Politics – Page 8 – The Pietist Schoolman

Donald Trump at a campaign rally in December 2015

“Tell It Like It Is”: How the Church Should Respond to Trump

June 1, 2016

During our travels over the holiday weekend, we visited a church and witnessed an odd, telling moment. Looking for a negative sermon illustration at one point, the pastor spontaneously mentioned “the presidential candidate who says he doesn’t need God’s forgiveness.” As best I can recall, the pastor didn’t even say Donald Trump’s name, but he clearly thought he had crossed … More “Tell It Like It Is”: How the Church Should Respond to Trump

Thursday’s Podcast: The Pietist Future of American Christianity

May 19, 2016

And Season 2 comes to an end! Thanks to everyone who wrote in this year, especially Eric Johnson (who asked a great question about Pietism and politics), Johanna Fenton (who prompted us to dive deeper into the nature of peace and Christian unity — with an assist from North Park Seminary professor Jay Phelan), and Christian Humanist friend … More Thursday’s Podcast: The Pietist Future of American Christianity

Thursday’s Podcast: Preaching (and Listening)

May 12, 2016

If you’ve been waiting for Mark — one of the best preachers I know — to talk about preaching and proclamation, this episode is for you. If you’ve been waiting for Sam to help us think through the importance of Christians taking up what Krista Tippett calls a “ministry of listening,” this episode is also for you. And if … More Thursday’s Podcast: Preaching (and Listening)

Untitled

May 4, 2016

The first rule of driving traffic to your blog is to give each post an eye-catching title, since that’s as far as most potential readers will get. But I’m going to leave this one untitled because I don’t want anyone offering a knee-jerk reaction to a five- or six-word headline. See, this one is about Donald Trump. And … More Untitled

YouTube screen cap of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz at a January 2016 debate

Done with “Evangelical”? Maybe You Should Try “Pietist”

March 16, 2016

There are few terms more debated than “evangelical,” and never more so than during this election cycle, when Donald Trump’s ability to attract a significant share of self-identified evangelicals has caused enormous consternation among evangelical leaders and intellectuals. I doubt that last night’s primary results will do much to change that dynamic. Florida senator Marco … More Done with “Evangelical”? Maybe You Should Try “Pietist”

Wooden cross inscribed, "Jesus is Risen"

Thursday’s Podcast: Why So Hopeful?

February 25, 2016

I’m taking a week off from blogging, but our podcast is back today with a new episode. If we consult the Holy Scriptures we can have no doubt that God promised his church here on earth a better state than this. Philipp Jakob Spener (1675) Given all the problems we discussed in our previous episode, why … More Thursday’s Podcast: Why So Hopeful?

Thursday’s Podcast: What’s Wrong?

February 11, 2016

“What’s wrong with Christianity in 2016?” Yikes. As I wrote here last week, I’ve been dreading this question since we decided that our book on “Pietism and the Future of Christianity” would mirror the structure of Philipp Spener’s Pia Desideria, whose first major section is a “Conspectus of Corrupt Conditions in the Church.” As I mused … More Thursday’s Podcast: What’s Wrong?

Bringing Politicians to Christian College Campuses

February 8, 2016

Embedded in last week’s post about how Christian voters evaluate political candidates was an educational issue: How do colleges decide which speakers to invite to campus? First, Oklahoma Wesleyan president Everett Piper, who made clear that he and his institution — unlike Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Liberty University — would not invite one particular Republican presidential candidate to speak: In selecting … More Bringing Politicians to Christian College Campuses

What Qualities Should Christian Voters Seek in Political Candidates?

January 27, 2016

I observed late last month that the candidacy of Donald Trump should push pastors — and others looked to for pastoral counsel — to take up the work of political theology and help their parishioners answer questions about Christian participation in politics. With the Iowa caucuses just hours away, at least one such question has come … More What Qualities Should Christian Voters Seek in Political Candidates?

The Pastoral Challenge (and Opportunity) of Donald Trump

January 20, 2016

I’ve already written one post criticizing the president of Liberty University for making imprudent comments at that school’s convocation. So I’ll leave it to others to say what’s on my mind about Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s introduction to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday: This would be hilarious if it weren't so counter to the mission of … More The Pastoral Challenge (and Opportunity) of Donald Trump

The Pietist Schoolman

The website of historian Chris Gehrz

Category: Politics