Editor’s Introduction: Book Review Issue

The three reviews of books dealing with the work of H. Richard Niebuhr, Lutheran perspectives on contemporary legal issues, and the discussion of moral injury in the context of just war each in their own way address concerns that are potential issue on the agenda of the church as public church. H. Richard Niebuhr’s work continues to inform as the church seeks to be faithful in being in the world but not of the world. The volume on Lutherans and the law is rich in demonstrating how the Lutheran tradition interacts constructively with the civil use of the law. Finally, Meagher’s book on moral injury is an important contribution that challenges our understanding of just war thinking and its viability in today’s world of war.