Best of The Pietist Schoolman: A Brief History of Patriotism in American Hymnals

Now that we’re into the academic year and I’m both busier and readership is up, I thought I’d ease into the week by reposting a couple of pieces that you might have missed during the warmer months. I’ll start with a three-part series from July. Which patriotic hymns are most popular? Have they changed over … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: A Brief History of Patriotism in American Hymnals

Announcing a New Issue of The Covenant Quarterly on Pietism

I’m honored to announce the publication of a theme issue of The Covenant Quarterly, guest edited by my colleague Christian Collins Winn and myself, that features articles on the historical and contemporary significance of Pietism. If you’re not familiar with it, The Covenant Quarterly is published by the Evangelical Covenant Church through its seminary, North … More Announcing a New Issue of The Covenant Quarterly on Pietism

“Of thee I sing”: A Brief History of Patriotism in American Hymnals (part 3)

By far the most popular American patriotic hymn is Samuel Francis Smith’s “America,” appearing in over 1600 of the hymnals indexed at Hymnary.org — nearly four times as many as Katharine Lee Bates’ “America the Beautiful” and Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” five times more than Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner.” And … More “Of thee I sing”: A Brief History of Patriotism in American Hymnals (part 3)

Will D. Campbell: A Radical Baptist Peacemaker (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

Our favorite guest eulogist, G.W. Carlson, is back to pay tribute to another member of his cloud of witnesses: the Baptist minister and civil rights activist Will Campbell, who died earlier this month. In the first of a two-part post, G.W. characterizes Campbell as a “radical Baptist” influenced by Anabaptists. On June 4 I received … More Will D. Campbell: A Radical Baptist Peacemaker (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

Behold, I Make All Things Old: Hope, Simplicity, and Amish Baseball

I’m a Christian, a baseball fan, and someone who absolutely loathes practical jokes. Which makes this April 1 about two-thirds of the way to being a sensational day. Setting aside the fooling that I’ll hope to avoid, today’s combination of Easter Monday with major league baseball’s opening day underscores what E.J. Dionne (quoting from a … More Behold, I Make All Things Old: Hope, Simplicity, and Amish Baseball

“Jesus within us”: Pietism in the Brethren in Christ Church

I linked to it on Saturday, but the Spring 2013 issue of In Part, the denominational magazine of the Brethren in Christ Church (BIC), deserves its own spotlight here, since it focuses on Pietism. It’s the second in a series of four special issues, each focused on the four theological traditions that have shaped the … More “Jesus within us”: Pietism in the Brethren in Christ Church

A Pietist-Spiritualist Corrective to Anabaptism

Thanks to Brian Gumm for drawing my attention to a recent post by Joshua Brockway, a minister in the Church of the Brethren, considering how the Pietist half of the COB’s heritage contributes a “spiritualist corrective” to its Anabaptist half. As I continue to prepare my comments for this weekend’s seminar, Pious Wishes and Better … More A Pietist-Spiritualist Corrective to Anabaptism