Journal of Lutheran Ethics Issue Index February 2017

Editor's Introduction

Brandon Huston,  Guest Editor
When approached about finding contributors to the Journal of Lutheran Ethics around a topic which was and remains particularly relevant to millennials, student debt emerged as perhaps the most important distinguishing criteria setting this generation apart from predecessor generations.  Sure, many theological topics remain high priorities in the life and witness of most millennials, yet there remains a deep concern about the sustainability of these priorities given the immense debt that so many have accrued.  I will be the first to recognize that I am not a financial expert, nor a person particularly fraught with debt myself.  As I remind myself, this is not my own doing, it remains a gift from God.  With that quite Lutheran recognition, I found two lenses that should be helpful in discerning this topic—though I recognize this topic is not new to many.   Read more.

Articles

The Importance of Talking about Money
by Melissa Curtis Powell

Students who enter seminary typically have experienced a call to ministry.  However, pursuing that call professionally can be expensive. Melissa Curtis Powell, Director of Financial Aid at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, shares her expertise on the problems of student debt and ways to prevent students from being overly burdened.  

Postsecondary Student Debt Bondage - A Case for Public Ethics
by David Pfrimmer

David Pfrimmer takes readers through a thorough analysis of the student debt environment in both the United States and Canada. Looking at the severity of the problem, he argues that having a debt-burdened generation and potentially under-educated generation is a public problem. It is already impacting the economy, and we will continue to experience its effects.  Therefore, ethically, the solution must be public--the onus needs to be on us, not only individuals.

Book Reviews

Review by David Pfrimmer