Author: Chris Gehrz

Scandia Chapel

Final Thoughts on Evangelicalism and the Humanities: Rethinking How Christian Colleges Serve the Church

May 18, 2016

I’m pretty sure the world has heard enough from me for now on the subject of the “crisis of the humanities” in Christian colleges. At the risk of overreaching, let me just add a few closing thoughts: First, that I appreciate the enormous response to the first two posts this week. They provoked some truly enlightening … More Final Thoughts on Evangelicalism and the Humanities: Rethinking How Christian Colleges Serve the Church

"Fear" in neon lights

If There’s a Crisis of the Humanities in Christian Colleges, What Does It Tell Us about Evangelicalism?

May 17, 2016

So what’s causing the decline of humanities disciplines in evangelical colleges? And why is it significant for those institutions’ constituencies? I think the answer to both questions may hinge on one word: fear. Now, I’m sure no single factor can explain why English, history, and philosophy accounted for only 5.5% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2014 by members of … More If There’s a Crisis of the Humanities in Christian Colleges, What Does It Tell Us about Evangelicalism?

Graph showing declining enrollment in humanities fields (English, history, philosophy) at selected Christian liberal arts colleges since 2004

Quantifying the Crisis in Humanities at Christian Colleges

May 16, 2016

So is Messiah College history professor John Fea correct that “Enrollments in humanities fields — history, philosophy, literature, theology — at evangelical colleges have experienced a precipitous decline over the last decade”? Last week I looked at my own institution to begin to offer an answer to that question. But I admitted that I didn’t … More Quantifying the Crisis in Humanities at Christian Colleges

Carl Olof Rosenius

Thursday’s Podcast: Preaching (and Listening)

May 12, 2016

If you’ve been waiting for Mark — one of the best preachers I know — to talk about preaching and proclamation, this episode is for you. If you’ve been waiting for Sam to help us think through the importance of Christians taking up what Krista Tippett calls a “ministry of listening,” this episode is also for you. And if … More Thursday’s Podcast: Preaching (and Listening)

Frayed knot

Jay Phelan on Pietism and Evangelical Unity

May 12, 2016

It sounds like I wasn’t the only Pietist to take issue with David Gushee’s call for an evangelical “divorce,” between its conservative and progressive camps. Here’s North Park Seminary professor Jay Phelan in the current issue of The Covenant Companion: As I read his blog I found myself agreeing with a good deal of Gushee’s analysis—and rejecting … More Jay Phelan on Pietism and Evangelical Unity

Cover of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

A New Review of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

May 11, 2016

Thanks to Brant Himes of Azusa Pacific University for taking the time to review our book on Pietism and higher ed for the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion! In The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education, Christopher Gehrz convenes an impressive array of scholars to offer fresh, cross-disciplinary reflections on how the Pietist … More A New Review of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

Pietist Schoolman Podcast logo

If You’ve Listened to Our Podcast, We Want to Hear From You! (Seriously)

May 10, 2016

Yesterday Mark, Sam, and I recorded the penultimate episode of this season of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast, on preaching, listening, and (somehow) Donald Trump. It’ll go up on Thursday, but in the meantime I want to go ahead and start soliciting comments for our season finale, which we’ll record next Monday. If you’ve been listening, you … More If You’ve Listened to Our Podcast, We Want to Hear From You! (Seriously)

Enrollment by major (as percentage of total enrollment) at Bethel University, 2009-2015

Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

May 9, 2016

Last week I was part of a discussion at Bethel about what defines “the humanities.” I bit my tongue, but I was tempted to say, “A perpetual sense of crisis.” And perhaps “crisis of the humanities” talk has been overblown. I wrote a whole post about this nearly three years ago, noting historian Ben Schmidt’s finding that (aside … More Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?