Belated Happy New Year, everyone! Apart from year-end wraps for this blog and The Anxious Bench, I took a break for the holidays. Here’s what some others have been writing in the last week of 2019 and the first of 2020: • In many respects, 2019 was a terrible year. But it wasn’t all bad. • … More That Was The Week That Was
In place of my usual weekend links wrap, this final Saturday in 2019 I’ll just reveal what was most popular in a busy year: blog posts (here and at The Anxious Bench), podcast episodes, and links I share in That Was The Week That Was. Thanks for reading, listening, and clicking, and have a Happy … More 2019: That Was The Year That Was
Is evangelical opposition to Donald Trump simply evidence of elitism? That was the argument of Matthew Schmitz, who didn’t so much counter Christianity Today editor-in-chief Mark Galli’s critique of Trump as dismiss Galli and his CT colleagues as elite evangelicals — and therefore, by Schmitz’s definition, not really evangelical at all: …evangelical leaders who have come … More The Problems and Possibilities of Evangelical Populism
I considered whether I was an evangelical, responded to an astonishing editorial by evangelicalism’s flagship publication, and considered how religion factors into two British institutions: the monarchy (kind of) and the Premier League. Elsewhere: • A handful of the many other responses to that Christianity Today editorial calling for Donald Trump to be removed from office: Michael Wear … More That Was The Week That Was
One consequence of living in a time of political polarization, echo chambers, and epistemic closure is that it’s rare to be genuinely surprised by any political statement. For example, I struggle to think of any response to the impeachment of Donald Trump that wasn’t predictable — on either side of that debate. Any response, that … More On Christianity Today Calling for Trump’s Removal from Office
Over the weekend, it seemed like virtually every Christian college professor in my social media feed was reading “The Evangelical Mind,” an essay by theologian Adam Kotsko, who was raised in a conservative evangelical home, by parents who were in many ways at the vanguard of the movement. The more I have reflected on my … More Am I an Evangelical?
There’s a lot to like about the Netflix series The Crown, but I’m particularly struck that it’s that rarest of TV shows: one that takes religion seriously. In season 1, that theme showed up as the family of Queen Elizabeth II educate her about her role. Her dying grandmother insists that “Monarchy is God’s sacred mission … More Religion in Season 3 of The Crown
Today’s episode marks the end of our second season at The 252, “talk radio as done by academics.” So Chris, Sam, and I started by looking back at what we thought were the most memorable and most significant sports moments of 2019. Remarkably, we talked a lot about horse racing, golf, soccer, and basketball, but … More Wednesday’s Podcast: The Best Sports Moments of 2019
This week I lamented how my home denomination continues to fracture over the human sexuality debate, encouraged Christians to focus more on biblical prophets and less on biblical kings, and reminded everyone that time is starting to run out to place deposits for our summer 2020 Sports in American History tour. Elsewhere: • One of my … More That Was The Week That Was
If you’re a sports fan, I hope you can join us for our next Pietist Schoolman Travel tour: Sports in American History / June 28-July 5, 2020. For $2,400, you get the following • Tickets to baseball games at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field • Admission to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, National Baseball Hall … More The Ultimate Sports History Tour
The Pietist Schoolman 