heatherdean

 [1] Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it quickly became cliché to refer to “these uncertain times,” or “these unprecedented times.” It seems like every single email started out that way. But we belong to a tradition that allows us to think beyond these limited views. All times are uncertain, but we know that God cares […]

Introduction [1] Given the present situation, where a novel virus is causing untold pain and suffering in our country, it is necessary to promote accurate medical and scientific information due to the high stakes of life and death. Unfortunately, scholars, doctors and public health officials have been combating a plethora of misinformation. Dangerous ideas have […]

[1] How should ELCA colleges and universities committed to responsible learning form students for a post-COVID-19 world?  Pandemics, says Laura Spinney, illuminate and exacerbate social needs.[1]  Citizens respond in panic.  They quickly forget when plague ends and return to complacency.  Still, pandemics change societies.  They can be an inflection point and even a portal from […]

[1] Last May, JLE published a special issue to address the ethical concerns raised due to Covid-19.  A year later, we are still in the pandemic.  Although Americans are being vaccinated quickly, (at the time of this publishing over 50% of adults over 18 have had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine), cases […]

[1] Per Anderson asserts in his essay, “Rejecting complacency, ELCA schools should focus upon responsible citizenship in response to crises of polarization and distrust that threaten U.S. democracy.”  He asks readers to contemplate, “How should ELCA colleges and universities commit to responsible learning form students for a post-COVID-19 world?” Consider a memorable experience you had […]

[1] Christ is Risen, Christ is risen indeed.  Hallelujah. [2] Never before in my life have I felt so palpably the national and global need for the good news of Easter.  This is the good news that God has faced all that we face, suffered all that we suffer, died as we will die and […]

[1] Where do you pin your hope for the future of democratic self-governance in the US, particularly in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol?  Hope is indispensable to faithful living and enjoys a primary role in Lutheran theology.  Yet in these broken times, any hope about the future of American democracy […]

[1] Are you looking for a book about today’s immigration issues that marries biblical texts with contemporary stories? Here it is! With chapters dedicated to the wall at the southern border,  immigration detention and other issues, Professor Lambert Fogg tells the stories of the immigrants in our communities while at the same time interweaving the […]

[1] In 2016, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly overwhelmingly passed a “Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery.” [1] Yet in the intervening years I have noticed that most people I come across have no idea what the Doctrine of Discovery is, or how it affects not only the lives of Native Americans, but also the lives […]

[1] Our first review launches a periodic series of reviews covering books reflecting Native American experiences and issues. Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah is reviewed in light of the ELCA’s action and inaction on these matters. The authors address the damaging theology and […]