The other day I mentioned that I was in the middle of writing my syllabus for HIS354 Modern Europe, one of the staples of my courseload at Bethel University. As any teacher reading this knows, offering the same class year in and year out can be the bane of one’s existence. It can become numbing … More The Blessings of Teaching the Same Course Again and Again
8/25/11 – This’ll be all I post today as I take a break from course prep and blogging to join my family in attending Day 1 of the Minnesota State Fair. (All together now: “Our State Fair is a great state fair / Don’t miss it / Don’t even be late!”) But I’ll have pictures … More The Great Minnesota Get Together
Our series on models of Christian higher education inspired by a “usable past” is treading water a bit this week while I gear up for classes. In the most recent post, I surveyed American denominations with roots in Pietism, plus the colleges and universities that they founded. Next week I hope to have a more … More Pietist Colleges: Quick Facts
Today I’ll be joining a couple hundred fellow Bethel professors for the first day of our annual pre-semester retreat. We’ll hear inspiring words from our leaders, take part in thought-provoking discussions, bask in the late summer sun, and generally enjoy renewing friendships put on pause during our break. All in all, a great way to … More This is the End
Last week I concluded an eight-part series previewing The Pietist Impulse in Christianity, the new book I co-edited with Christian Collins Winn, G. William Carlson, and Eric Holst. If you kept up with the series and/or have started to read the book yourself, I’d be curious to hear your reactions in the Comments section: How … More The Pietist Impulse: An Overview
August 22, 1942 – Brazil declares war on Italy Well, on Germany really; I’m guessing Italy was an afterthought. But I’ve got to think this was close to the last straw for even the most fervent supporters of Mussolini. Imagine with me, if you will, the following dialogue that fateful morning of August 22nd, 1942: … More This Week in History
At The Pietist Schoolman I think I pretty much beat everyone to the punch in posting something on Rob Bell’s Love Wins. A summer spent, in part, shooting the breeze over overpriced coffee drinks with former students produced this celebration of alumni. My series on employing a “usable past” to define the mission and identity … More That Was the Week That Was
Here are the ten most popular posts in the past month here at The Pietist Schoolman: The Pietist Impulse: Modernity J. Hawk Norway: “A Very Old War” Tolkien, Lewis, and the Memory of War The Pietist Impulse: Scandinavians Hell and Heaven In Celebration of Alumni “The Capital of the Movement” Norway: “A Christian Fundamentalist” A … More The Big Ten
8/19/11 – It might be quieter than usual next week at The Pietist Schoolman, as I’ll be busy getting things ready for the start of classes on the 29th. But I am planning a recap of our Pietist Impulse series, the next in our series on Pietism, the “usable past,” and Christian colleges, and something … More The Week in Preview
Today we wrap up our series previewing The Pietist Impulse in Christianity with a piece from Emilie Griffin that we’re calling our “benediction,” since it’s less a work of formal research than a blessing on those who have stuck with the book to its end and wonder where this impulse might be taking the Church. … More The Pietist Impulse: Benediction
The Pietist Schoolman 