I’ve spent a fair amount of time this month criticizing the leaders of other Christian colleges and universities. I don’t regret the posts, but it’s certainly not the kind of thing I enjoy writing. And it risks creating the false impression that I’m deeply dissatisfied with or disillusioned by Christian higher education. So as we near the … More Why I Love Being Part of a Christian Learning Community
When Liberty University president Jerry Falwell, Jr. exhorted the audience at the school’s convocation to (legally) carry concealed weapons, it was his careless allusion to the religion of the shooters at San Bernardino that seemed to generate the most controversy: “I’ve always thought that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those … More John Piper’s Argument Against Concealed Weapons
Here… • Two big, related announcements: not only has InterVarsity Press agreed to publish my next book on Pietism, but my co-author and I will be thinking aloud about each chapter when the second season of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast debuts next month. • Can a historian be both truthful and hopeful? • I wasn’t quite buying the notion that … More That Was The Week That Was
I’ve spent a lot of time this year trying to convince Christians to live “not as a people of fear, but as a people of hope.” Just last Thursday, in the midst of my grief at losing a dear friend, I concluded that “Contemplating the possibility of Stacey’s death had deepened my conviction that the Apostle Paul was right, that those … More Truthful, Hopeful: A Christian Reflection on History
In the first four months of this year, three of my closest kith and kin were diagnosed with breast cancer. As we near the end of 2015, I’m happy to report that two of them are doing very well. But yesterday afternoon, my friend Stacey Hunter Hecht lost her battle. I’m still in enough shock that I’m not … More On Friendship (For Stacey)
Here… • Who’s an evangelical? Do they really support Syrian refugees? Or are they shockingly Islamophobic? • Oh, and remember to vote for our book — a finalist for the InterVarsity Press Readers’ Choice Awards. Congrats to our Academic Readers' Choice Award finalists! Vote now! https://t.co/HjxngGgfOE @mike_reeves @cgehrz pic.twitter.com/lDo4ZtS54s — IVP Academic (@ivpacademic) November 18, 2015 …There and Everywhere … More That Was The Week That Was
At the risk of saying what people like my former colleague Kyle Roberts have already said quite well, I’m going to share a rather personal blog post today — the first day of kindergarten for our twins. Dear Lena and Isaiah, Today I’ll try to find ways to say these things to you, but I know that … More For My Children, On Their First Day of Kindergarten
Maybe some of you appear in the news media all the time. I don’t. So in a week that’s already seen me quoted in Christianity Today‘s story about the troubling situation at North Greenville University, it’s a bit overwhelming also to see an interview with me appear on the website of my denomination’s magazine, The Covenant Companion. Reporter Stan … More New Interview on Pietism and Higher Education
I’ve got a busy morning, but before it gets started let me share a brief story about my son and what he’s taught me about fear. Isaiah is the happiest child I know… except during the last 15 minutes of any movie. He’s a pretty imaginative and empathetic kid. For the most part, that’s wonderful, but it … More “Do Not Be Afraid”
I don’t normally write blog posts in the wee hours of a Sunday morning, but I made the mistake of checking Twitter before bed and couldn’t sleep after reading this from John Mark Reynolds, the former provost of Houston Baptist University: Christian Higher Ed: years of drift, grifters, and failure to change bringing a crisis. … More A Hopeful Vision for Christian Higher Education
The Pietist Schoolman 