Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
The other day my wife and I were on our daily walk on the college campus when a man without a mask approached us. He stuck out because wearing one is compulsory in that area. As he passed, he said quite emphatically, “God protects ME.” He apparently felt he was making a witness for Christ. […]
A late friend who was a world class theologian used to insist that relevance is not a theological category. He had studied under Karl Barth and believed theology begins and ends with the Word of God, not the human situation. I would argue theology is useless unless I can relate it to my everyday life. […]
The pandemic has brought clarity to the current situation in Christianity. As it rages on, it has become apparent there are two incompatible camps not necessarily identified with denominational boundaries. One of these consistently speaks of fighting a battle against evil and clearly regards the other camp as the opposition. The anger and threats being […]
I started this series because everything I was writing at the time only made sense in the context of the pandemic. Any consideration of a theological or ethical proposal ended up being tested by how it worked in the present situation. I decided I might as well turn it around by examining the new problem […]
It is amazing how the abortion battle has surfaced during the pandemic. In my area of the country, people who refuse to wear masks use it to defend themselves against accusations about not caring for other people. They argue their strong stand against abortion proves they protect lives. Too often, that claim is followed by […]
Without a doubt, the pandemic has forced us to face our mortality. In the past, we talked about the threat of nuclear or climate disaster, but it was always in the abstract. We could easily dismiss it as only a possibly and move to our next task. Now suddenly, day after day, our deaths confront […]
Yesterday I participated in an electronic baptismal service. At the appropriate time in my live-streamed worship, a recording of a baptism that had taken place the previous week was played. The father, mother, child, and godparents were gathered in the nave around the baptismal font. A retired pastor officiated from his home. The parents wanted […]
I expect we all know life after the pandemic will feature a lot more electronic communication. Zoom is here to stay. I reluctantly have come to accept this after sharing conversations with my sons-in-law while we vacationed together. Both pastor very fine Lutheran congregations and are preparing for a different kind of ministry. People are […]
As some of you know, Stephen Hawking in 2000 spoke of the 21st century promising to be an age of uncertainty. He was speaking about the possibility of discovering a unified theory that would go beyond what we consider the basic laws of science such as gravity, the laws that govern matter and provide meaning […]
Throughout the pandemic, I constantly have been asked two questions: “What can we learn to make things better when things get back to normal?” and “What can we do to facilitate a healing dialogue between the two warring political or religious groups?” I have come to think these are not helpful, even though I presumed […]
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