Articles

Congregational Discussion Questions — Seeing Ourselves as Parts of One Body: An Exercise in Exploring Racism from a Place of Privilege

Conversation Questions to Use in an Adult Education or Forum Setting If your setting allows it, break into small groups of 3-5 participants made up of people with similar racial/ethnic experience for the first set of questions. If separate racial/ethnic groups are not possible, break into small groups by going around the room, counting off […]

Review: Moral Warriors, Moral Wounds: The Ministry of the Christian Ethic Eugene (Cascade Books, 2016)

[1] For Armed Forces members, “…caught in some of life’s worst heart-rending situations…the practice of the Christian ethic does not operate with the certitude of moral perfection but rather with the assurance of God with us with grace for the way” write the authors of this thoughtful, compact, far-reaching new book (pages 9, 130). Wollom […]

Review: Moral Warriors, Moral Wounds: The Ministry of the Christian Ethic Eugene (Cascade Books, 2016)

[1] It is always a privilege to review an excellent book, particularly a path-breaking one that plows new ground, like Jensen’s and Childs’ Moral Warriors, Moral Wounds. The sense of privilege is magnified when the authors are long-time friends and colleagues, as is the case for me with “Wally and Jim.” The former and I […]

Crisis in Puerto Rico and the Lutheran Voice

Bishop Felipe Lozada-Montañez​ writes from his personal experience living and working on the ground in Puerto Rico to speak out against the corruption both in and inherent in the governmental structure of the island commonwealth. Calling on Martin Luther’s pillar of serving the neighbor, Lozada-Mo​ntañez identifies this injustice as an opportunity for the church to live into its call to serve all people.

Decolonizing Theology: The Case of Puerto Rico

Dr. Rodríguez​, a professor at the Lutheran School of Theology Chicago, calls on the United States to recognize its relationship to Puerto Rico as one of colonialism and to “let my people go.” ​Unpacking scriptural, theological, and ecclesiological foundations, Rodríguez​ makes a strong case for ​Puerto Rican autonomy while calling for a full-fledged theological tradition written by and for people in this oppressed state.

Crisis en Puerto Rico y la voz luterana

Bishop Felipe Lozada-Montañez​ writes from his personal experience living and working on the ground in Puerto Rico to speak out against the corruption both in and inherent in the governmental structure of the island commonwealth. Calling on Martin Luther’s pillar of serving the neighbor, Lozada-Mo​ntañez identifies this injustice as an opportunity for the church to live into its call to serve all people.

Editor’s Introduction: Puerto Rico

This month the Journal of Lutheran Ethics features two editorials by ELCA leaders who live personally and professionally with the myriad issues facing Puerto Rico. These concerns also lie close to the heart and mind of JLE’s editor Carmelo Santos who first suggested this topic, sought out the appropriate writers, and translated one of the […]

Review: A Christian Justice for the Common Good (Abingdon Press, 2016)

[1] Tex Sample, emeritus professor at Saint Paul School of Theology, Leawood, Kansas, has been thinking creatively and helpfully about the church’s role in society for a very long time. His previous books include U.S. Lifestyles and Mainline Churches, Hard Living People and Mainstream Christians and the delightfully titled Ministry in an Oral Culture: Living […]

Review: My Report to the World: Story of a Secret State (Georgetown University Press, 2013)

Editor’s Note: Though this book, so insightfully and thoroughly reviewed, is not our customary work of theological ethics, it is a work of historical and moral significance with implications for today’s world. It might well be considered in tandem with Mary Solberg’s A Church Undone: Documents from the German Christian Faith Movement, 1932-1940, which was […]

Lutherans and the Political Challenges of 2016

In an election cycle so polarizing, and to some, hopeless, what is a Lutheran response? Benne argues that Lutherans, whether they choose to vote or not, cannot responsibly “opt-out” of this election.​ That being said, fusing religion and politics–envisioning a candidate as a political messiah–is also not faithful. Instead, Benne offers seven counsels for Lutherans and their churches in this fraught political season.