5/13/14 – Readers who are members or friends of the Evangelical Covenant Church — or just interested in its history — should check out Friends of Covenant History, a group that seeks “to gather, connect, and equip people interested in Covenant history and heritage.” You can like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. To learn … More Friends of Covenant History
Congratulations to The History Center: Archives of the Baptist General Conference and Bethel University — named the 2014 recipient of the Davis C. Woolley Award for Outstanding Achievement in Assessing and Preserving Baptist History. This puts our archives in very good company, as last year’s winner was the special collections and archives department of the Z. … More Congratulations to the Archives of the BGC and Bethel University!
For a while earlier this year, whenever I signed out of my Facebook account, I would see a full-screen ad for a Christian dating service. Now, this was troubling if only because my Facebook relationship status is very clearly Married; I hate to think what Facebook thinks it’s learned about me that makes me a good target for … More Christian Matchmaking: Past and Present
As I mentioned yesterday, public radio journalist Krista Tippett recently appeared at Bethel University to speak about her book Einstein’s God: Conversations about Science and the Human Spirit. One of those conversations inspired yesterday’s post on what historians mean when they ask the question “Why?” of the past. Today I want to reflect on Tippett’s larger purpose, as the … More History as a “Ministry of Listening”
I’m afraid this post started off taking me in directions I hadn’t expected. Part of me would like to polish it further, but in the spirit of blogging as “thinking aloud,” I’ll hope that it hangs together enough to make some sense… Last Friday I enjoyed hearing a convocation talk at Bethel by journalist Krista Tippett, host … More The Two (or Three) Why’s of History
I’m as convinced a theist as you’re going to find. I’m a Christian who teaches at a Christian college and serves as chairperson of his church. I have a book coming out later this year on Christian higher education. This is the 434th post at this blog in the category “Christianity.” And yet I increasingly … More When I’m a “Functional Atheist”
Attention to David Barton’s treatment of Thomas Jefferson has died down since the controversy that led to Thomas Nelson rescinding their endorsement of The Jefferson Lies back in 2012. But Barton remains active and his popularity among the evangelical right’s rank and file has rebounded. Barton’s continued popularity, it seems to me, raises several issues … More Should Christian Scholars be Watchdogs? An Interview with David Barton Critic Warren Throckmorton
That’s the question posed by Tufts professor Peter Levine, director of that university’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), in a recent op-ed for Religion News Service. He asks if the growing (?) number of young adults having no affiliation with any particular religion will have an impact on civic … More As Americans Become Less Religious, Will They Withdraw from Public Life?
It’ll no doubt go through some more editing before coming out later this year, but if you want a kind of sneak peek at The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education: Forming Whole and Holy Persons (forthcoming from InterVarsity Press)… Check out the word cloud that the current manuscript forms: For more about the book: check out … More Our Pietism and Higher Ed Book as Word Cloud
Doing a links post didn’t seem quite appropriate this particular Saturday. Instead, here’s my one and — to date — only attempt at an Easter Vigil reflection. Complete with what, at the time, were Sherlock spoilers. (H/T to Sara Misgen for reminding me I wrote this!) It’s been observed by many Christian preachers and writers that most of our … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: “Just One More Miracle…”
The Pietist Schoolman 