This week I shared a Lenten devotional that I created with colleagues on the Bethel faculty — one that made me think of former Bethel president George Brushaber, whose memorial service was last Sunday — and I took my turn to write the lead essay in our Following Jesus conversation, “A Week in the Life of … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I reported on my adult Sunday School class about evangelicalism and checked in on how Lutherans follow Jesus, while a couple of student journalists at Bethel wrote about me and my new book… which was reviewed in Front Porch Republic and the Portland (ME) Press Herald. Elsewhere: • If you’re not already reading … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I revisited a mid-1950s Bethel talk about Pietism and considered whether a university like ours can truly satisfy all of its external constituents. Elsewhere: • My favorite post this week at The Anxious Bench found David Swartz visiting thriving churches in a northeastern city that white evangelicals tend to view as highly secular. • I’ve … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I explained the dedication to my new book, introduced a new seminar I’m teaching in the fall, and explored a religious consequence of America entering WWI. Elsewhere: • Either to read right now, or to save for the 20th anniversary of 9/11: this wonderfully reported long-form piece on that tragedy’s effects on one family … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I celebrated my 10th anniversary of blogging, and a vacation on Lake Superior made me reflect on the importance of historical complexity. Elsewhere… • It’s always good to see your own country through other eyes, like those of the BBC journalist who wrote that, “in modern-day America, there is no such thing as a … More That Was The Week That Was
Apart from a Friday post on Alan Jacobs’ book, Breaking Bread with the Dead, I took it easy this week. Elsewhere: • I’m happy to report that I got my second Moderna shot on Friday. Meanwhile, vaccine skepticism and hesitancy lives on in rural America, for a variety of reasons. • One effect of COVID was that … More That Was The Week That Was
Although I just wrote a biography about a man dedicated to the art of practical joking, I can’t stand April Fool’s Day. Because even if I were clever enough to come up with hilarious practical jokes, I’d feel guilty about making other people to look foolish. But driving to work today, it struck me that … More In Praise of Folly
This week I shared video of my first Lindbergh book talk and considered whether we’re seeing a realignment of American Christianity along lines other than the mainline-evangelical divide. Elsewhere: • If you liked my post last weekend on the history of religious colleges in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, you’ll want to read pieces by Benjamin … More That Was The Week That Was
After a busy start to the New Year, I gave The Pietist Schoolman a week off and worked on syllabi for the spring semester. But elsewhere, I reviewed a new Winston Churchill biography for Christianity Today and convened a group of Anxious Bench contributors to suggest books that serve as important artifacts and analyses of … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I interviewed a political scientist colleague about the Jan. 6 insurrection, endorsed a statement on that event by a group of Christian historians, considered the historical context for political appeals to Ecclesiastes 3, and mentioned a few of the other Minnesotans who play roles in my Charles Lindbergh biography. Elsewhere: • I’m not sure … More That Was The Week That Was
The Pietist Schoolman 