If you read this blog on a regular basis, I hope you’ve generally come away feeling like I’m an optimistic, cheerful, goodhearted person who does none harm, says none harm, thinks none harm. But if you’ve occasionally perceived cracks in that facade, as hints of cynicism, bitterness, and misanthropy seep into my writing… Well, I should explain: I’m … More How To Survive Being a Vikings Fan
Here… • One Baptist political scientist paid tribute to another, as G.W. Carlson celebrated the legacy of Walfred H. Peterson. • Even more interesting than anything that I put in my post about changes in Winter Olympic records over time was this nugget passed along by a former student: when Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer … More That Was The Week That Was
“Following Up” is a kind of semi-rerun that I do from time to time: freshening up an older post with just a bit of new content or reflection. This one goes back to late February 2013: If you’re like me, you emerged from the Christmas special that served as the final episode of the third … More Following Up: Downton and Sherlock
Here… • Are Christian colleges facing financial crises because doctrinal “drift” has cost them the support of churches? (And if it has, is that the cost of doing business?) • I’m not sure I could stand listening to me say anything more about a crisis in Christian higher ed… But if you feel differently, head … More That Was The Week That Was
If you’re like me, you emerged from the Christmas special that served as the final episode of the third series of Downton Abbey with two questions: 1. What kind of a tacked-on, half-baked ending was THAT?!?! I’ll never watch again! (aloud) 2. When does the next series start? (unspoken) Answers: 1. It’s Christmas show tradition, says … More Life after Downton: A Survival Guide
Here… • I don’t know if Frederick Buechner actually runs his own Twitter account or not, but regardless, it was an honor to have him (or “him”) retweet my post on balancing multiple callings, the first in a series on “The Vocation of a Christian Historian.” (From an essay I wrote over Christmas that drew … More That Was The Week That Was
One more post about British TV as I continue to reprise some posts from recent months during this mini-hiatus coinciding with Bethel’s Spring Break: my defense of Downton Abbey against withering criticism from one of Britain’s most popular historians. Downton has been back on my mind of late, after my wife and I watched its antecedent, the … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Downton Crabby
Here • Hi, my name’s Chris, and I’m an eclectic. • I managed to get in one more post about museums (two good ones in London)… • …but instead of finishing that series (as I keep promising), I got curious about the history of presidential memorials in Washington, DC — and the controversies attending them. … More That Was The Week That Was
Earlier this month the popular British historian Simon Schama took to the pages of Newsweek to write a withering attack on the British TV series Downton Abbey — and even more, on Americans’ obsession with it — as its second series began to air on PBS. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T BEEN WATCHING I … More Downton Crabby
It’s good to be back blogging full-time after a quiet December and a total hiatus the first half of January. Somehow we kept getting a steady number of hits during that period, to the point that we’ll actually be welcoming our 15,000th visitor sometime today! Thanks to everyone for reading!! What you might have missed … More That Was The Week That Was
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