Month: September 2018

David Brooks speaking in Bethel's Great Hall

“He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how”

September 26, 2018

Yesterday was a surreal day at Bethel University: In the morning, a couple hundred employees crowded into a room in our student commons to hear our president explain significant cuts and restructuring in academic programs and co-curricular/administrative staffing, necessary to avoid the multi-million dollar deficits projected for the next two fiscal years. In the evening, … More “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how”

Greene, Law School for Dummies

What To Do If Law School Is No Longer a “Safety Valve” for Humanities Majors?

September 25, 2018

Earlier this month I wrote a couple of posts making economic and non-economic arguments for the continuing value of college majors like history, English, philosophy, and the other “humanities.” Today, I want to take up an important consideration raised by Inside Higher Ed blogger Matt Reed. A humanities professor who became a community college dean, Reed contends that … More What To Do If Law School Is No Longer a “Safety Valve” for Humanities Majors?

Johnson impeachment trial

The History of Impeachment

September 24, 2018

“I’m breathing, I’m available Thursday morning at 11:15, I can use Google Search, and I can wear plaid.” That’s how I described my credentials to take part in a live podcast about the history of impeachment, alongside two actual political scientists. My Bethel colleagues Chris Moore and Andy Bramsen had planned a special episode of … More The History of Impeachment

Screenshot of Lindbergh book shared on my Instagram account

Now on Instagram!

September 13, 2018

I thought I was strong. I thought I could hold out. I thought I could resist one more digital distraction. But no. Earlier this week our department decided that our efforts on Facebook and Twitter were reaching alumni, but not current and prospective students. So we started an Instagram account. And so I crumbled, and … More Now on Instagram!

Civil War reenactor playing a fife

The Future of Civil War Reenactment

September 12, 2018

Yesterday a colleague reminded me of a New York Times article that I had noticed this summer, but not read closely. Alongside striking photographs by Daniel Arnold, Bryn Stole reported on the 155th commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg, at which 6,000 people reenacted the roles of Union and Confederate soldiers, nurses, surgeons, chaplains, and even nuns. If … More The Future of Civil War Reenactment

The original building of Roseville (MN) Lutheran Church

Why My Family Is Changing Churches (and Denominations)

September 11, 2018

Fifteen years ago this month, I walked into Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton, Minnesota. Save for a sabbatical in Virginia in 2016, I’ve been at Salem ever since. Not surprisingly, that congregation and its larger denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church, have been regular topics here at The Pietist Schoolman. So I think I ought to … More Why My Family Is Changing Churches (and Denominations)

McAlister, The Kingdom of God Has No Borders

That Was The Week That Was

September 9, 2018

Here… • Why study history and other disciplines in the humanities? Because it entails intellectual and spiritual risk. • News from a Mennonite Brethren seminary dredged up memories of an important debate at my own institution. • You can watch video of my recent four-part adult class on “The Pietist Option for Baptists.” • Why … More That Was The Week That Was

The Bethel History Department

A Counterintuitive Non-Economic Argument for Majoring in the Humanities

September 6, 2018

“These days,” my local newspaper reported on Tuesday, “English majors are an increasingly rare breed on college campuses.” Whether at the University of Minnesota or nearby Augsburg University, fewer and fewer students were majoring in English — or history, philosophy, or most of the other disciplines traditionally lumped together as “the humanities.” Robert Cowgill, chair of Augsburg’s … More A Counterintuitive Non-Economic Argument for Majoring in the Humanities

Bethel Clarion logo

Understanding the Importance of Journalism, As Americans and Christians

September 5, 2018

There are several good reasons to fear that American democracy is being irreparably damaged by the current administration. Foremost, in my opinion, is the way that Donald Trump and his political allies have waged relentless rhetorical war on the reporters, editors, and other journalists who are doing their best to seek truth, minimize harm, and act … More Understanding the Importance of Journalism, As Americans and Christians