Aside from recommending some Christmas shopping for history buffs (have you heard that I have a book coming out on Monday?), I took the week off from blogging to do some more work on the Lindbergh manuscript and enjoy a rare chance to cook the entire Thanksgiving meal myself. Here’s some of what I was … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I examined how Americans have prayed for elections, dug into the college majors of American presidents, and recorded a podcast about the future of sports at American colleges and universities. Elsewhere: • My daughter had to do a unit on the Electoral College in social studies this week. She’s not the only one wondering … More That Was The Week That Was
Like most everyone else, I’ve found it hard to tear my attention away from the unfolding election drama. That story is obviously important, but today I’m here to provide some measure of distraction, with a couple of posts having absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or the future of American democracy. First, … More Friday’s Podcast: College Sports after COVID
This week I wrote about the difference between Swedish and American evangelicalism. And while I didn’t quite keep up my daily devotional pace to end October, I did reflect on Jesus as Messiah, the challenge of perfection, and the political implications of Martin Luther’s least favorite epistle. Elsewhere: • The “state of a polarized nation” … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I celebrated my birthday by looking at pandemic-inspired gospel-blues songs, and my October devotional series ranged from a song of Moses to a psalm of David to the Apocalypse of John. Elsewhere: • I don’t share all of the theological presuppositions that undergird John Piper’s barely veiled critique of Donald Trump, but you have … More That Was The Week That Was
Part of the power — and problem — of the psalms is that they were written in a certain context for a certain people at a certain time… but speak to, and for, other people living at other times in other contexts. Psalm 63 is described as being written by David “when he was in … More The With-God Life: “A Dry and Weary Land”
This week I interviewed Jay Phelan about his new book on the history and theology of Judaism, and wrote devotional reflections about Bible books as obscure as 3rd John and Jude and as familiar as Psalms and Matthew. Elsewhere: • Over this summer of COVID, most of my socializing has been outdoors. But what will we … More That Was The Week That Was
Some weeks it feels like most of what I do is deliver bad news. Well, not “news” — but old stories from the dismal past: nuclear crises and mutually assured destruction are coming up tomorrow in Cold War; on Monday morning my freshman seminar studied apocalyptic themes in post-World War I art; and this morning, the … More The With-God Life: “The Lord Was Very Angry”
This week I wrote devotionals about everything from celebration to suffering, plus a Graham Greene novel, and I invited four Anxious Bench colleagues to share their experience of teaching under COVID. Elsewhere: • While undergraduate enrollments have declined less than expected, the pandemic does seem to be depopulating another kind of educational institution: public schools. • Conservative … More That Was The Week That Was
This week I started a new series of devotional reflections on the daily lectionary and considered how evangelicals might react to President Trump’s reportedly dim view of military service. Elsewhere: • Ron Sider, Rich Mouw, John Perkins, Brenda Salter McNeil, Joel Hunter, and Richard Foster were just some of the pro-life Christians who this week endorsed … More That Was The Week That Was
The Pietist Schoolman 