Should you retreat from the public square? More and more people are opting out of civic engagement. It’s a big mistake, says political science professor James Schall. His essay offers several options for students to consider, including what he calls the Aristotle option: “Aristotle is most helpful for us today in his description of what happens […]
God, Cancer, a Videogame: This case involves the arts, journalism, health concerns, the problem of evil, addressing grief, and mediums for Christian outreach. The linked article is a commentary on the story of the case in Wired, January 2016. The instructor will need to determine whether and how to adapt the case to course content.
The Church Collection Plate Goes Digital: Using the Tithe.ly app takes fewer than five taps, and its built-in geolocation enables contributions at any of the 1,000 churches that subscribe—a feature that’s especially useful around holidays like Easter, when many people travel. Tithe.ly also lets worshipers set up automatic recurring payments.
President Harrison provides a Lutheran view of church and state: Matt Harrison, president of the LCMS, sent this open letter to clergy on matters of preaching and politics, voting, and engaging in the public square. Students can compare and contrast this position statement with the Christ-and-culture views and the practices in congregations and church bodies.
Children at the Grave — a pastor at her daughter’s public elementary school career day notes that the kids were mostly interested in the pastoral ministry at funerals: “Do you have to dig the hole to bury them?” “What happens when you die?” “Someone told me that dead people go to heaven. Is that true?” […]
Canada, Complicity, and Coercing Christian Medical Care: A federal panel has recommended that the Government of Canada “establish a process that respects a health care practitioner’s freedom of conscience while at the same time respecting the needs of a patient who seeks medical assistance in dying. At a minimum, the objecting practitioner must provide an effective […]
A Conversation on Character, Flourishing & the Good Life: Though previously this question came pre-answered by culture, by religion, and by tradition, these days we each have to ask and answer for ourselves: What is the good life? What does it mean to life a flourishing life? This hour-long video from the Yale Center for Faith and Culture […]
The Rule of Law, The Way of Love: The animating conviction of this issue of Comment is that if we want to understand and prophetically critique how law is legislated, enforced, and administered, we need to see the law-like nature of creation itself.
Churches Twice as Likely to Fear Refugees Than to Help Them: Churches and their pastors are often separated by faith and fear. Most Protestant pastors say Christians should lend a hand to refugees and foreigners, and believe caring for refugees is a privilege. But pastors say their churches are twice as likely to fear refugees as they are […]
The Messy Secrets of Perfect Pitch: Genesis does not say that God created the world “perfect,” though we often insert that word. This article, written in popular style on the science and musicology of perfect pitch, uses the topic to examine this misnomer and its implications for our life in this world and our life with […]
