This week I considered 2020 as the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, reflected on the complicated emotions bound up in Veterans Day, and shared a digital preview of my Lindbergh biography. Elsewhere: • Even though the outcome of the election is clear, Donald Trump probably never will join the great American tradition of politicians delivering … More That Was The Week That Was
Happy Veterans Day just doesn’t feel right to me. I mean, it’s a day I want to honor. And it is a happy occasion for many veterans: a day they can look back with pride on their service to their country, perhaps a day they can celebrate the educational and professional doors their service opened. … More The Many Sides of Veterans Day
COVID vaccines will (hopefully) be available by the time my spiritual biography of Charles Lindbergh actually hits shelves next year. But if you’re interested in Flying Solo, you can get a kind of preview by exploring the digital timeline I made over the weekend:
This week I examined how Americans have prayed for elections, dug into the college majors of American presidents, and recorded a podcast about the future of sports at American colleges and universities. Elsewhere: • My daughter had to do a unit on the Electoral College in social studies this week. She’s not the only one wondering … More That Was The Week That Was
Like most everyone else, I’ve found it hard to tear my attention away from the unfolding election drama. That story is obviously important, but today I’m here to provide some measure of distraction, with a couple of posts having absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or the future of American democracy. First, … More Friday’s Podcast: College Sports after COVID
For all the saints, who from their labours rest,Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.Alleluia, Alleluia! William Walsham How (1864) Who are we remembering on this day dedicated to the memory of “all the saints”? I’m Protestant enough to think in terms broader than a who’s who of … More The With-God Life: All the Saints
This week I wrote about the difference between Swedish and American evangelicalism. And while I didn’t quite keep up my daily devotional pace to end October, I did reflect on Jesus as Messiah, the challenge of perfection, and the political implications of Martin Luther’s least favorite epistle. Elsewhere: • The “state of a polarized nation” … More That Was The Week That Was
Every once in a while, the readings from the daily lectionary just line up perfectly. See if you can spot the theme: • Today starts with the author of the longest psalm — whose “hope is in [God’s] ordinances” — pledging to keep God’s “law continually, for ever and ever” (Ps 119:43-44). • In case the people … More The With-God Life: “If you wish to be perfect…”
I groaned a little when I saw James 2 show up on the daily lectionary yesterday and today. As a historian who teaches about the Reformation and a Protestant who still (mostly) celebrates its legacy, I’ve wrestled dozens of times with Martin Luther’s disdain for this “right strawy epistle,” which insists that “a person is … More The With-God Life: Faith without (Political) Works
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all … More The With-God Life: Love the Lord
The Pietist Schoolman 