Perhaps strange to say, one of my favorite compliments that I’ve received from a former student was this: I never knew where Prof. Gehrz stood on political issues. Not that I think I avoid controversial topics in class, but I typically try to remove my own opinions, present multiple sides of issues, and focus on asking good questions … More What Your Name Says about Your Politics
This past April the Baptist ethicist and theologian Glen Stassen died at age 78. Today I’m happy to share a tribute to Stassen written by my friend G.W. Carlson, professor emeritus of history and political science at Bethel University (where he still teaches a course on Christian Non-Violence). To know God as Son is to … More Glen Stassen: Living the Sermon on the Mount (G.W. Carlson)
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?
Today G.W. Carlson concludes his tribute to Baptist scholar Wally Peterson, who helped found the political science program at Bethel during his time there (1950-1965). In part two G.W. turns to Peterson’s time with the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs (now, Religious Liberty) and his productive tenure on the faculty of Washington State University. … More Walfred Peterson: Champion of Religious Liberty (G.W. Carlson) – part 2
Having previously written tributes to Clarence Jordan, Virgil Olson, and Will D. Campbell, our own favorite Baptist, G.W. Carlson, returns to celebrate another noteworthy Baptist: political scientist Walfred “Wally” Peterson, who served at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in between teaching stints at Bethel College and Washington State University. (G.W. previously wrote about … More Walfred Peterson: Champion of Religious Liberty (G.W. Carlson) – part 1
My new World War II course — belatedly kicking off this afternoon — fulfills a general education category at Bethel that focuses on the development of Western life and thought in the “modern” era. So as I set up the course today, one theme I need to introduce is the war as a crucible of … More Are Human Rights in Decline?
As you’ve likely heard by now, the South African statesman Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela died earlier today at the age of 95. The reaction has been overwhelming; I’ll just sample a few responses. “Our nation has lost its greatest son,” lamented South African president Jacob Zuma. F.W. de Klerk paid tribute to the man whom was … More RIP Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
The second half of my paper delivered last week at the Evangelical Theological Society, arguing for a more international and transnational approach to the history of evangelicalism. A Global Reflex in Evangelical Historiography Earlier this year the newsletter of the American Historical Association (AHA) published a study by Luke Clossey and Nicholas Guyatt finding that, … More The Global Reflex: An International Historian Appraises David Swartz’s Moral Minority (part 2)
The modern distinction between sacred and secular has allowed the studies of religion and politics to go their separate ways in virtual isolation. (Nathan O. Hatch) By training, I’m a historian of international relations. More recently, I’ve become interested in the history of Christianity. That wouldn’t seem like an unlikely pairing, given the global reach … More Mind the Gap: The Histories of Christianity and of International Relations
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
The Pietist Schoolman 