Month: March 2015

Bowman, Portrait of a People

Recent Conversations on Evangelicalism and Pietist-Anabaptist Identity

March 30, 2015

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Bridgewater College, which is located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, just outside Harrisonburg, Virginia. The occasion, spearheaded by Steve Longenecker, was a symposium on the history of the (Schwarzenau) Brethren tradition’s relationship with evangelicalism. The intersection of evangelicalism with Pietist and Anabaptist groups is a topic that has … More Recent Conversations on Evangelicalism and Pietist-Anabaptist Identity

Sunday School in 1946 Kentucky

That Was The Week That Was

March 28, 2015

Here… Thanks to everyone who responded to our “comment drive” questions: • Which movies are most historically accurate? (And how important is that?) • What’s your favorite biography? • Why is the Civil War so fascinating, 150 years later? …There and Everywhere • One source sustaining my fascination with that conflict is the New York Times‘ Disunion blog, which recently pointed … More That Was The Week That Was

McPherson, The War That Forged a Nation

Comment Drive: Why’s the Civil War So Fascinating?

March 27, 2015

I suspect that I’ve blogged long enough that I’m running out of mildly embarrassing self-revelations, but here’s one oddity I might not have shared: I like to relax by reading about the American Civil War. How European/international historians relax on their spring breaks. pic.twitter.com/JIIUFen4J7 — Chris Gehrz (@cgehrz) March 16, 2015 Yes, while others spend spring break on … More Comment Drive: Why’s the Civil War So Fascinating?

Gaddis, Kennan: An American Life

Comment Drive: What’s Your Favorite Biography?

March 25, 2015

This week’s “comment drive” got off to a good start asking about historical movies… Let’s see if we can generate even more conversation about one of filmmaker’s favorite genres of history: biography. In this week’s installment of Past & Presence, our department’s webisode series, we turn to biography: I host from my hometown of Stillwater, Minnesota; we … More Comment Drive: What’s Your Favorite Biography?

The Imitation Game poster

Comment Drive: What’s the Most Historically Accurate Movie?

March 23, 2015

In the spirit of my fellow historian-blogger John Fea’s annual “spring membership drive,” I’d like to make an intentional effort this week to encourage readers to give back to this blog by sharing their opinions. While I appreciate everyone who reads The Pietist Schoolman, it’s rare for any post to get more than a single comment. Let’s see if … More Comment Drive: What’s the Most Historically Accurate Movie?

Title page from a 1676 edition of Spener, Pia Desideria

The Enduring Influence of Pia Desideria (George Demetrion)

March 19, 2015

Today I’m happy to share a guest post by George Demetrion: a review essay on Philipp Jakob Spener’s 1675 work, Pia Desideria, originally written while George was auditing my colleague Glen Scorgie’s Pietism course at Bethel Seminary San Diego. The author of In Quest of a Vital Protestant Center: An Ecumenical Evangelical Perspective, George found much to appreciate in Pia … More The Enduring Influence of Pia Desideria (George Demetrion)

Union dead at Gettysburg

The Best of The Pietist Schoolman: The Gettysburg Address

March 17, 2015

For spring break I’m reading Allen Guelzo’s Civil War history Fateful Lightning, so for today’s visit to the blog archives, I thought I’d dredge up a “This Day in History” post from November 2012 about Abraham Lincoln’s most famous speech. Seven score and nine years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln ascended the dais at the dedication of … More The Best of The Pietist Schoolman: The Gettysburg Address