“Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said, ‘His authority came not from the office he held, nor from the timbre of his voice. It came from the moral force of his life.” (page 282) [1] This posthumously published autobiography invites its reader to experience the moral force of Elijah Cummings’ life and be inspired by his […]
H. Paul Santmire, Beverly Wallace
Rev. Dr. Cheryl Stewart Pero, the second Black Lutheran woman ordained in the Lutheran Church in America, the first Black woman in the ELCA to receive a doctorate in New Testament studies, and a leading scholar, pastor, and community builder, died on October 28th, 2020. For a woman who encouraged and empowered so many others, JLE presents two tributes in her honor.
A different way of thinking about racial justice is to work toward racial mercy. Before the difference between justice and mercy is explained, there must be an agreed upon standard that is used to discern the worth of what will be suggested. This is, after all, a theological discussion, for it is about the difference between God’s Law and God’s Promise in Jesus.
[1] Followers of Luther began debating relationships between faith, ethics, and justification during Luther’s lifetime. Heirs of Luther’s theological vision have never ceased to debate them. Some Lutherans believe that ethical prescriptions beyond freely “serving one’s neighbor” out of a response to the Gospel, constitute works righteousness, leaving believers anxiously wondering if they have done […]
[1] This book breaks no new ground and has little to offer cognoscenti. But this is an observation, not a criticism. The authors, a biblical scholar and a religious journalist, aim for a general audience made up of millennials and others who are comfortable with evolution and distance from Christian faith because of its perceived […]
October/November 2020: Gun Violence and Childhood Trauma (Volume 20 Issue 6)
[1] “The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11: […]
October/November 2020: Gun Violence and Childhood Trauma (Volume 20 Issue 6)
Because this issue centers around the questions of trauma and childhood, readers might consider engaging high school and middle school youth groups in their study and discussions of these issues. These conversations might need to be done in virtual formats or on discussion boards during the pandemic. Questions for adults to ask older children: What […]
October/November 2020: Gun Violence and Childhood Trauma (Volume 20 Issue 6)
Introduction [1] Just as warfare was a cultural problem in ancient Israel, traumatizing children and adults, gun violence is a cultural problem in the United States. The impact of gun violence on children and adolescents is not only burdensome but can also be disastrous. Guns are not the only means to perpetrate harm but “the significance of gun […]
October/November 2020: Gun Violence and Childhood Trauma (Volume 20 Issue 6)
Introduction [1] Gun violence and its trauma have reached epidemic proportions. The term epidemic in this instance is both a public health appraisal of the impact of gun violence as well as a metaphor that might spark the civic imagination toward a more effective response. The metaphor is apt in a number of ways: it highlights the […]
October/November 2020: Gun Violence and Childhood Trauma (Volume 20 Issue 6)
[1] A few weeks ago, my four-year-old daughter stood behind as my eyes swelled up with tears staring into my phone. “Mommy, what are you watching?” She asked. I explained to her that it was a video of some of the Black people who had been killed by police officers over the years. Her expression […]
