How Churches Can Give Sanctuary and Still Support the Law: Students can use use this interview as an intro to the pros and cons of the current sanctuary issues for immigration and the undocumented. The guest is an advisor to the New Sanctuary Movement and also works with Matthew 25, a bipartisan Christian movement that […]
Who decides what my body means? The next Reformation is about interpretation, but not of a book: Advanced students may find content to agree and disagree with in this essay on race, gender, identity, and exegetics. The author uses the Reformation as a reference point for reading texts, culture, and the various perceptions of others […]
The first solar eclipse to cross America in 99 years is coming. To some, it’s an act of God: The total solar eclipse that will cross America this summer — an event that last happened 99 years ago — will be an important moment for scientific observers and a massive nationwide spectator event. It will also, […]
A Police Officer’s View from Street Level: An informative and insightful interview with Sergeant Adam Plantinga of the San Francisco Police Dept. and author of 400 Things Cops Know: Street-Smart Lessons from a Veteran Patrolman (Quill Driver, 2014). “Being a cop hammers the compassion out of you. There’s a 90-10 rule in law enforcement: 90 […]
The New Alarmism: How Some Christians are Stoking Fear Rather Than Hope — Smith responds to some voices within the church who portend the decline of Christianity. “[My] critique is not a progressive dismissal. For nearly a decade I have been trying to diagnose the causes of Christian assimilation to culture in books like Desiring the […]
The Earth Has Oceans And Continents: How Weird Is That? This essay offers students an example of how the thoughtful non-theist discusses the puzzles and perplexities of creation and natural order: “Continents and oceans, we have them both. But it didn’t have to be this way. And on most planets, it probably isn’t. And, here, I […]
Court decides to censure, not remove anti-gay marriage judge: Here is the Associated Press coverage on municipal judge Ruth Neely (member of an LCMS congregation) who in 2014 mentioned to a reporter that she would not preside over a same-sex marriage and was then charged with ethics violations by the Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics.
Christian Bakers, Gay Weddings, and a Question for the Supreme Court: This readable article provides a succinct and balanced summary of the small business issues of religious freedom and civil rights–mom-and-pop stores, artistic liberty, corporate regulation, and competing goods in the commonwealth. It can serve as an introduction to the court cases, arguments, and principles at […]
Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. — SCOTUSblog is covering the transgender bathroom case at http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/gloucester-county-school-board-v-g-g/ For an overview of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. see Justices send transgender bathroom case back to lower courts, no action on same-sex marriage cake case.
If We are Not Just Animals, What Are We? There is something in the human condition that suggests the need for special treatment. Almost all people believe that it is a crime to kill an innocent person, but not to kill an innocent tapeworm. And almost all people regard tapeworms as incapable of innocence in […]
