope, or “hope […]
EEOC Fiscal Year 2015 Enforcement and Litigation Data: In fiscal 2015, the agency received 89,385 charges of workplace discrimination. Of those, only 3,502 (3.9%) charged religious discrimination. A further breakdown of the data shows that the EEOC found no reasonable cause in 68% of the cases of alleged religious discrimination.
The Einstein-Bergson Debate: In their 1922 debate, Bergson held that relativity was not a theory that addressed time on its most fundamental, philosophical level but a theory about clocks and their behavior. Bergson called Einstein out for missing the distinction. Bergson was not criticizing Einstein’s theory. He was attacking a philosophy being passed off as part of […]
A Seismic Shift in Bioethics: How moral norms trump even scientific evidence and technology — This position paper can serve as an introduction or polemic piece for examining how scientific and technological developments influence social norms and ethical perspectives. Useful for courses in bioethics, science and technology, sociology, religion, and business.
Have the recent undercover videos about Planned Parenthood had any affect on your actions? LifeWay Research found that 1 in 5 (18 percent) Americans spoke out against Planned Parenthood after the videos became public. One in 8 (12 percent) spoke in support Planned Parenthood. Americans who are aware of the videos disagree on how to respond. […]
Court Rules Against Fontbonne Academy Constitutional Claim: In a decision being called the first of its kind nationally, a state judge has ruled that an all-girls Catholic school in Milton discriminated against a gay man when it rescinded a job offer after learning he was in a same-sex marriage. This case is emerging as the […]
Finding Jesus at Work: Why are more and more companies offering access to chaplains as an employee benefit? — Corporations are providing spiritual guidance to workers by means of Christian chaplains? What’s in it for the company? The potential for profit doesn’t hurt. Chaplaincies add value to companies, potentially helping create lower turnover rates, increased levels of […]
Reformation Laity: a 50 min. video presentation that summarizes Luther’s views on the priesthood of all believers or those Luther referred to as “baptized priests.” This lively talk serves as a good overview of the key themes with attention to the context of the Reformation and the issues both then and now.
Free Exercise, Penance, and Delaware Court: The State of Delaware sought civil penalties against both a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation and the individual elders in an abuse case. The defendants sought summary judgment against the charges on religious freedom and priest-penitent “privilege” grounds. A Delaware Superior Court judge denied the motion. The decision is an illustration of what happens […]
