Sightings Articles

global Christianity | global South | Lutherans | Martin Luther | Protestant Reformation | Protestants | Reformation

Luther Goes Global

This week most Lutherans, many Protestants, and not a few “general public” participants will turn the page from observances of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. Some church figures—pastors, choir directors, tour leaders, etc.—confess...

November 6, 2017

Catholics | global Christianity | Lutherans | Protestants | Reformation

Reformation Jostlings

On this day, 499 years ago, a friar proposed 95 theses for debate and “posted” them (in today’s world and words), meaning he mailed them to his superior, the Archbishop of Mainz, and/or nailed them to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Wh...

October 31, 2016

Lutherans | Catholics | justification | ecumenism

Justification

Last week, while the sports-loving public watched timed Olympic events, viewers relearned the values of timing, measuring, and scorekeeping. Some races were decided by 1/100th of a second margins. The substantially smaller, microscopically observable...

August 22, 2016

Martin Marty | German-Americans | Lutherans | assimilation | Angela Merkel | Francois Hollande

The Silent Minority

America’s largest ethnic group has assimilated so well that people barely notice it. So ran a headline in The Economist (Feb 7)....

February 16, 2015