Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
As I was trying to understand what happened to cause our deeply divided society, I came across a Politico interview with James Davison Hunter of the University of Virginia Advanced Studies in Culture. It was regarded as an update on the book, Culture Wars, that he wrote in 1991. Hunter attributes our experience of violent […]
I decided to start this series when I found myself growing extremely uneasy with Christians using militant language. I was increasingly hearing religious spokespeople speak of Jesus as a warrior fighting for us in a cosmic war between good and evil. This extended to many of them picturing the Christian life as primarily battling adversaries […]
I got diverted last week. The thesis in the back of my head has been that either-or discussions in a technological society call for new perspectives. Technology makes for so many new possibilities that our concept of reality changes. We no longer see things black and white but rather in all shades of grey. I […]
I am looking for a way to peace in our deeply divided society. Just about everyone recommends conversation and that is exactly what seems impossible in our present situation. That really came home last week as I was reading responses to last week’s lesson while listening to David Brooks’ Yale Divinity School lecture “The Crisis […]
About a dozen years ago, a friend who is a respected diplomat told me even though I might not agree with politicians on the other side of the aisle, I nevertheless should respect them for trying to work with us for the good of the country. Last week, he said he now thinks the nation […]
A frequent response to the series on Fratelli Tutti was “How can you have dialogue in the present situation?” People appreciated the Pope’s calling for creative conversation but observed he did not have it in his own church. They felt the conservatives are just waiting until he dies so they can replace him with someone […]
“I intended to introduce a new series this week but decided to add a sermon before doing that. I had to prepare a homily for Holy Week and found myself constantly going back to responses I received after last’s week’s lesson. Certainly, one of the lessons we should have learned from the pandemic is how […]
Let’s end this look at “Fratelli Tutti” by acknowledging the importance of Pope Francis’ contention that kind, gentle love is the way to social friendship. His critics recognize, rightly I think, that he is rejecting their picture of Christianity battling against forces of evil out to destroy the Church. He does not see his task […]
One of the gifts that Francis brings is his proclamation of nonviolent love. There are two versions of Christian action out there presently. One regards it as redemptive compassion and the other as aggressive warfare. The former sees the history of salvation as God and his people working to overcome the damage humans do to […]
If the most controversial part of “Fratelli Tutti” is its economic critique, Pope Francis’ promotion of global friendship is second. In some circles, being a globalist is almost as bad as being a socialist. One of the biggest conspiracy theories thrown around by the “religious wrong” warns believers that any call for worldwide organization is […]
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