While I was arguing with a John Mulaney joke and recording a podcast about the history of sports journalism — and promoting four other podcasts about the past, other people were using the Internet for other, generally more constructive purposes: • Best of all… While I’m sure Nadia Bolz-Weber likes to think of herself as … More That Was The Week That Was
This week on The 252 we welcomed Bethel journalism professor Scott Winter and Bethel Clarion sports editor Jared Martinson to our studio. Mostly, they were there to talk about the practice of sports journalism, including the impact of ESPN and digitization, the similarities and differences between reporting and broadcasting, and the economics of covering sports. But since Chris … More Wednesday’s Podcast: Sports and Journalism
I like comedian John Mulaney a lot. Which must be welcome news to comedian John Mulaney, since he claims to need “everybody, all day long, to like me so much” in his popular Netflix special, Kid Gorgeous at Radio City. “It’s exhausting.” But also hilarious — even brilliant. Skip ahead to 7:21 in this Stephen … More “I paid $120,000… to accept a four-year degree in a language I already spoke”
I reported on a Supreme Court case involving a World War I memorial, talked baseball history on The 252, and reflected on the relationship between faith and science for The Anxious Bench. Elsewhere… • The big religion news of the week is that the United Methodist Church is having its final (?) reckoning over sexuality this weekend. … More That Was The Week That Was
When better to focus on America’s National Pastime than the day that Minnesota shatters its February record for snowfall? Yes, it’s our spring training episode of The 252! • Chris Moore suggested some ways that baseball is both shaped by politics and helps us to think about politics. • Then we discussed who belongs on … More Wednesday’s Podcast: The Mount Rushmore of Baseball History
If you’re interested in church-state relations or war commemoration (or, like me, both), check out today’s Atlantic article on American Humanist Association v. American Legion. Being argued before the U.S. Supreme Court next week, the case has to do with a World War I memorial standing in a traffic circle in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. There’s a … More Should American War Memorials Use Explicitly Christian Symbols?
As explained in this space, I’m temporarily focusing more of my online energies on podcasts, like this week’s 252 discussion of sports as religion. But at The Anxious Bench I did find the time to write a Christian case for journalism and to profile a now-forgotten religious figure who was reviled by everyone from Charles Lindbergh to … More That Was The Week That Was
On this week’s episode of The 252, Sam, Chris, and I talked about: • The death of Hall of Fame baseball player — and pioneering manager — Frank Robinson. • The cancellation of a football program at one of Bethel’s sister schools. • The relative greatness of Lindsey Vonn’s recently concluded skiing career, which yielded 3 Winter Olympic … More Wednesday’s Podcast: Sports as Religion
I was home with a sick child yesterday, which meant rescheduling a few things at work. None of that reshuffling was too hard, but I was surprised just how disappointed I was at having to put off recording the third episode of The 252, my new sports history podcast with Sam Mulberry and Chris Moore. That … More Why I Enjoy Podcasting
Most of my energy this week went into starting spring classes, but we recorded a rather autobiographical episode of our new sports history podcast, I noted an unusual spate of news stories on Christian colleges, and I shared five books I’m hoping to read for Black History Month. Elsewhere… • Some more February reading recommendations … More That Was The Week That Was
The Pietist Schoolman 