Category: Talks & Sermons

First Covenant Minneapolis

Coming This Sunday… Two Pietists, Two First Covenant Churches

April 26, 2018

Within our denomination, one of my favorite theologians and writers is Jay Phelan, former president, dean, and professor at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. I’m happy to claim him as a fellow Covenanter — and a fellow Pietist. His longstanding column in Pietisten is called “A Pietist’s Bookshelf,” and Pietism comes up often in his regular contributions to … More Coming This Sunday… Two Pietists, Two First Covenant Churches

Lindbergh with a fellow pilot in the South Pacific

Some Updates on My Charles Lindbergh Project

April 10, 2018

Among other things, taking a February-March break from this blog gave me some more time to devote to my new research project: a “spiritual, but not religious biography” of Charles A. Lindbergh. Most importantly, I got to spend hour after spring break hour in the Weyerhaueser Reading Room at the Minnesota Historical Society, going through … More Some Updates on My Charles Lindbergh Project

Gehrz & Pattie, The Pietist Option

What’s Next for The Pietist Option?

April 3, 2018

Hard to believe, but today marks exactly six months since The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity, my book with Mark Pattie, officially came out. In that half-year, The Pietist Option has sold far more copies than the other books I’ve been part of, been reviewed by Christianity Today (very positively) and The Gospel Coalition (less so), been given … More What’s Next for The Pietist Option?

Scarsellino's painting of the cleansing of the Temple

The Path to Renewal: Be a Priest! (John 2:13-22)

March 5, 2018

Let me suspend my Lenten hiatus just long enough to share the text of the sermon I delivered yesterday at Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton, Minnesota. It was the fourth in a “Path to Renewal” series inspired by The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity, with my co-author — and Salem’s senior pastor … More The Path to Renewal: Be a Priest! (John 2:13-22)

Valdes, Ascension of Elijah

Set Down Your Mantle

February 12, 2018

Thanks to Cheryll Fong, Joyce Denham, Pastor Matt Kennedy, and all my other wonderful hosts this past weekend at Minneapolis’ Bethlehem Covenant Church. We discussed the Pietist Option on Friday night and Saturday morning, then I preached this sermon on 2 Kings 2:1-15 at worship services on Sunday. Don’t let anyone tell you that God … More Set Down Your Mantle

Bethlehem Covenant Church

Always Reforming: Next Weekend’s Seminar on The Pietist Option

February 2, 2018

If you live in the Twin Cities — or want to capitalize on some post-Super Bowl deals and pay us a visit next weekend — please consider attending the Winter Seminar at Bethlehem Covenant Church in Minneapolis on February 9-11. I’ll be preaching at both services that Sunday, with the bulk of the seminar itself … More Always Reforming: Next Weekend’s Seminar on The Pietist Option

Bethlehem Covenant Church

Where You Can Hear Me Speak (and Preach!) This Winter

January 4, 2018

I don’t understand how actual big shot author types survive authentic speaking tours. I’m only averaging one Pietist Option-related event per month from January through March, and even that’s enough to make me feel tired. But then, that’s partly because I’m not only teaching about Pietism, but giving sermons at three different churches. It’s been a … More Where You Can Hear Me Speak (and Preach!) This Winter

View from the wharf in Coupeville, WA

Where You Can Hear Us Speak on The Pietist Option

September 12, 2017

Three weeks and counting until The Pietist Option hits bookshelves! I’m marking the occasion in SeaTac International Airport, waiting for my flight home after my first visit to the Pacific Northwest. Hard to imagine a better introduction to a region than one that offers these kinds of views: I was on Whidbey Island to give two talks … More Where You Can Hear Us Speak on The Pietist Option