ethics

The Pulpit Is Not Your Platform

By Bob Hiller –

With the death of Muhammed Ali, 2016 has taken one of the most significant public figures in the last half century. Almost without argument, Ali is considered to be the greatest boxer of all time. He even, rightfully, self-glossed himself “The Greatest.” (Is it bragging if he’s right?) Not only did Ali dominate in the ring. He was a trailblazer outside of boxing, as well. In an era where athletes, let alone black athletes, were expected to be seen and not heard, Ali used his fame as a platform to stand up for what he thought was right. In the ‘60s, when the Civil Rights movement was in full swing, Ali provided a voice for the black community.

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Free to Be What God Has Declared You Are

By Scott Keith –

Lately, I have been considering the implication of what it means to be called to be a Christian. Is it simply that Jesus has, through his life, death, and resurrection, set me free from sin, death, and the power of the Devil, and that is it? Is there nothing more? What I mean by asking those questions is that I think we underestimate our preoccupation with our need to do something. You and I need to feel active; we need to feel as though we have contributed in some fashion to the way God feels about us and treats us.

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Reverse Chronological Snobbery

By Scott Keith –

I think that I suffer from a condition. This situation severely influences the way that I interact with the world around me and the people that I encounter in that world. The condition from which I suffer is Reverse Chronological Snobbery. Some of you may be more familiar with my condition’s close cousin, Chronological Snobbery, which, C.S. Lewis claimed he labored under for many years. Chronological Snobbery, as defined by Lewis, is “the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.”

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Don’t Feed The Trolls

By Jaime Nava –

What Is An Internet Troll?

I remember sitting in a chatroom on AOL back in the day when AOL had chatrooms  (Do they still? I don’t know). The computer would make its loud dial up squeals and the wide world of chatrooms was at my fingertips. You could pick a username of any stripe. You could join a plethora of chatrooms. I recall one occasion where I joined the French speaking room. I didn’t know French (and still don’t). I remember grabbing a shampoo bottle from the bathroom with the directions for washing one’s hair. It was in French. So I typed out the directions in this French chat room. People found themselves rather unhappy at my intrusion. It fueled my delight. This, ladies and gentlemen, is an internet troll.

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I’m Tired of Your Good Old Days

By Bob Hiller –

I have a slight infatuation with watching Stephan Curry play basketball. Watching him shoot from every angle on the court and make shots in the most clutch situations evokes a sort of childlike joy for me. His shot is so undeniably perfect that I think I can formulate an argument for objective truth from it. He has been the Association’s brightest star for the better part of two seasons and rightfully won the NBA MVP this year. He just flat schools everyone he plays. As the great Dan Patrick used to say, “You can’t stop him; you can only hope to contain him.”

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To Those Who Struggle with Sexual Identity: We Love You

By Joel A. Hess –

There is one group of people who have been left out during the battle between President Obama and Classical Liberal Americans: people truly struggling with their sexual identity. Many rightly complain about the Obama administration’s bizarre fiat forcing fourteen-year-old girls to undress in the presence of eighteen-year-old men. The government claims that their draconian mandate is the result of compassion. Many who agree with allowing anyone to use any bathroom are sincerely concerned for individuals suffering from gender dysphoria.

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Seducing Eve with a Yummy Apple: Encountering Church Growthery

By Joel A. Hess –

We are witnessing a reality in the western world that I don’t believe anyone would have truly believed possible even ten years ago, even though all the signs of its eventuality were present all the way back to the naive metaphysical premise found in the declaration of independence. Today, most people in the West believe that the validity of something is entirely a subjective enterprise. The obvious manifestations of this new religion appear in the growing list of invented sexualities as well as the ability for some to look at the picture of a human being in a mother’s womb and call it a clump of cells.

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A Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty?

By Caleb Keith –

Most of the people reading this probably haven’t heard of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty (LCRL). I hadn’t heard of the LCRL until this past summer, and it wasn’t until this last semester that I really understood what the LCRL is and what they do. As part of a research paper for my Christians and Ethics course this semester, I examined the LCRL and reviewed its functions in light of the classical view of Lutheran two-kingdom theory.

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Call Day Musings

By Ross Engel –

This week was Call Week at our two seminaries. Both St. Louis and Ft. Wayne placed vicars, deaconess interns, deaconess candidates, and candidates for the Office of the Holy Ministry into congregations. Last night, two of our Ft. Wayne “Bell Ringers,” Greg Bauch and Michael Daniels, received their placement assignments for their first Calls into the Office of the Holy Ministry. What an exciting time for them both!

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Growing Old

By Scott Keith –

“Those who lack within themselves the means for living a blessed and happy life will find any age painful. But for those who seek good things within themselves, nothing imposed on them by nature will seem troublesome. Growing older is a prime example of this. Everyone hopes to reach old age, but when it comes, most of us complain about it. People can be so foolish and inconsistent.” Cicero, How to Grow Old, pg. 11

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Support Life, Democrats Never Lose Again

By Graham Glover –

As much as I wish it would happen, I doubt it ever will – the Democratic Party supporting the Pro-Life Movement. It boggles my mind why the party that so passionately advocates on behalf of the less fortunate, the outcast, and the voiceless, is eerily silent when it comes to the unborn child. But I’m not politically naïve, I get the underlying narrative that prevents this from happening, which is why I have no expectation that those who do not support abortion on demand will ever be given a role, much less a platform, in Democratic politics.

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Wildfire

By Caleb Keith –

Growing up in the Sierra Desert exposed me to annual wildfires. Some fires would last mere days, while others could blaze on for months. Despite the duration for which they burn, wildfires have common causes and consequences. First off, fires typically don’t start out wild. The majority are man-made, caused by accident, carelessness, or arson. After a wildfire has begun, it wreaks havoc. Devastated landscapes, collapsing houses, and charred earth scar the land. Not only do fires devastate the ground, but also the air. When a Sierra fire is burning the sky is thick with smoke.

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Work Hard, Play Harder

By Jaime Nava –

As a kid, I walked to school. I started with my mom in kindergarten and walked to school all the way to my senior year in high school. Once I got to school, the bell would ring and we’d get to work. Of course, as a kid, I just wanted to be done and go have fun. Recess and lunch were nice, but it was when school was out that the fun happened. And Summer. Oh sweet glorious summer. I’d burn my feet on the street going to the local market to buy twenty-five cent candy. I’d play until the street lights came on.

From an early age, I was taught that you work hard from nine to five. I was also taught that you play harder when you’re out.

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Lazy

By Caleb Keith –

Two days ago, Apple hosted one of its regular press conferences. The highlight of these exclusive events is the unleashing of the latest and greatest products Apple has to offer. iPhones, Macs, Apple watches, and iPads once again become extraordinary. Each edition of these devices exceeds the last in power and beauty. However, Monday’s conference, in my opinion, fell flat. The general tone of the meeting was relatively dull, and the revealed products, while still incredible, spoke more of laziness than innovation. What I left with was the revelation that Apple is just like me: lazy.

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Christianity’s Unhealthy Obsession with Measuring Behavior

By Graham Glover –

Sometimes I wonder if being a Christian is only and exclusively about how one acts. It’s not that the Scriptures testify to this. The Church does not properly teach it. But every time I turn around these days, I find fellow believers telling me or suggesting to me that one’s Christian faith is a measurable thing – specifically, that our behavior is the clearest mark of what we believe, and the truest test as to whether one actually is a believer at all.

This asinine idea that our behavior is the means by which we measure our Christian faith is not only an unhealthy obsession, it is a lie.

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When Logic Fails, Might Makes Right; Welcome to the Future of Amerika

By Joel A Hess –

When logic is no longer used to determine what is right, might is right.

Many are flabbergasted by the rise of Donald Trump. They can’t believe he says what he says and gets away with it. More than that, his harsh tone and outlandish Jerry Springer Show campaign only increases his popularity! Predictably, the knee jerk reaction by people who believe they have a right to never be offended by anyone is to protest – not argue – and sometimes violently. “Use your words,” our mothers used to say.

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The Masculine Spirit

By Paul Koch –

While I much prefer my neighborhood Ace Hardware store to the Lowes across town, there is something that makes the trip to Lowes worthwhile. It’s not so much the personal shopping experience (I’ll take the knowledge of the guys and gals at Ace over Lowes any day, plus they have free popcorn!), rather it’s the spectacle that you can find at Lowes that makes it a joy to go. I’ve begun to notice something delightful in the wide and spacious aisles at Lowes.

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The Other Guy

By Jaime Nava –

So I was doing this one thing the other day. I overheard someone talking about something I hated. I could not believe they would even talk about it in public. What kind of people would even support this thing? They must have been brainwashed to think that thing that I overheard that one time I was doing that one thing the other day. I paused for a second to look at the other person who said that one thing. I didn’t notice it before, but yeah, I should have noticed it to begin with. They dressed like a person who says things I don’t like.

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A Plea to our Next President

By Graham Glover –

We are less than 9 months away from electing the next President of the United States. After months of talk and preparation, the electorate and pundits are knee deep in the primaries. There are still a lot of votes to be cast, but I suspect that after the 15th of March we will have a pretty good idea of who the nominees are going to be for each party.

Like almost every other political prognosticator, I am at a loss for how the 2016 election is unfolding.

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