Author: Paul T. Nelson

With What Should the ELCA Grapple in the Study Process that Forms the Process Leading to a Social Statement? [1] It is an article of faith–among scientists no less than among Christians– that the natural world is intelligible. While science cannot explain why this may be so, believers construe the regularity and intelligibility of the […]

[1] Stem cells have been called “the gift that keeps on giving” and that may be true not only for biomedical researchers but also for ethicists. This is the third time the ELCA has invited me to reflect on stem cells and related matters. Back in 1995 the Department of Studies asked several people to […]

[1] When invited to speak at a recent gathering of Lutheran ethicists I was asked to address the question “What are the distinctive contributions of a Lutheran bioethic?”1 Thus, my charge seemed to make two assumptions: the first, that there is a Lutheran bioethic and second, that its contributions to plenary debate are distinctive. Both […]

[1] In a meeting I was recently asked what I thought about Wittenberg’s statement of institutional values. All I could think to say was “Values are good. These seem fine.” (It had been a long meeting.) I suspect that some readers may have a similar reaction to the proposed social statement “Caring for Health: Our […]

[1] What do I think about the first successful (albeit short-lived) cloning of human embryos for the purpose of deriving stem cells? Readers with a low tolerance for ambivalence are advised to ‘quit’ now because my answer will neither condemn nor celebrate the news from Worcester. At the risk of making matters worse I must […]