The Pietist Schoolman

On the very short list of reasons that I wish I weren’t spending my fall on sabbatical in the Blue Ridge mountains is the fact that I won’t be at Bethel University on Tuesday, December 13th for the 2016 Bethel Colloquium on Pietism.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be there! For a mere $5 (to help offset catering — Bethel students get in free), you’ll get to take part in the following sessions:

The History of Scandinavian Pietism (9am): Mark Granquist (Luther Seminary; editor, Scandinavian Pietists) and Mark Safstrom (University of Illinois-Champaign; editor, The Swedish Pietists), with a response by theologian Christian Collins Winn (Bethel University)

Keynote Address on Pietism Today (10:20am): Efrem Smith (CEO, World Impact; author, The Post-Black & Post-White Church), with a response from theologian Kyle Roberts (United Theological Seminary, MN)

Lunch (11:30am): plus Q&A with Efrem

Pietism, Gender, and Contemporary Christianity (12:45pm): Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom (North Park Theological Seminary; author, Angels, Worms, and Bogeys: The Christian Ethic of Pietism), with a response by philosopher Carrie Peffley (Bethel University)

Then the final session (2pm) will have Mark Safstrom joining Michelle to present a rough cut of the forthcoming documentary God’s Glory, Neighbor’s Good: The Story of Pietism.

It’s a great event (here are some highlights of the 2012 edition, featuring Scot McKnight), and highly recommended for pastors, theology and history students, and anyone else interested in the past and present of Pietism, which has been such a significant influence on evangelicalism, Lutheranism, and other Christian movements. (And, my own next book will argue, offers hope for Christianity here in the 21st century!)

Click here to register now, and please help us to spread the word!