Articles

The Bible and Black Families: A Theological Challenge

[1] The perception that families are in crisis has increased greatly in recent years…. On the one hand, today we find a yearning to return to pristine biblical teachings and “traditional family values,” but on the other hand, too many either see the Bible as irrelevant to the modern family crisis or, worse still, refuse […]

The Benefits of Globalization: An Economic Perspective

[1] Introduction. The process of globalization of the world economies has recently generated severe protests from many quarters, including on the pages of this journal (Moe-Lobeda, 2001; Yutzis, 2001). Among these critics, almost every social ill from poverty to pollution to pestilence seems to be caused by globalization and the evils of capitalism. In this […]

Should We Invade Iraq?

[1] In recent months, the President and other members of his administration have openly declared their desire and intent to achieve “regime change” in Iraq. And since previous methods of ousting Saddam Hussein-economic sanctions and coup d’etat-have obviously failed, the President is seriously considering even more dramatic options, including full-scale military invasion (Shanker). How should […]

Mentoring For Neighborhood Ministry

[1] More than twenty years have gone by since I was paired with the first seminarian who arrived at New Hope Lutheran Church in Jamaica, New York, to begin a year of internship under my supervision. The year was 1985. Not so clear to either of us at the time was the fact that the […]

Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms

An Ecumenical Problem [1] The question of the two kingdoms is one of the most pressing and delicate in contemporary religious and theological thought. No other aspect of Luther’s theology has been so fiercely attacked as this doctrine. Where Luther drew a clear line between spiritual and temporal authority, and expressly emphasised that under no […]

The Two Governments and the Two Kingdoms in Luther’s Thought

Copyright © Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 34, pp. 321-337. Used with permission. [1] The facet of his thought commonly referred to as the doctrine of the two kingdoms has provoked some of the most intractable confusion and bitter controversy in post-war continental Luther scholarship, and the ripples of this debate which reached these shores […]

Solberg on The Promise of Lutheran Ethics

[1] Whoever is worried that Lutheranism as a living tradition is at risk should take heart from the publication of The Promise of Lutheran Ethics. Even before one assays its substance, the book is remarkable. It is a collection of seven thoughtfully drawn essays by eight disparate writers, introduced by two short reflections by the […]

Sherman on The Promise of Lutheran Ethics

[1] To judge by the current volume, the enterprise of “Lutheran ethics” is alive and well. Indeed, it’s a growth industry. The exhaustive bibliography provided by co-editor John Stumme lists some 45 books and articles on the subject by recognizably Lutheran scholars in the first 50 years of the present century (1900-1949), 115 in the […]

Malcolm on The Promise of Lutheran Ethics

[1] Fifty years ago, the United Lutheran church commissioned some theologians, including Joseph Sittler, William Lazareth, and George Forell, to contribute to a three volume set entitled Christian Social Responsibility. Like them, the authors of this new collection of essays have been commissioned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – through its Church Council […]

A Review of Honoring African American Elders: A Ministry in the Soul Community by Anne Streaty

onoring African American Elders: A Ministry in the Soul Community. Anne Streaty Wimberly, editor. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1997, 185 pages, a Preface, References, and Index. [1] Honoring African American Elders: A Ministry in the Soul Community, I found to be an interesting book. The title in essence captures the editor’s intent to cause the […]