Last night word spread that one of the nation’s two largest Christian universities had eliminated its entire Philosophy department, giving those seven professors just a few weeks’ notice for a June 30 end to their employment. Sad as that news is, neither the decision nor the means of announcing and implementing it can be all … More Hope for Better Times for the Humanities
As I’ve spent more and more time on Charles Lindbergh, I’ve had less and less time to spend on Pietism. So I’m always thrilled when a church asks me to give a talk on our 2017 book, The Pietist Option, which was always meant for large and small group discussion in churches and is still … More Announcing… A Free Online Adult Education Course on The Pietist Option
This week I curated some advice from fellow historians about how parents can help their home-bound kids learn history, reflected on the 75th anniversary of V-E Day, and recorded podcasts about sports journalism and the psychology of pandemics. Elsewhere: • I haven’t formally announced it until now, but I don’t think it will surprise anyone … More That Was The Week That Was
Apart from debating the wisdom and likelihood of baseball returning by July, this week on The 252 we primarily talked about the two topics that students in History and Politics of Sports encountered in this second-to-last week of spring classes. 1. Chris talked about the history and (complicated!) politics of sports gambling, and how it’s being affected … More Thursday’s Podcast: The Future of Sports Media
Having spent the first two episodes of our new Pandemics and the Liberal Arts podcast on history and philosophy, Amy Poppinga and I wanted to get beyond the humanities and into the sciences. (Which, I’ve lamented before, are not always treated as full participants in the liberal arts.) So this week we talked to our Bethel colleague … More Wednesday’s Podcast: Pandemics and Psychology
This week I finished another chapter in my Lindbergh biography and recorded podcasts about the Olympics and the importance of philosophy in a time of pandemic. Elsewhere: • I was doubly grateful to Elesha Coffman: not just for giving me a week off at The Anxious Bench, but articulating something about teaching online that I’d struggled … More That Was The Week That Was
On this week’s episode of The 252, Chris, Sam, and I kept talking about the Olympics: analyzing an assignment that had students draft a “fantasy team” of nations competing in the Olympics (and what medal counts do and don’t signify about countries); considering what effect the 2008 Olympics had on Chinese politics; and predicting what the … More Thursday’s Podcast: Fantasy Olympics
On this week’s second episode of Pandemics and the Liberal Arts, Amy Poppinga and I talked to our friend and colleague Sara Shady about the significance of philosophy in the midst of COVID-19. It was fantastic! Sara primarily talked about ethics — how doctors, nurses, researchers, and others make decisions about health care during a pandemic; … More Wednesday’s Podcast: Pandemics and Philosophy
I took a weekend off from sharing my usual That Was The Week That Was collection of links, but I had a good reason: I wrote seventeen pages of my Lindbergh project! That chapter wrapped up this afternoon, so now feels like a good time to share an update on my progress. If you’re new to the … More How’s Lindbergh Doing?
Let me revive my series of lectionary reflections long enough to share what I wrote this morning for the daily devotions our church emails out to members. I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as … More The With-God Life: The Nature of Prayer
The Pietist Schoolman 