heatherdean

[1] Chad Lakies’s argument in his book How the Light Shines Through: Resilient Witness in Dark Times challenges the church to take seriously the pluralistic secular age we live within and approaches theology and faith in a new way but does not encourage the church to lose its own identity in the process. This book […]

[1] On Sunday, July 20, 2025, my Lutheran congregation sang these lines from “Lord You Give the Great Commission” (ELW #579): Lord, you show us love’s true measure: “Father, what they do, forgive.” Yet we hoard as private treasure all that you so freely give. May your care and mercy lead us to a just […]

[1] In this edition we include two singular book reviews that deal with a constructive proposal for Christian Ethics and social engagement, and a guidepost for examining the church’s place and role in the world. [2] Jason Mahn’s review of Angela Carpenter’s Grace and Social Ethics: Gift as the Foundation of Our Life Together, offers […]

[1] In August, my daughter and I flew into Boston for a brief vacation in Western Massachusetts before I drove her to a university in Rhode Island. We spent one night in a town called Revere, not far from the airport. The next day, we began our journey to a vacation village in Hancock, a […]

Introduction [1] Over the past several decades, theological education has undergone significant changes due to declining enrollment and more recently a global pandemic. In response there have been seminary mergers with undergraduate institutions, widespread use of hybrid and on-line models of education, and closures. While changing winds have affected all seminaries, the ones who have […]

[1] Just days after the election, with the board of directors on campus for their fall meeting, then LSTC President, James Nieman, scraped his prepared board report.  Instead, he shared five significant potential threats he saw to in the rhetoric of the U.S. President elect. He also gave theological responses to those. Nieman clearly stated, […]

[1] Artificial Intelligence is a highly contested topic. Many conversations in social, political, and academic contexts eventually turn to the implications of AI on job prospects, college success, and more.[i] [2] While discussing this topic can often feel overwhelming, the role of synthetic thinking produced by AI requires us to analyze the broader implications felt […]

[1] As Executive Director of the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU), I have a job description, but I have a vocation too. It is a calling that transcends the tasks of administration to touch the spiritual, intellectual, and moral life of our communities. To lead NECU is to be a steward of 28 […]

The Journal of Lutheran Ethics is meant to be a bridge between congregations and the academy.  This issue in particular is a good time to discuss the connection between our NECU schools and our ELCA churches.  The following discussion questions can be used to lead a conversation on this relationship.  Luther was both a pastor […]

[1] Martin Luther was a pastor, a husband, and a father.  He was, also, a university professor.  He was a tireless advocate for education for girls as well as boys, for the working poor as well as for the wealthy elite.  He insisted to both parents and princes that they must provide education for all […]