Preaching

Politics in the Pulpit

[1] As the old salt Henry Horn once said to a class here at Luther Seminary: Preach the Word of God in the service, and then during the adult forum there can be political talk. The same sermon will very likely propel a full panoply of political opinions in the congregation. God is working, but […]

Articles related to issues of “Church and State”

Issues of church and state raise their head often in Journal of Lutheran Ethics. Following are some examples from our database of articles which might further develop your thinking: Luther’s Theology and Domestic Politics by George Forell Preaching Justice: The Ethical Vocation of Word and Sacrament Ministry by James Childs American Civil Religion: Destructive, Useless, […]

“Render unto Caeser”

Preaching and Politics at All Saints Episcopal Church According to news reports, the Internal Revenue Service has threatened All Saints Episcopal Church (Pasadena, CA) with revocation of its tax-exempt status under 26 U.S.C. section 501(c)(3) because of a sermon preached by the church’s former rector, Rev. George F. Regas, on October 31, 2004, just before […]

Preaching and Politics at All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena, California

[1] According to news reports, the Internal Revenue Service has threatened All Saints Episcopal Church (Pasadena, CA) with revocation of its tax-exempt status under 26 U.S.C. section 501(c)(3) because of a sermon preached by the church’s former rector, Rev. George F. Regas, on October 31, 2004, just before the Bush-Kerry presidential election. [2] Rev. Regas’ […]

Woo me, sister; move me, brother! What does Pop Culture Have to Do with Preaching?

The following article has been excepted from Get Up Off Your Knees edited by Raewynne J. Whiteley and Beth Maynard. It has been reprinted here by permission of the publisher, Cowley Publications. For more information about purchasing this book from Cowley Publications, please visit their Web site. Download the article

Elections, Lutherans, and Ethics: The History of the Church’s Involvement in Politics

[1] Elections present a host of questions that pertain to Lutheran involvement in politics. Given Luther’s emphasis on following conscience but the reality of political differences causing undo tension within the church, what exactly should Lutherans do? An examination of Lutheran history offers potential answers and, at the same time, frustrating ambiguity. [2] Lutherans historically […]

Neglected Issues in this Political Campaign

[1] It has become commonplace to observe that in this television age political campaigns tend to be reduced to sound bytes and thirty-second ads designed to project an image of the candidate or of his or her opponent. Any serious discussion of issues thus tends to be constrained by these requirements of campaign methods. [2] […]

Considering the Gospel in a Culture of Fear

[1] “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he […]

How has Preaching Changed Since September 11? Not at All, and Not Enough

Preaching has not changed at all [1] As Craig Satterlee and Trish Madden recently reaffirmed, the core of Lutheran preaching has been and always should be centered on one thing, and one thing alone: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.[1] If we continue to hold that “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today” (Hebrews 13:8 […]

Giving Moral Guidance in the Congregation: One Pastor’s Point of View

[1] I serve as pastor of a wonderfully diverse, small (but growing) downtown congregation in Jersey City, New Jersey. Jersey City, for those who may be unaware of our location, is right across the river from lower Manhattan. The magnificence of the World Trade Center had been the primary view from our side of the […]