10/15/11 – It might be quieter than usual here in the next 7-10 days, as I’ve got family coming to town, but in the second half of October look for posts on the enduring importance of medieval mysticism and on secularization in 19th century Europe, plus more on Indian Christians like Pandita Ramabai, the conclusion … More The Week in Preview
After a multi-week hiatus, I’ve finally got a chance to return to our series blogging through Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom’s Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia (InterVarsity Press). If you’re just joining the conversation, you can find the beginning of the series here. We’re moving from Africa to India, which will … More Clouds of Witnesses: “Failure” in India
10/14/11 – Earlier this month I shared my love for Minneapolis country-rockers The Jayhawks and the Chicago-based indie-rock band Wilco, then added a post last week pulling apart my wish that the frontmen of those bands shared my religion. If you found any of that series interesting… My friend Michial Farmer and I recently co-wrote … More More on Wilco and the Jayhawks
Today I’m returning to my series on Carolyn Weber’s spiritual autobiography, Surprised by Oxford, and finding her at a pivotal point in her story of coming to faith. When last we heard from Weber, she was back home in Canada for a difficult Christmas: breaking things off with her would-be fiancé, who wished that he … More Surprised by Oxford: Hilary Term
Is humanity becoming more peaceful? Yes, says psychologist Steven Pinker in his new book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Viking), glowingly reviewed by bioethicist Peter Singer in this past Sunday’s The New York Times. You’ve got to be kidding, replies philosopher John Gray, reviewing the same book earlier this fall … More The Long Peace
In 1911, the country of Italy celebrated its 50th birthday as a unified nation-state. The Italian government marked the occasion with a special census that revealed, among other things, that one out of every six Italians lived outside of Italy. Between 1880 and 1914, thirteen million Italians emigrated to the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, … More Italy as an “Emigrant Nation”
My institution, Bethel University, is currently in the early stages of drafting its next master plan, a document meant to guide the development of new facilities and the renovation of old ones (among other things). As part of the planning process, an outside consultant was on campus to meet with different constituent groups and get … More What’s Distinctive about Christian Colleges?
What’s the best national anthem? I’ve spent much of the last two weeks taking a stab at giving a semi-serious answer to that question. Now I’d like to hear from you! First, do you agree with my students and me that “La Marseillaise” is clearly the best national anthem, or would you back a rival … More The Best National Anthems: Your Turn
10/10/11 – For some reason, the top post here the last few days has been one that I did nearly a month ago critiquing “muscular Christianity.” In light of the apparent mini-surge of interest in that topic, let me also recommend today’s New York Times article on Nathan Whitaker, the Duke- and Harvard-educated author who … More More on Muscular Christianity
This entire week in history is special because of what happened in 1582, when the Catholic countries of southern Europe (plus Poland) became the first to adopt the new calendar decreed by Pope Gregory XIII and so move off of the old Julian calendar. The “Gregorian” calendar was designed to ensure that vernal equinox fell … More This Week in History
The Pietist Schoolman 