Articles

Book Review: Christianity and the Law of Migration edited by Allard, Silas W., Kristin E. Heyer, and Raj Nadella

[1] Christianity and the Law of Migration comes at an opportune time. This volume of essays brings law and legal principles into conversation with Christian Scriptural, ethical, and theological concepts on the topic of global migration. The work represents an important intervention into scholarly, humanitarian, and policy discussions at a time when millions of people […]

Book Review: The Holy Spirit and Christian Experience by Simeon Zahl

[1] Just months before his untimely death in 1963, H. Richard Niebuhr issued a rousing call for “a recovery of feeling in theology.”[1] Though he affirmed Barth’s rejection of any point of contact between revelation and human experience, he felt the pendulum had now swung too far. In securing the objectivity of the Word of […]

Editor’s Introduction: Summer Book Review Issue

In this “Summer Books Issue” we include book reviews that consider Christianity and the laws of migration; racism through lenses of science and faith; religion and foreign policy; the emotional and experiential power of theological doctrines; and the value of disruption in the church.  Happy reading!

February/March 2023: Editor’s Introduction Il/legal Abortion: Lutheran Ethical Responses Post-Dobbs

[1] The essays in this issue are offerings concerning faithful ethical responses after the Dobbs ruling by the Supreme Court this summer. As such, they are different in tone and intention than the kinds of discussions that were on-going while Roe still held, such as those in The Journal of Lutheran Ethics published in November […]

February/March 2023: For Congregational Discussion

[1] Celcy Powers King essay ends with the following call to action: “If the focus of any church is compassion for those in need, then I believe its members can implement practices that help them grow and connect to their local communities. One way to achieve this is to open up dialogue to those outside […]

Can We Really Be So Sure When Human Life Begins? What Recent Neurobiological Data Might Entail for the Abortion Debate

[1] Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the abortion debate has entered a new phase.  And yet in another sense, nothing is new.  The same old arguments get made on both sides with neither side really engaging the other.  On one hand, there are those of the Pro-Choice movement, in accord with […]

 A Complex Position on Abortion: Access, Decision-making, and Legality

[1] Have you ever been unexpectedly pregnant?  I have. [2] When I realized I was pregnant, the visceral alarm I felt brought the words, “How can this be?” to my lips.  I did not intend to speak Mary’s words when the angel spoke to her (Luke 1:34a).  But there they were, signaling disbelief, alarm, disruption.  […]

First Thoughts on the End of Roe v. Wade: State Rules, Gender Norms, and the Fragile (or Conditional) Personhood of Women

[1] This is a period piece, a snapshot of one Gen X theologian’s first reactions, landing on some observations and questions to hold open in the life of faith. [2] At some point on June 24, 2022, I realized I had entered the same kind of space I found myself in on September 11, 2001 […]

Reflections on Abortion and Ethical Discernment in the Church

[1] June 24th 2022: The United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization; this ended the guarantee of abortion as a protected right. The weight of the issue of abortion does not solely rest on the shoulders of cisgender women. This also impacts MaGes (marginalized genders), men, and […]

Creating a Culture of Life

[1] Working with the authors who contributed to this issue of JLE, has been an exercise that has renewed my spirit.  I admit my spirit needed renewing. The news of the Dobbs decision and the immediate consequences has felt like a forceful slap against women as persons deserving of the rights to moral autonomy and […]