Tag: Bethel

Kidd & Hankins, Baptists in America

Religious Freedom: The Contested Core of Baptist Identity

June 21, 2016

In the wake of the recent Southern Baptist debate about religious freedom for Muslims — and given the larger conversation about the meaning of religious freedom in an increasingly post-Christian society — I thought I’d use this week’s Anxious Bench post to revisit something I wrote about last year: how Baptists responded to the 1960s Supreme Court rulings against … More Religious Freedom: The Contested Core of Baptist Identity

"Baylor Athletics Welcomes You to Waco" (sign in Waco Airport)

Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Football at Christian Colleges and Universities

May 26, 2016

[UPDATED, 12:30pm: Baylor announced that, as of May 31, Starr will step down as president but remain as law school professor and most likely chancellor, but Briles “has been suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate.” McCaw has been placed on probation, and unidentified members of the athletic department and administration have been fired.] Baylor University still has … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Football at Christian Colleges and Universities

Enrollment by major (as percentage of total enrollment) at Bethel University, 2009-2015

Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

May 9, 2016

Last week I was part of a discussion at Bethel about what defines “the humanities.” I bit my tongue, but I was tempted to say, “A perpetual sense of crisis.” And perhaps “crisis of the humanities” talk has been overblown. I wrote a whole post about this nearly three years ago, noting historian Ben Schmidt’s finding that (aside … More Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

Nyvall Hall at North Park University

Thursday’s Podcast: Education as Whole-Life Formation

April 28, 2016

This week I got to be a bit more of a Pietist schoolman again on our podcast, as we considered how a Pietist ethos would shape education at several levels. Things started with Sam and me talking about Bethel and revisiting some of the key themes of last year’s book on The Pietist Vision for Christian Higher Education: … More Thursday’s Podcast: Education as Whole-Life Formation

Image of a cross casting a shadow on a grave

To Be a Historian Is To Speak over Gravesides

April 25, 2016

The title of this post has been running through mind for several months now. I’m still not sure I know what to do with that idea, but I’ve been sitting on it long enough. Time to think out loud and see if anything sticks. In a figurative sense, I stand by gravesides most of the time I teach classes, write articles … More To Be a Historian Is To Speak over Gravesides

CWC 30 Cake

6 Reasons to Watch a 40-Minute Tribute to a 30-Year Old Western Civ Course

April 22, 2016

A list, but it can’t be click-baity with this kind of bait, right? So this past Tuesday my friend Sam Mulberry and I got to co-host a special presentation in the Bethel University Library: a walk down memory lane for GES130 Christianity and Western Culture, a staple of Bethel’s gen ed curriculum for three decades now. While it was … More 6 Reasons to Watch a 40-Minute Tribute to a 30-Year Old Western Civ Course

"The Embracing of Peter and Paul"

Thursday’s Podcast: A Peaceable Spirit

April 21, 2016

It’s one of the four instincts that we think defines the Pietist ethos: to trust that Christians are better together than apart. Around Bethel, it shows up as an “irenic [or peaceable] spirit” that leads us to avoid needless controversy and try to reach decisions by consensus; in the Evangelical Covenant Church, it results in our affirmation of having the … More Thursday’s Podcast: A Peaceable Spirit

Introducing My New Colleague in Ancient History and Digital Humanities

March 29, 2016

As things have turned out, this spring both Bethel University and its fellow evangelical university two miles down the road, the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, have been in the process of hiring ancient history professors. So since my friend and fellow department chair, Jonathan Den Hartog, used his blog to announce Northwestern’s hire of Prof. Jonathan … More Introducing My New Colleague in Ancient History and Digital Humanities

"Fall Rain in the Blue Ridge Mountains"

Looking Ahead to My Fall 2016 Sabbatical

March 22, 2016

Now that I’ve signed my faculty contract for next year, I think I can formally announce that I’ll be on sabbatical in fall of 2016. Having any such sabbath is a remarkable blessing — so first off, I need to thank the trustees, administration, and faculty of Bethel University for making it possible! But this one is especially exciting: Our … More Looking Ahead to My Fall 2016 Sabbatical