Articles

Patricia Beattie Jung and Aana Marie Vigen’s God, Science, Sex, Gender: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Christian Ethics

1] In the midst of Christian debates on sexuality that ultimately rest on various biblical hermeneutical schools and practices, Patricia Beattie Jung and Aana Marie Vigen have edited a multi-faceted volume on human sexuality that challenges an overriding focus in Christian theological discourse on one normative source, Scripture. As a whole, the volume’s contributors offer […]

Daniel Rice’s Reinhold Niebuhr Revisited: Engagements with an American Original

[1] When America learned the President of the United States identified Reinhold Niebuhr as a person who influenced him, I imagine many people scurried to probe more deeply into the nature of Niebuhr’s ethical and political thinking. Of course, there were people wondering who Reinhold Niebuhr is. I imagine some people saw this as an […]

Introduction to Reviews of Daniel Rice’s Reinhold Niebuhr Revisited: Engagements with an American Original

[1] Of all the dispiriting signs of the times in Lutheran pastoral circles these days, the one I find most troubling is the anti-theological bias of so many clergy. Before I go any further on this track, I must confess that my research on this matter is constricted by my own small world of contacts, […]

Response to Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice

Other responses to Hearing the Cries James Samuel Logan Kathryn Getek Soltis Wayne N. Miller Ned Wisnefske [1] Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice aims to “inform, challenge, and guide the church into action” in responding to crime in America. It does so by highlighting the ways that crime affects our society and the […]

Response to Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice

Other responses to Hearing the Cries James Samuel Logan Bradley R. E. Wright Wayne N. Miller Ned Wisnefske [1] The fact that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has invested its time and resources into a statement on faith and criminal justice is itself worth commendation. The fruit of that labor earns further and earnest […]

Response to Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice

Other responses to Hearing the Cries Kathryn Getek Soltis Bradley R. E. Wright Wayne N. Miller Ned Wisnefske When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. (Luke 23:33) They crucified him with the criminals. Do you […]

Catching Up with Mary Nelson

Mary Nelson is a leading Lutheran social activist who lives on Chicago’s west side. In addition to consulting, teaching, writing, and serving on several boards, she is Chair of the Board of Directors of Sojourners and President Emeritus of Bethel New Life. Journal of Lutheran Ethics recently caught up with Mary, hearing her latest reflections […]

Forming Religious Identity in the Context of Religious Pluralism

[1] The topic of religious formation resonates for anyone with a vocational commitment to ecumenical and multi-religious realities today. The topic is: Forming Religious Identity in the Context of Religious Pluralism, and in this paper I will measure the height and depth of this sentence together, within four thematic buckets, reading this topic (like Hebrew) […]

German Lutherans and Assimilation: Lessons in the Current Atmosphere of Islamophobia

[1] One of our great American patriots and public servants has always been a staunch advocate of the need for immigrant communities to assimilate into traditional American culture, adopting the English language and the values of its national heritage. So, it is not a surprise that he has also been critical of immigrants coming to […]

Dwelling in God’s Household: A Lutheran Perspective on Interfaith Relations

A Household Divided? [1] In a single generation, the religious landscape of the United States has changed dramatically. America can no longer be described as “Judeo-Christian,” if ever it could. Today the religious demography of the United States reflects the spectrum of the world’s religions and the diversity of global Christianity.1 Certain forms of Christianity, […]