Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
The royal wedding that united Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offers a good source for examining the content of the Christian message in a democracy. Many, including myself, thought it offered hope to our society that seems terrified of the future. Others accused it of promoting only an emotional utopianism that ignores Jesus’ teachings. The […]
The problem becomes even more complex when you ask who speaks for the Church in the cacophonous public conversation taking place in modern democracies. I was quite naive when I suggested the Church is one voice among many in these days. There are all sorts of voices claiming to speak for Christ out there, and […]
Last week, I suggested one of the big questions challenging the Church is finding her role in a democratic society. For starters, I claimed we had to acknowledge that we are only one among many voices in the public conversation. Perhaps the next step is to examine the nature of the present discourse. Many claim […]
If love is to be the foundation of a modern Christian narrative, it will have to address some critical issues, such as abortion, family values, industrial capitalism, climate change, and religious freedom. But maybe the first question to be tackled is, “What is the role of the Church in a democracy?” In recent years, people […]
As I read the Pope’s recent exhortation Gaudete and Exsultate, I was struck by how much it echoes our search for a modern Christian love narrative. Although he presents it as a call to holiness in today’s world, he repeatedly describes holiness as love. He writes, for instance, “Holiness is nothing less than love lived […]
I can’t stop exploring what might be a modern Christian narrative based on love, because I am learning so much from the conversation. I especially have been surprised at the rich interplay that has taken place online. Remember my son and I write about the limitations of electronic communication. Although I stand by our observations […]
Every Easter, we shout “Christ is risen!” to each other with great joy. Chances are, we have a pretty good idea of what we mean, even though we would have a difficult time putting it into words. Most attempts at theorizing sound like nonsense in the modern world. Where is the right hand of God […]
When I was a parish pastor, I felt a great challenge preaching the sermon on Easter Sunday. I realized that this might be the only time a large number worshipped all year. I also knew from experience that some of these were listening to hear if the church offered them any meaning and purpose. And […]
Holy Week and Easter highlight the importance of a Christian narrative. Christians around the world observe these sacred times by participating in a story that has changed lives for 2000 years. Of course, there will be attempts to explain what has happened and is happening by referring to theological doctrines. The Church has continually tried […]
Certainly a modern Christian narrative must include our relationship to the environment. Right now, the conversation addressing that issue in our society and the Church rages around the argument about humanity’s role in climate change. Like so much in our current culture, decisions about actions are presumed to be based on scientific findings rather than […]
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