Chris Gehrz

Clarence Jordan: Celebrating a Conscientious Christian Dissenter (G.W. Carlson)

August 16, 2012

Today I’m happy to welcome our newest guest blogger, G.W. Carlson. Not long ago I blogged about GW and one of his passions: reading. In today’s post, he talks about another of his passions: Christian commitment to peace and justice. Specifically, he encourages readers to consider attending next month’s Clarence Jordan Symposium, at which he’ll … More Clarence Jordan: Celebrating a Conscientious Christian Dissenter (G.W. Carlson)

Surprise! Evangelical Colleges among the Most Politically Conservative in the Country

August 15, 2012

For once, I thought I’d take some common blogging advice to heart and write a headline for a title instead of anything remotely clever. Some context before we get to the lede: Newsweek/Daily Beast have joined the college rankings racket frenzy, though thankfully they’re taking a slightly quirkier tack than U.S. News and issuing a variety of … More Surprise! Evangelical Colleges among the Most Politically Conservative in the Country

Reflections on Lauren Winner’s Still: Friendship

August 14, 2012

It’s been almost three weeks since my last post inspired by Lauren Winner’s Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis. So let’s start with some review: Still finds Winner (a historian who teaches Christian spirituality at Duke Divinity School and writes for a wide array of publications) “in the middle of the spiritual life,” an awkward place … More Reflections on Lauren Winner’s Still: Friendship

Commemorating WWI in Minnesota: Duluth’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument

August 13, 2012

I’m still half a year away from taking a group of Bethel University students to Europe for a three-week course on the history of World War I, but while I’ve still got some time before our fall semester starts up, I thought I’d revive an earlier series on how the war was commemorated. My earlier … More Commemorating WWI in Minnesota: Duluth’s Soldiers and Sailors Monument

That Was The Week That Was

August 11, 2012

Here • What, you say you’d like some advice on how to use a State Department document in your prayer life? Sure, no problem. • Diana Butler Bass calls it “Christianity after religion”; Jay Phelan says it’s actually “neo-Pietism.” Me? Well… • I strove to follow the injunction of Psalm 34:14 (per this translation) with … More That Was The Week That Was

Mister Rogers: “An Offering of Love”

August 10, 2012

If you’re of a certain age — approximately five to fifty — chances are good that a gentle Pennsylvanian named Fred Rogers played a significant role in your formation. He certainly did in mine. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood first appeared on American public television (after a precursor ran in Canada on the CBC) in 1968, and … More Mister Rogers: “An Offering of Love”

Butler Bass, Christianity after Religion

Is “Christianity after Religion” a Kind of “Neo-Pietism”?

August 9, 2012

In the current issue of my denomination’s magazine, The Covenant Companion, Jay Phelan reviews the newest book from historian Diana Butler Bass, Christianity after Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. (Alas, the review isn’t available for download at the Companion site.) As summarized by Phelan, Bass stresses that … More Is “Christianity after Religion” a Kind of “Neo-Pietism”?

Albums A to Z: The Last DJ

August 8, 2012

“If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” I reencountered this advice earlier this week while reading A.J. Jacobs’ book about trying to spend a year taking the Bible’s commandments as literally as possible. At multiple points during the first half of his Year of Living Biblically, Jacobs is struck … More Albums A to Z: The Last DJ

Stained glass image of the stoning of St. Stephen

Praying with the International Religious Freedom Report

August 7, 2012

Today’s report of nineteen more Christians being killed in Nigeria hastened along a post I’ve been meaning to write for a week or so: in which I tweak some advice that Karl Barth may or may not have given and encourage readers to join me in spending some time praying with the Bible in one … More Praying with the International Religious Freedom Report

The Best National Anthems: Special Olympic Edition