Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
I think the widely ignored freedom of religion movement indicates the problem Christianity faces in a modern democracy. People in my circles thought the advocates were a paranoid minority of various church bodies. Now those paranoids control our government. Let me chart what I think developed in my lifetime. When I entered the ministry, pastors […]
Remember this series has tried to focus on the Church’s role in a democracy. I began with two assumptions and two related questions. The first assumption was that, at least presently, we are not sure what the relationship of Church and State is. The consequent question was whether the institutional church really has a significant […]
I have been impressed with the conversation that has taken place here around abortion. It reminds me of the public discussion fifty years ago when the issue first went public. In those days, many of us were enriched by people freely sharing their insights. I found that happening again as I read your comments. Let […]
The Pro-Choice group agrees readily with the Pro-Life group that life is a gift from God to be cherished and protected. They emphasize, however, acknowledging the sanctity of life must include considering the quality of life. The Christian love that cares for each person as a child of God always involves being willing to share […]
Let’s look more closely at the Pro-Life position in order to better critique it. This group is founded on the longstanding conviction that all human individuals regardless of physical or mental health have a fundamental and equal worth. This includes the fetus, because it has the potential for birth. To abort for any reason is […]
Reviving any creative conversation about abortion has to begin with appreciating the two positions that presently divide the Church. The Pro-Life group champions a concept of eternal law that maintains the sacred nature of all human life. Believing life begins at conception, they insist that the embryo, fetus, and newborn must always be treated as […]
Shortly after I was ordained I was surprised when a fishing buddy compared himself to another friend with the words, “He is not a real Christian. He believes in abortion.” I was speechless. I had never previously heard my friend express one thought about religion. But even more, although I had written papers on the […]
My son likes to add an addendum titled, “So What?” to academic work. I felt compelled to do that after so many respondents reported they agree completely that money controls our society but are not sure that we can do to correct this. That is especially difficult when the Church’s voice in our democracy seems […]
I decided to begin this series with industrial capitalism, because I thought it would be the least emotional of the issues Christians should be addressing in the present democratic society. Right off the bat, Lupe challenged me by reporting she was growing more and more angry about the “substitution of money for God…the elevation of […]
I have been assuming that the Christian voice in our secular democratic society must deal with reality, and in our time and place that is the capitalistic economic system. That does not mean that capitalism is a Christian program. Even a quick scan of the New Testament finds Jesus warning that you cannot serve God […]
Frontline Study is an online discussion of the scriptures, inviting you to share your comments and your reflections on each weekly topic. Simply click on the "Add Reply" text at the top of each post to see what others have posted and to add your thoughts.By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
