[1] Enron and Tyco, Arthur Anderson and WorldCom: all have become household words and all bring up the questions of how and why we got to this place in our history. Since the formation of the ELCA, the church has been involved in the work of corporate social responsibility and that work has been spurring corporations on to respond positively on a cadre of social issues.
[2] Now thanks to these corporate fiascos, we face the time of asking what our church has to say about the ethics of big business. What lens do we look through to view the corporate scandals publicized during the last year? How do we determine accountability when we look to issues of corporate governance and board responsibility?
[3] In this issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics you will find a variety of articles ranging from one individual’s response to his vocation to a description of an ecumenical partner’s vision of corporate social responsibility. Read them in light of your experience, and for congregational pathways to action, consult Stewart Herman’s article on what congregations can do.