This isn’t exactly how I imagined my week going, but I’m honored to be quoted at some length in this morning’s Inside Higher Ed article on the Confessing Faculty statement. Here’s a taste of Colleen Flaherty’s article, including some of what I said: Academics largely lean to the political left. It’s unsurprising, then, that so many have spoken out … More Confessing Faculty in Inside Higher Ed
As of yesterday afternoon, the Confessing Faculty statement of confession and commitment had 424 signatures from faculty and staff at seventy Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries. One of my 34 colleagues from Bethel to sign the statement was philosopher Ray VanArragon, who nonetheless had some reservations about the document. I invited him to share those concerns (and his reasons for … More A Friendly Critique of the “Confessing Faculty” Statement (Ray VanArragon)
Here… • I announced that I’d be taking some time off from blogging in order to focus on revising the manuscript for our forthcoming book on Pietism… • …then went right ahead and wrote a reflection on why I (eventually) signed the Confessing Faculty statement… • …and paid tribute to one of my favorite Pietists, Glen Wiberg (1925-2017). … More That Was The Week That Was
It’s probably getting harder to believe my earlier claim that I rarely sign petitions, now that I’ve gone ahead and done so three times since last February. But please believe me that I don’t add my name lightly to documents like this “Statement of Confession and Commitment,” signed by a growing group of “Confessing Faculty” and inspired by … More Confessing Faculty: Why I Signed (and Why I Hesitated)
Two weeks ago today, I had the chance to talk about Pietism and teaching with college and seminary faculty, staff, and administrators at North Park University in Chicago. It was the third time that I’ve been invited to another Christian college campus to reflect on themes from our 2015 book, The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education, … More God’s Glory, Neighbor’s Good: Revisiting the Pietist Vision for Christian Higher Education
Here… • A year after his memorial service, a few of his many friends paid tribute to GW Carlson. • Two short devotionals: on the importance of encouragement in Christian communities, and thoughts on Ash Wednesday. • King of All Media alert: I made a temporary return to iTunes, and video of my lecture on Pietism and evangelicalism … More That Was The Week That Was
Every day that I walk into work at Bethel University, I pass by these words from the school’s founder, John Alexis Edgren: Measure our performance by what God accomplishes through our graduates after they have been prepared at Bethel to go out into the world to serve. In general, I think that’s a wise maxim for … More Don’t (Always) Judge Christian Colleges By Their Alumni
Back in November 2012 I wondered about the economic diversity of Christian and church-related colleges and universities. “While I’m glad to see more attention being given to the treatment of women and people of color on Christian college campuses,” I wrote, “it also makes me realize how little I’ve heard us talk about a third potential … More Economic Diversity and Social Mobility at Christian Colleges
On Tuesday Jerry Falwell, Jr., the president of Liberty University, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that he’s been asked by the Trump administration to head up a task force recommending higher ed policy changes for the Department of Education. (In late November Falwell had told the Associated Press that he turned down the Secretary of Education position … More The Face of Christian Higher Education Is Not Jerry Falwell, Jr.
Coming from IVP Academic on January 16th, it’s the first must-read Christian book of 2017: Marion Larson and Sara Shady’s From Bubble to Bridge: Educating Christians for a Multifaith World! I’ll need to wait until February to read it myself — since I’ll be somewhere in Europe teaching the history of World War I — but trust me, you’re … More The First Must-Read Christian Book of 2017
The Pietist Schoolman 