By Matthew Becker[1] One of the more controversial matters among some Christians today is the relation of Christian faith in the triune God to scientific knowledge of the natural world. Disagreements about this relationship have led to conflicts within many church bodies, including the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). While educated Christians cannot avoid the knowledge that arises from…
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By Matthew Becker James Burkee’s doctoral dissertation, “Pastors and Politics: The Conservative Movement in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 1956-1981” (Northwestern University, 2003), tells the story of how a small group of conservatives narrowly seized power in the LCMS in 1969, how they used that power to get rid of ideological enemies within the church body,…
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By Matthew Becker Those few Christians from previous centuries who appealed to Scripture to argue against the institution of slavery in Britain and the United States, and who opposed racial inequality, faced a difficult challenge. After all, there are few biblical texts that oppose slavery or that support liberal, egalitarian principles, and there are many…
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By Matthew Becker For many Christian church communities today, the practice of women teaching theology in a university or seminary is not an issue. The largest Christian denomination in the world, the Roman Catholic Church, has allowed this practice for many years. The number of female teachers of theology in Roman Catholic and Protestant universities and seminaries…
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