Part two of a series of posts following up on comments on my open letter urging American churches to recommit to Christian higher education by increasing their direct and indirect financial support of colleges like Bethel. “This one is tough for me,” commented a reader named Mike, in response to last Tuesday’s open letter, “as … More Are Christian Colleges Good Financial Stewards?
If you dare, complete the sentence: “The Bible makes it abundantly clear that __________.” There are few phrases that frustrate me more than, "The Bible makes it abundantly clear…" — Rachel Held Evans (@rachelheldevans) October 23, 2013 Rachel Held Evans’ tweet last night preceded a series of conversations about Reformed megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll’s contention … More “The Bible makes it abundantly clear…”
The first of three posts following up on comments on last Tuesday’s open letter asking churches to support Christian higher education… Today let me start with a thread running through several comments: the argument that if Christian colleges are not receiving as much financial support from denominations and churches, it’s because the colleges themselves have … More Are Christian Colleges Too Detached from Churches?
Last Tuesday I posted an open letter to American churches, describing what I see as the looming crisis facing Christian colleges like Bethel University and suggesting that one important facet of any lasting solution would be a renewed commitments by churches and denominations to financially support such institutions of higher learning. As I hinted in … More A Postscript to My Open Letter on Christian Higher Education
Today I’m happy to introduce readers to Devin Manzullo-Thomas, the new director of the Sider Institute for Anabaptist, Pietist, and Wesleyan Studies at Messiah College. Actually, frequent readers may already recognize Devin’s name, as I’ve mentioned his work from time to time — including his contribution to the Covenant Quarterly issue on Pietism that I … More An Interview with Sider Institute Director Devin Manzullo-Thomas
Chris, a Christian college professor and church chairperson, To the pastors, lay leaders, members, and friends of the churches and denominations that founded and still sponsor the Christian colleges and universities of this country: Before today is done, no small number of faculty members at the Christian college where I work will be asked to … More An Open Letter to American Churches: The Crisis of Christian Higher Education
Is a value of the liberal arts that they produce good citizens? Should Christians also argue that such an education helps keep America powerful? As self-proclaimed defenders of the liberal arts like myself set about their task, they trumpet the many benefits of a well-rounded education that includes a healthy dose of seemingly impractical disciplines … More The Christian Liberal Arts, Citizenship, and Power
I haven’t yet read Andy Crouch’s new book, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, but it’s been hard to miss. An essay on power from Crouch is the cover story in the October 2013 issue of Christianity Today (where Crouch is now executive editor). Borrowing concepts from anthropologist Geert Hofstede, Crouch observes that American … More Andy Crouch on Power: Implications for Education?
This morning I gave the second in a series of talks at the Bethel University Library that will preview chapters from our forthcoming Whole and Holy Persons: A Pietist Approach to Christian Higher Education. My topic was “Pietism from the High Sierra to the Somme: Holistic Education in the Ecclesiola of Off-Campus Study.” This is … More My Talk on Pietism and Off-Campus Study: In Tweet Form
One of my favorite recent books is The Activist Impulse: Essays on the Intersection of Evangelicalism and Anabaptism, eds. Jared Burkholder and David Cramer. It helps me better understand my own interest, as a rather pietistic evangelical, in the Anabaptist tradition, and my reservations about it. While the contributors don’t shy away from the tensions … More The Church at the Intersection of Anabaptism and Evangelicalism
The Pietist Schoolman 