This week I considered how my writing mirrors my teaching and reflected on a year-long conversation about how Christians follow Jesus. Elsewhere: • I’m not sure the temperature got above 80°F (27°C) when I was in Germany last month. But July has been a different story, with scorching heat waves across Europe. • John Hawthorne concluded his series on polarization with some potential … More That Was The Week That Was
This week: as I ended my six-year stint at The Anxious Bench, I rebooted this blog with posts on WWI commemoration in the German cities of Berlin and Wittenberg. Elsewhere: • Many conservative Christians celebrated two landmark rulings from the Supreme Court: though Friday’s, on abortion, may have already obscured the earlier one, on state funding … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I reflected on why I (unlike many my age and younger) still think of myself as a Protestant, and I celebrated the birthday of one of my favorite Protestant theologians by reviewing a new collection of his writings. Elsewhere: • A century after a leading liberal Protestant warned against the triumph of Fundamentalism, Dan … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I looked at the religious biography of a Minnesotan who was known for technological innovation and died on Hawaii. Not Charles Lindbergh, but Medtronic founder Earl Bakken. Elsewhere: • For Reformation Day, a Lutheran meditation on the importance of singing in church. • Two years after Rachel Held Evans died, her last book is coming … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I celebrated my 10th anniversary of blogging, and a vacation on Lake Superior made me reflect on the importance of historical complexity. Elsewhere… • It’s always good to see your own country through other eyes, like those of the BBC journalist who wrote that, “in modern-day America, there is no such thing as a … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I looked back at a debate over women in Bethel’s denomination, collaborated on a post about the faith of Walter Mondale, and shared some very positive early endorsements of my Charles Lindbergh biography. Elsewhere: • Especially as a Minnesotan, I was relieved to see justice done in the Derek Chauvin trial. But as Elizabeth … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I studied African American responses to Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight to Paris and celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment by looking at the role of religion in the suffrage debate. Elsewhere: • I didn’t watch a lot of the online Democratic National Convention, but I thought that Michelle Obama (in making … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I turned in my Lindbergh biography manuscript and recorded a new COVID-themed episode of my favorite, strangest podcast. Elsewhere: • “Nothing in a church or a family stays hidden forever,” wrote Bob Smietana of a new church scandal, centering on John Ortberg and his children. • In his first public comments since being … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I wrote about Confederate statues at The Anxious Bench and… well, I wrote thousands of words about Charles Lindbergh. (Yep, manuscript deadline starting to loom.) Elsewhere… • I used this week’s 5th anniversary of the shootings in Charleston, SC to frame my Confederate commemoration post. The historic AME church where those nine people were … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I wrapped up my devotional series on “The With-God Life,” shared some wise words from one of my favorite historians, started a new podcast exploring the importance of the liberal arts in the middle of a pandemic, and considered Christian responses to the polio scares of the 1950s. Elsewhere: • I mentioned C.S. Lewis’ … More That Was The Week That Was
The Pietist Schoolman 