Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
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 […]
Undoubtedly, the most controversial part of Fratelli Tutti is its economic critique. Although he might not label it as such, the Pope recognizes we operate in a political economy. Kurt Anderson uses the term in his Evil Geniuses to indicate people, not the market, decide how an economy operates. He argues those who call for […]
We expect a Pope to talk about transcendental values, but until rather recently, we would never hear him put these in a democratic context. Popes expounded eternal truths entrusted to the Christian church. They might speak of them as natural reason but assumed they were revealed to special, authorized, devout, right-thinking males. The voice of […]
I was surprised, even startled, at the response to last week’s lesson. I thought I was laying the foundation for examining Pope Francis’ ideas about social friendship. I simply wanted to maintain that he built on the definition of love in Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan in constructing an institutional ethic. However, everyone latched […]
You can readily see the division that splits every major Christian body in the response given this encyclical. The Pope’s belief that Christianity is primarily about relationships is very evident in this letter about social justice. He repeatedly speaks of the need for unity. His critics want no part in this, because they believe doctrines […]
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