The Convergence of Protestant, Catholic Ethics – Part 2

by Matthew J. Tuininga | May 8, 2018 | Opinion

During the latter part of the 20th century, as I wrote previously, Vatican II reforms and growing concerns about secularism began to draw Protestants and Catholics together. This convergence has continued into the present among ethicists from both traditions, even as...

The Convergence of Protestant, Catholic Ethics – Part 1

by Matthew J. Tuininga | May 7, 2018 | Opinion

The reformers broke dramatically with the Roman Catholic Church when it came to the doctrines of salvation and ecclesiology. They did not do so with respect to ethics. In fact, in some ways, their views were closer to traditional Catholic ethical thought than they...

Church, State Both Should Seek Economic Justice for Poor

by Matthew J. Tuininga | Nov 6, 2017 | Opinion

Christians have sometimes claimed that the eighth commandment, “You shall not steal,” forbids government from ever mandating the redistribution of wealth for the sake of the poor. According to this interpretation, the status quo is the result of...

Bridging the Great Divide in Evangelical Churches

by Matthew J. Tuininga | Aug 7, 2017 | Opinion

One of the dismaying trends within evangelical Protestantism in America is the growing divide between those evangelicals who emphasize the church’s responsibility to proclaim a gospel of individual conversion and those who emphasize the church’s...

Health Care for Poor Isn’t Charity; It’s Justice

by Matthew J. Tuininga | Apr 12, 2017 | Opinion

I’ve been preparing to explore the theme of “Good News for the Poor” with my seminary ethics class as the U.S. Congress has been debating changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. One of the things I do with my students is to walk through the...