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| Editor's Introduction | |
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| James M Childs, Book Review Editor The three reviews of books dealing with the work of H. Richard Niebuhr, Lutheran perspectives on contemporary legal issues, and the discussion of moral injury in the context of just war each in their own way address concerns that are potential issue on the agenda of the church as public church. H. Richard Niebuhr’s work continues to inform as the church seeks to be faithful in being in the world but not of the world. The volume on Lutherans and the law is rich in demonstrating how the Lutheran tradition interacts constructively with the civil use of the law. Finally, Meagher’s book on moral injury is an important contribution that challenges our understanding of just war thinking and its viability in today’s world of war. The feature article on Martin Marty’s new book on the Reformation not only provides insights into Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses and their impact then and now; it invites us to ask how that heritage speaks to a faithful Christian witness in matters such as those addressed in the other three volumes. |
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| Feature Article |
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| A Conversation with Martin Marty About His New Book by James M. Childs Jr.
Book Reviews |
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| The Paradox of Church and World: Selected Writings of H. Richard Niebuhr by Jon Diefenthaler. Review by Daniel A. Morris Why Niebuhr now? That question is the title of John Patrick Diggins’s last book. Diggins was asking the question about the life and writing of Reinhold Niebuhr. His book—published posthumously—probed Niebuhr’s work in relation to the challenges facing American society in the early 21st century. Jon Diefenthaler is asking the same question about the life and work of H. Richard Niebuhr. Diefenthaler wants H. Richard Niebuhr to offer us his own answers to the question, and has compiled a breathtaking set of Niebuhr’s texts in order to show Niebuhr’s lasting relevance. The answers to the question “Why H. Richard Niebuhr now?” do not come only from Niebuhr’s pen, though; they come from Diefenthaler’s as well. |
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| On Secular Governance: Lutheran Perspectives on Contemporary Legal Issues edited by Ron Duty and Marie L. Failinger. Review by Lawrence J. Novak Is the constitution to be read narrowly, focusing on the intent of the framers, or is to be read more liberally, and if more liberally, why? Is religious freedom still worthy of special constitutional protection? When is it proper for an individual to disobey a law? If water flows through your property, do you have the right to do with it whatever you wish, or are there greater community concerns that you must abide by? What is the role of Lutherans and the Lutheran church regarding issues like human trafficking? What can Lutherans and the Lutheran church do with respect to governments that are corrupt? How should modern Lutherans try to reshape secular law? These are just a few of the issues addressed in this new book from Eerdmans Publishing: On Secular Governance. |
| Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War by Robert Emmet Meagher. Review by James M. Childs Jr. Moral injury often occurs when warriors witness or participate in an act so radically contrary to their values that the bottom drops out of their moral universe and their feelings of shame and guilt are so deep that their sense of self-worth is virtually destroyed. Some would distinguish this from PTSD that usually results from something that has been done to one though the two conditions may be woven together. In any case, moral injury is the reality Meagher focuses on. In doing so, he joins a growing number of concerned observers who have only recently recognized the phenomenon. As Meagher wants us to know in the chapters that follow war and moral injury have always been with us throughout history. It is only recently however that it has been identified by psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists. Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD, who wrote the Afterword, is often credited with having first defined moral injury. For Meagher, quoting the mother of a veteran who committed suicide, moral injury is the kind of wound that “kills you from inside out.”
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| Articles published in the journal reflect the perspectives and thoughts of their authors and not necessarily the theological, ethical, or social stances of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. | ||
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© July/August 2016
Journal of Lutheran Ethics
Volume 16, Issue 7
We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person--questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world.
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