Bethel – Page 18 – The Pietist Schoolman

Zwemer Hall at Northwestern College (IA)

Declining Denominational Support for Evangelical Colleges?

September 17, 2013

To what degree do Protestant denominations continue to support the colleges and universities they founded? Even setting aside schools whose historic Christian identities are now nominal, what of institutions in a consortium like the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU)? While some of its best-known members are nondenominational (e.g., Wheaton, Westmont, Gordon, Taylor), most … More Declining Denominational Support for Evangelical Colleges?

Bethel, the BGC, and the Decline of Denominational Financial Support for Christian Higher Education

September 16, 2013

There are lots of factors contributing to the financial crises afflicting higher education in general and my employer in particular. However, since Bethel is a Christian college that has retained more than a nominal relationship with its founding denomination, I’ve sometimes wondered just how changes in Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference) have affected our situation. … More Bethel, the BGC, and the Decline of Denominational Financial Support for Christian Higher Education

Terrell and Bruce, The Anglo-Scottish Border and the Shaping of Identity, 1300-1600

A Baptist Pietist University Gets Medieval

September 10, 2013

You wouldn’t expect a Baptist Pietist university in the American Midwest to be anything remotely like a hotbed for interest in the Middle Ages, but there’s been a mini-revival of matters medieval here at Bethel University. Leading the charge is church historian Chris Armstrong, who has branched out from his interests in Wesleyan and Holiness … More A Baptist Pietist University Gets Medieval

The Christian Liberal Arts as Spiritual Retreat

August 28, 2013

I’m about to head up to the second and final day of Bethel‘s annual faculty retreat, a venerable tradition meant to help us reconnect after a summer away, engage in some professional development (e.g., yesterday I sat in on a session about open access publishing and digital humanities), hear from our leaders, and worship together. … More The Christian Liberal Arts as Spiritual Retreat

Abby Stocker on Worship Spaces

August 14, 2013

8/14/13 – This past spring the achievements of a Bethel English major named Abby Stocker inspired me to write a tribute to our students. This summer Abby has been interning at Christianity Today, and today posted an excellent essay at CT’s Her.meneutics blog reflecting on why “Our worship spaces matter.”

Welcome Back, Chris Armstrong

July 31, 2013

7/31/13 – Glad to see my colleague Chris Armstrong return to blogging after taking some time to focus on leading Bethel’s Work with Purpose initiative. (Look for a new Patheos channel on faith and work from Chris and team, later this year.) He started off by sharing a couple of passages from the current draft … More Welcome Back, Chris Armstrong

Harding, "Cleaning Out Boche Machine Gun Nest"

That Was The Week That Was

July 13, 2013

Here… • “Groaning” for the kingdom of God as a spiritual practice: Christian Collins Winn on Blumhardt Pietism and social justice. • Examining the waxing and waning popularity of America’s favorite patriotic hymns. • Almost a hundred years later, World War I is still adding to its death toll. • John Calvin doesn’t look a … More That Was The Week That Was

How Financially Sustainable Are Christian Colleges?

June 27, 2013

“Higher education in the United States is at a tipping point.” So conclude Jeff Denneen and Tom Dretler in their 2012 paper, “The financially sustainable university” — one in a series of “Bain Briefs,” as it was produced by Bain & Co., with Sterling Partners (management consulting and private equity firms, respectively). Noting some of … More How Financially Sustainable Are Christian Colleges?

Pietist Idea of a Christian College word cloud

Thoughts on The Pietist Idea of a Christian College

June 17, 2013

As I mentioned in passing here, I spent last Wednesday and Thursday facilitating a workshop at Bethel University: “The Pietist Idea of a Christian College.” Twelve current Bethel colleagues, two former faculty back as guest speakers — theologian Roger Olson (Baylor University’s Truett Seminary) and philosopher David Williams (Azusa Pacific University’s High Sierra Program) — … More Thoughts on The Pietist Idea of a Christian College

Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

June 13, 2013

As mentioned here last week, Virgil Olson, a longtime professor at what’s now Bethel University and the leading historian of what used to be the Baptist General Conference, died last Tuesday at age 96. His friend G.W. Carlson offered to share this two-part tribute with readers of this blog. (Previously, GW has contributed essays on … More Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

The Pietist Schoolman

The website of historian Chris Gehrz

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