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July 2026

July 20, 2026

Misconceptions about the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms

Beginning a series on Luther's doctrine of the Two Kingdoms: Despite being enormously helpful in...

July 18, 2025

DISCUSS: Churches Can Now Endorse Candidates

The IRS has announced that churches can now endorse candidates without risking their tax-exempt status. ...

February 2025

February 14, 2025

MAGA Targeting Lutherans?

Gen. Flynn is accusing "Lutherans" of money laundering and Elon Musk is siccing the DOGEs...

July 2024

July 19, 2024

DISCUSS: Mandatory Bible in Public Schools?

My home state of Oklahoma is requiring that the Bible be incorporated into the curriculum...

May 2024

May 28, 2024

The Barmen Declaration Then and Now

FREE POST: This year marks the 90th Anniversary of the Barmen Declaration, the statement of...

February 2024

February 21, 2024

Can Integralism Make People Good?

A book review brings out an aspect of Integralism--indeed, of at least some strains of...

December 2023

December 06, 2023

Major Case Involving Lutheran High School & Hillsdale College

A judge has ruled that not taking federal funds does not exempt a nonprofit from...

June 2023

June 16, 2023

DISCUSSION: Oklahoma Approves a Public Catholic School

Oklahoma has approved the creation of a Catholic charter school. This will be America's first...

April 2023

April 04, 2023

Political Religion vs. Transcendent Religion

According to Edmund Burke, political religion has "no efficacy," even to do what it intends....

September 2022

September 30, 2022

A Lutheran Critique of National Conservatism

Lutheran political scientist James R. Rogers criticizes National Conservatism in terms of Luther's doctrine of...

September 16, 2022

Supreme Court’s New Standards for Religious Liberty

You may have heard that the Supreme Court sided with the football coach who lost...

August 2022

August 15, 2022

National Conservatism and Religion

The document "National Conservatism: A Statement of Principles" seems to suggest an establishment of Christianity...

March 2022

March 10, 2022

Russian Orthodoxy and Christian Nationalism

Some Americans support Christian nationalism. But the Russian Orthodox Church shows what that looks like....

January 2022

January 21, 2022

Conservative Christians Who Oppose America

There are many kinds of conservative politics, just as there are many kinds of conservative...

November 2021

November 12, 2021

Should Couples and Their Pastor Reject Marriage Licenses?

In light of same-sex marriage, some couples and pastors are wanting to repudiate state laws...

September 2021

September 09, 2021

“The Powers of Church and Civil Government Must Not Be Mixed”

A statement by confessional Lutherans worldwide protesting the prosecution of Juhana Pohjola and Päivi Räsänen...

May 2020

May 06, 2020

Causes of Secularization, such as Too Much Religious Power

The American Enterprise Institute study of American religion finds reasons why societies become less religious....

April 2020

April 13, 2020

When Corporate Worship Is Taken Away

The coronavirus restrictions on corporate worship may be necessary to fight the coronavirus epidemic, but...

September 2019

September 19, 2019

How the Government Can Constitutionally Support Religion

We have been blogging about debates among conservative Christians and political conservatives over the best...

September 16, 2019

Integralism, the Pope, and the Emperor

As Christians wrestle with the problems of holding onto the faith in a time of...

September 05, 2019

The Church and Coercive Power

Can the church use coercive power--either its own or that of the state--to achieve its...

April 2019

April 09, 2019

Eastern vs. Western Christianity on Church & State

One of the differences in Western Christianity, in both its Catholic and Protestant versions, and...

January 2018

January 17, 2018

Should Federal Disaster Funds Rebuild Churches?

Formerly, federal disaster funds helped with the rebuilding, but not for churches. Yet now FEMA...

July 2017

July 12, 2017

Trinity Lutheran goes back to normal after Supreme Court victory

Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, just won a landmark case before the Supreme Court. ...

April 2017

April 24, 2017

Totalitarianism vs. Religion

Some atheists accuse religion of being inherently "totalitarian." But, as sociologist Chandler Rosenberger, points out,...

April 21, 2017

A blow-by-blow account of the Trinity Lutheran arguments

The London Economist, of all sources, has published a description of the arguments in the Supreme...

April 17, 2017

Gorsuch’s first week will feature LCMS school

Justice Neil Gorsuch is now on the Supreme Court, and one of the first cases...

April 13, 2017

A church with its own police force

The Alabama state Senate has voted to allow a church in Birmingham to have its...

October 2016

October 24, 2016

The Lutheran pre-school before the Supreme Court

Once again, a congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is appearing before the Supreme...

July 2016

July 25, 2016

“Conscientious objection against the state”

Hillsdale professor and LCMS member Korey Maas has an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about...