Three Hours Left to Vote
January 30, 2014
1/30/14 – Three hours left to vote on whether I should keep my J-Term beard! Right now the Ayes (77%) have a commanding lead over the Nays (23%), but there’s still time for a comeback…
Category: Less Serious
Vote Early and Often: A Bearded Pietist Schoolman?
January 29, 2014
At the risk of revealing how little read this blog actually is and/or providing conclusive evidence that democracy just doesn’t work… Please take a moment to vote on what has to be seen as the question of the day: Should I keep my J-Term beard? Now, long-time readers of this blog may remember that, thirteen months … More Vote Early and Often: A Bearded Pietist Schoolman?
Fun with Google
January 16, 2014
While I’m grateful beyond words for my dedicated readers who follow this blog regularly, the majority of visits to this site come from people who are looking for something specific on Google and land here. Usually the searches are predictable: “Christian colleges”; “Bethel financial challenges”; “how do I buy a copy of The Pietist Impulse … More Fun with Google
The Streets of Baltimore
November 19, 2013
I’m off to Baltimore, Maryland to attend the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. It will be only my second trip to Charm City — and I’m not sure that attending a conference hosted at the Hilton while staying in a room with a view (I’m promised) of Camden Yards is quite a representative … More The Streets of Baltimore
Albums A to Z: On Golden Smog
August 16, 2013
As I continue to revisit albums that are gathering dust in my music collection, we come to the “O” section of the shelf: all of four CDs wide. Oddly enough, two of them are side projects — recorded while members were on vacation from much more famous groups. Still more oddly, both are connected to … More Albums A to Z: On Golden Smog
Albums A to Z: Monty Python Sings
July 24, 2013
It’s been almost a year — let’s resume my series blogging alphabetically through a selection of some of my favorite albums. There was a time when the album was as much the dominion of comedians as musicians. Jokesmiths won two of the first five Album of the Year awards at the Grammys: Bob Newhart in … More Albums A to Z: Monty Python Sings
“Of thee I sing”: A Brief History of Patriotism in American Hymnals (part 2)
July 15, 2013
I’m still researching an answer to last Monday‘s closing question: why is it that so many hymnals don’t include popular patriotic hymns? As a placeholder, though, I thought it might be fun to share a rare evening post spotlighting a few songs in this genre that just never found an audience. (Here again, relying on … More “Of thee I sing”: A Brief History of Patriotism in American Hymnals (part 2)
“Accidental Racist” and the Uses of History
April 10, 2013
So, Brad Paisley’s new album includes a duet with LL Cool J entitled “Accidental Racist.” Perhaps you hadn’t heard… For (to paraphrase Sideshow Cecil) you spent yesterday on Mars, in a cave, with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears. (And your iPhone off, to update a 16-year old pop culture reference a … More “Accidental Racist” and the Uses of History
March Madness: The Best Christian Book of All Time?
March 22, 2013
When Marquette pulled out a last-second win over Davidson and Butler turned back a late Bucknell rally, I lost two of the upsets I’d predicted in my NCAA men’s basketball bracket. (And I clearly should have had more faith in my graduate alma mater’s conference!) Adding more evidence to counter the notion that human beings … More March Madness: The Best Christian Book of All Time?
This Day In History: Stalin’s Stroke
March 1, 2013
In my recent post on why I enjoy teaching the history of the Cold War, I mentioned the odd pleasure I take in forcingencouraging my students to sing along as I play country-western songs about the evils of Communism… (You wouldn’t think there’s anywhere else to go from there, but…) As it happens, today — … More This Day In History: Stalin’s Stroke
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