Freedom of Conscience and New LGBT Rights in International Human Rights Law: This position essay argues, “Only when human rights are grounded in transcendent, fixed authority can they stand the test of time and shifts in power. If LGBT policies are elevated above freedom of conscience, it will be to the detriment of all human rights. […]
Is God Dead? A TIME Cover Turns 50: In April 1966, fifty years ago, Time magazine published its famously controversial cover story, “Is God Dead?” This analysis article covers the background of that story, the issues that prompted it, and where may be fifty years later. Could serve as an intro to Nietzsche, the spiritual-but-not-religious […]
Should Christians Own Guns? Why this conservative evangelical is skeptical: Rev. Rob Schenck is president of Faith and Action in Washington, D.C., chair of the Evangelical Church Alliance, and a senior fellow at the Oxford Centre for the Study of Law and Public Policy. The article will serve to provoke discussion and further study, pro and con.
Corporate America’s embrace of gay rights has reached a stunning tipping point: This Washington Post analysis piece on corporate business interests and gay rights may be of interest. Students can consider its content, conclusion, and implications, and if the headline is congruent with the content. Whether this current trend in business contributes to further polarization […]
Was Blind But Now I See: This page at the Religious News Service is a catalog of articles on religion and the arts. Included are pieces on artists, liturgical arts, art in church history, and other brief, useful starter items for instruction.
‘It Was Torture’: An Abu Ghraib Interrogator Acknowledges ‘Horrible Mistakes’: Eric Fair, a life-long Presbyterian, reflects on his complicated story of becoming an interrogator at the infamous prison in Iraq. This 40 min. interview on Fresh Air discusses his book, Consequence: A Memoir (Holt, 2016). To use this content, be sure to study the investigations into […]
Social Ministry—Do We and Should We Teach a Theology and Practice of Social Ministry and Justice? We talk a lot about social ministry and a ministry of mercy–but do we teach about it? In this edition of Issues, you will find ten discussions from a variety of perspectives to expand your own teaching repertoire on Micah […]
A Mormon Perspective on Religious Freedom: This presentation, made at Claremont Graduate University, is from Mormon Elder Dallin Oaks, a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The address was made at Claremont’s 2016 Mormon Studies Religious Freedom Conference.
The Resurrection of St. Benedict’s: Here is the 60 Minutes page and video on St. Benedict’s Prep, the all-boys prep school in Newark for low-income students of color that has a graduation rate of 98 percent. See also the Huffington Post story.
What Apple’s Encryption Fight Has to Do with Religious Freedom: Apple’s case reminds us of the broad importance of protecting organizations—both secular and religious, for-profit and non-profit—from compulsion to act against their most foundational values. These cases give us a chance to consider the public good of providing institutions—whether companies, niche craft stores, or religious nonprofits—with enough […]
