Child/Youth/Family

[1] Raising healthy children is not only a familial concern. This concern also has communal and societal implications and reflects the kind of values we hold true. It is not an exaggeration to emphasize that local communities, and society at large, also assume a significant role in raising healthy children.  We cannot say we value […]

[1] As a mother of a son who survived childhood leukemia and is now thriving as an adult, I found A Story About Cancer With a Happy Ending both deeply resonant and profoundly uplifting. India Desjardin’s poignant narrative, brought to life through Marianne Ferrer’s heartfelt illustrations, captures the essence of the cancer journey with remarkable […]

[1] Aidan: The Lead-Free Superhero is a children’s book that tells the story of Aidan’s illness, and the inspiration for the family’s advocacy efforts. The book tells the story of Aidan Branch, a real-life superhero who was diagnosed with lead poisoning, and found a purpose after getting well. Unlike Rev. Darrick Wade Sr.’s book Mr. […]

Your skin is the most beautiful color of black sand from Africa and your hair is as wild and free as the lion that roams the jungle, for truly I tell you that it is indeed a blessing to be born black.   Though some might try to deceive you and tell you that your […]

[1] As part of our issue on “The Ethics of Raising Healthy Children,” I interviewed activist Deanna Branch.  Branch has been gaining national attention for her work.  She appeared at the State of the Union Address in January of 2024 and at the Democratic National Convention in August of 2024.   I started with the question, […]

[1] Maternal health, a vital component of public health, encompasses the physical, mental, and social well-being of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Effective maternal health services, which include access to prenatal care, nutritional support, mental health resources, and postpartum care, are essential for reducing maternal mortality and fostering healthy outcomes for mothers […]

[1] In Martin Luther’s Christmas sermons, he used all his rhetorical gifts to paint with words the images of a tiny and fragile baby nosed by animals looking in their feed box, a poor mother forced to give birth in the dark and in the cold because no one would help her, a father wrapping […]

[1] This year, 2025, marks the 500th anniversary of Katie and Martin Luther’s wedding.  Notably, Martin Luther wrote in 1519 (six years before his own marriage and seven years before the birth of his first child) that raising children is a parent’s highest calling.  In 1520, in his Letter to the Christian Nobility, he tells […]

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 […]

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 […]