Author: James Kenneth Echols

The Journal of Lutheran Ethics (JLE) is in the midst of a season of significant change, and I want to share these changes with JLE’s many readers and friends. Beginning in September 2013, JLE will move from a bi-monthly to a monthly publication schedule. The journal’s hope is that monthly publication will be able to […]

What is the Christian response to climate change? For this month’s authors, Christians are called to be good stewards of the planet given to us by God. Part of that calling is preventing the worsening of climate change by restoring ecosystems to healthy states. Gil Waldkoenig looks at four case studies of Lutheran ministries that […]

This issue features two presentations given at the Convocation of Lutheran Teaching Theologians meeting this past fall. The two authors focused on the relationship of globalization and theological education, or lack thereof. How could we in the United States better serve our neighbors in the Global South in terms of the theology we create and […]

In this edition of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, the perennial issue of whether Christians are called to “keep the law” is explored. While Jon Olson’s article and Robin Mattison’s response center on the Apostle Paul, his Jewish heritage and the extent to which he continued to observe the Sabbath and observe the dietary laws […]

According to reliable information, 20% of American children and 13% of all Americans live in poverty. Globally, nearly one-half of the world’s population or approximately 3 billion people live on less than $ 2.50 a day. Given the tragic and widespread reality of poverty, how should Christians respond and how shall we live? This issue […]

In this issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, three writers explore the Millennial generation (also known as Generation Y) and the “None” factor. “None” stands for “no religion” and points to the disinclination of young people to affiliate with or belong to a formal religious community. As the parent of two Millennials, I found […]

In this issue of the journal, Jeff Olson Biebighauser and Bruce Wollenberg draw upon aspects of Martin Luther’s theological perspectives in order to explore two distinct ethical matters. While Biebighauser critically examines and renders a judgment on the “Virtue Ethics” movement, Wollenberg establishes God’s gift of temporal authority. In so doing, they treat dimensions of […]

This month’s journal on war and peace is published in the shadow of Memorial Day, an observance and national holiday in the United States on which those who have defended the country and died in wars are remembered. Globally and throughout human history, it is estimated that the total number of people killed in conflicts […]

The plague of gun violence in our country, highlighted by tragic mass shootings at schools and in other places, has sparked renewed attention on the presence of the approximately 270 to 310 million privately owned legal and illegal guns and their use in the United States. As the debate proceeds on current and future public […]

The United States Senate has been called “the world’s most deliberative body.” It carefully considers proposals for public policy and is, therefore, engaged in “legislative deliberation.” By contrast, this issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics focuses on the current commitment to and emerging emphasis upon deliberation in the life and work of the Evangelical […]

Recently in the United States, the debate about the size, scope and role of government has become a contentious issue. While some argue for “limited” government, others call for a more “expansive” role for government. In this issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, one writer provides an historical overview of the ways in Lutherans […]

As global​ climate change​ increases in its rate and effects, an energetic and faithful conversation about the related ethical issues also grows in urgency. This issue of Journal of​ Lutheran Ethics offers two presentations by Larry Rasmussen to the 2014 Lutheran Ethicists Gathering that explore this challenge. Dr. Rasmussen is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of […]

A persistent and unfortunate reality in our world today is that, in relative terms, the rich get richer even as the poor get poorer. Is this just the inevitable and tragic nature of life or are there certain economic, market and other forces that combine to produce such a result, namely, marginalization? In the wake […]

Immigration reform continues to be a major issue confronting the United States of America. This issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics provides information on comprehensive immigration reform thanks to the ministry of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. In addition, the authors of the two articles explore and suggest what the church needs to do […]

This issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics focuses on violence from several different perspectives. While one article explores the cause of violence as a religious phenomenon, another looks specifically at the Christian tradition. A third article centers on Martin Luther’s theological understanding of violence.

The tragic death of Trayvon Martin has raised many issues for Americans in particular. The authors of the two articles in this edition of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics explore a couple of these issues in light of the Christian faith.

As the articles in this issue of JLE demonstrate, Gender Justice is a global concern and phenomenon from Germany to India to Palestine to the United States. Please take time to read and reflect on these articles and consider the question of “How, then, shall we live?” I am grateful to Dr. Mary J. Streufert, […]

Twenty years ago, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted a social statement entitled Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice. As a growing and strong consensus emerges in our world that climate change is endangering the planet, this issue of JLE focuses on the environment. The social statement is reintroduced and various articles explore […]

How does the reality of hope address the deepest anxieties of human beings? This issue explores this question from a variety of perspectives. It seeks to illuminate the intergenerational and gender contours of anxiety as well as its intra-generational manifestations among Baby Boomers and Millennials. It also reflects on this question drawing upon rich biblical […]