heatherdean

[1] In the glossary of the draft of the proposed ELCA Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith, Christian Nationalism is said to be: A cultural framework that idealizes and advocates fusion of certain Christian views with American civil life.  This nationalistic ideology believes, among other things  that the U.S. Constitution was divinely inspired, that […]

[1] The “God Bless the USA Bible,” featuring the King James Version, includes within its covers a copy of a handwritten chorus to “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood, the U.S Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance.[i]  Licensed in 2021, this Bible was met with some […]

Introduction and Scope [1] The assault on Germany’s Protestant church through the nationalist “faith movement” called the “German Christians” was as swift as it was successful: In 1931, “German Christians” did not exist. In the church elections of 1932 they scored dismally. On church Election Day July 23, 1933, “German Christians” took over leadership of […]

[1] Two things many people learn we should never discuss in public are religion and politics.  As American Lutherans we often think that the separation of church and state and the “Two Kingdoms Doctrine” mean that we should not discuss politics when we are discussing our religion and we should not discuss our religion when […]

[1] This May marked the 90th anniversary of the Barmen Declaration, which was written to denounce the German Christian movement under the Nazi regime and continues to serve as a guide for avoiding the false teaching of Christian nationalism. [2] This issue of JLE contains a lengthy two part essay, first presenting the history of […]

This issue features a first for the Journal of Lutheran Ethics – a new podcast to accompany this month’s articles! Host Rev. Matthew Best talks with Rev. Dr. Craig L. Nessan of Wartburg Theological Seminary about the prevalence of child abuse and the need for the ELCA to become a trauma-informed church. “I want our […]

[1] Quite often church leaders and academics find themselves challenged to interpret the theological dialogue on vocation to their colleagues or students. Some theologians make painstaking attempts to bring abstract theological concepts into modern contexts and everyday parlance.  Andrew Tucker is one of those theologians. When I learned that his book 4D Formation: Exploring Vocation […]

[1] On the jacket, Al Gore calls this book “entertaining”—which stunned me.  Al, didn’t you rattle our cages fifteen years ago—inconveniently!—to the dangers of climate change?  So what are you thinking now?  Should we be seeking to be entertained when reading about extreme heat, which kills almost half a million people a year worldwide—twice as […]

Stewart Herman reviews Jeff Goodell’s The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet through the lens of Lutheran preaching, contrasting Goodell’s approach to that of a Lutheran understanding of vocation.  Thomas Johnston dives into Lutheran notions of vocation from the perspective of formation in his review of Andrew Tucker’s 4D Formation: Exploring Vocation […]

FOR CONGREGATIONAL DISCUSSION Please note: Congregations looking to have discussions on child abuse and its prevention might also look to the discussion guide in the December 2023 issue: https://learn.elca.org/jle/for-congregational-discussion-child-abuse/ Each of the essays in this issue might be occasions for a discussion within a congregation that wishes to consider new ways of thinking and new […]