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Questions we are engaging with for this week’s philosophy of religion class. Part of this, the last part represents its own separate forum for the class; it is supposed to be a debate forum. Creator of the world Does the theistic view that God created the universe imply that the universe must have had a beginning? What might the implications of the answer to this question be? Yes, the theistic view, in particular, the Christian theistic view entails that the universe had a beginning. I’d go so far to say that it entails the creatio ex nihilo (created out of…

by Deacon Erin Brown – Lutheran Office for World Community [About the Author]   Being a part of the advocacy team at the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) has given me the opportunity to meet amazing advocates from the communion of churches that form part of the Lutheran World Federation. God has called these advocates to use their prophetic voice in different ways– sometimes formally in international, federal and state advocacy offices; sometimes as pastors; sometimes as professors; sometimes as student activists. I have the privilege to see the diverse ways in which our global church works for the…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war, conflict, or political transition: Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, Serbia……

More from the philosophy class. As I reread this just now I didn’t really answer the whole question. Although, I amended it since in the class forum. What does it mean to say that the concept of God is simple? Can this claim be held together with the claim that God has attributes? If so, how? If not, is this a problem for theism? The concept of God as simple simply entails that the God conceived of by folks like Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas, Maimonides et al. is a Monad. I.e., a non-composite being who is not made up by…

Catalyst Question Where have you noticed God in your everyday life? God is Still Near In Luke 2:22-40, we find the story of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the Jerusalem temple. This act of dedication of their firstborn son was fairly common amongst Jews of the day. What was abnormal was the response. Two prophets, Simeon and Anna, each praise God for Jesus’ presence. Why celebrate this otherwise apparently normal boy? Because, by meeting Jesus in this very ordinary ritual, they encounter the extraordinary: God’s redemptive presence. God is near, and so they celebrate! Finding the extraordinary amidst the…

by Emily Ahern, ELCA Advocacy [About the Author] As a young person, I am more than familiar with the concept of living in unprecedented times. In fact, I yearn for times which are precedented. As the prior U.S. presidential administration has left, and the new administration takes hold, the future feels uncertain. In my personal life, I am blessed to live in what I lovingly call a bubble – a pocket of peace and wholehearted acceptance. In my public life, such peace and acceptance feel wavering, and can feel like a precipice of something foreboding. In the past few weeks…

More thoughts on the properties of God for my philosophy of religion class. As I have been responding, this week, surrounding God’s omniscience, freedom, goodness, and necessity. These are my first two responses. “Could anyone other than you, right here and now, know what it was like to be you, right here and now? Why or why not? What are the implications of your answer for the notion of divine omniscience?” (this, posed by the tutor for the class, based on our readings of T.J. Mawson) Omniscience. Someone might have the capacity to know what it is like to be…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and political conflict: Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan, Colombia……

This is a guest post from Rev. Elazar Atticus Schoch Zavaletta of Good Trouble Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Pastor Elazar and the Good Trouble Church Community The mainstream expression of many ELCA Lutheran Churches is defined by being a white, middle class witness to Christ.  With hearts open to and appreciative of the saving grace of God through Christ, and often with generosity in serving the Lord locally and globally, nevertheless, few Lutheran churches truly know or understand the struggle of other peoples as they navigate a society defined by white supremacy and systemic oppression. Many of those on the margins of…

More engagement with T.J. Mawson’s book, Belief in God, for my philosophy of religion class. I posted these, along with the one on personhood, which I shared in my last post here, in the discussion forum we have set up for our class. I thought I’d share them here too. These are clearly raw responses to the reading material we are engaging with. Immanuel Kant Divine transcendence can be thought of as God’s otherness; His otherworldliness; His awayness vis-à-vis the world. According to Mawson direct knowledge and direct control are aspects of what it means to have a body. And…