Articles

  In this episode, host Matthew Best and JLE Book Review Editor William Rodriguez talk with Rev. Dr. Karl Kuhn on the topic of Christian Nationalism, what it is, how to respond, and what are some helpful books to learn more.

Select Bibliography on Christian Nationalism Recommended Books that Challenge Christian Nationalism (Including books written by evangelicals)   Ajoy, April. Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith, Worthy Books, 2024. (Written by a former Christian Nationalist who has repudiated it) Alberta, Tim. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age […]

[1] The ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-Being of All defines Christian Nationalism as:  A cultural framework that idealizes and advocates fusion of highly selected Christian beliefs with U.S. civic life. This nationalistic ideology holds, among other   things, that the U.S. Constitution was divinely inspired, that Christianity should be a […]

[1] Richard Lischer invites us into a compelling story told by a wonderfully diverse cast of storytellers. Readers of the JLE would likely have already met many of the folks here, but probably not in this way, with the types of questions Lischer poses for them (and us) to ponder. As we read their stories, […]

[1] Esteemed readers of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, this “Summer Books Issue” contains four reviews and recommendation of readings on the issue of Christian Nationalism. We include book reviews from a broad range of topics including travel, philosophy, ethics, and spirituality. It is our hope that these diverse reviews resonate and influence a decision […]

[1] I am Rev. Dr. Laurie Jungling, and I was born and raised in Great Falls, MT. I have been a Lutheran all my life, though I came close once to becoming a Presbyterian (USA). After spending a few years as a full-service gas station attendant in far-north North Dakota searching for myself, I found […]

[1] In January, the Lutheran Ethicists Network held its annual conference in Washington D.C. before the meeting of the Society for Christian Ethics. The topic of the conference, “Ethics and Democracy,” was chosen because of the location and the times. Two of the three plenary papers are published here in this issue of JLE. The […]

[1] In this section, readers can find links to study guides as well as questions that will guide discussion based on the articles in this issue. [1]  In August of 2025, the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA adopted the Social Statement: Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All, a social statement that began, […]

[1] I was invited to ponder the following questions for this essay: What might be the contours of a Lutheran liturgical ethic that shapes our civic engagement? How do worship or prayer equip Lutherans to re-define political power? What roles do liturgy, prayer, and preaching play in fostering, strengthening, or supporting justice and democracy? I […]

A Story from Malaysia: Standing Together Against Violence [1] When I started as a church planter in the year 2000, I never set a goal to be a prophet or social activist. I do not think my Malay-Muslim friend Ali, who was a businessman, not a religious leader, saw himself as my fellow comrade for […]