Here… • The situation in the CCCU came to a somewhat surprising conclusion (for the moment). I noted a few lingering questions, but will wait till Monday to offer some belated reflections on the departure of Goshen and Eastern Mennonite. • CCCU vice president of academic affairs Rick Ostrander shared his experience of that crisis, plus his … More That Was The Week That Was
In my “Body of Christ” address last week, I spent a fair amount of time trying to argue that anyone who follows the Resurrected Christ need not live in fear. For example: Do you live as a member of the body of a resurrected Christ? Or are you like the disciples? At the end of John’s account … More “Not a Christian Habit of Mind”: Marilynne Robinson on Fear
If you offered me fifteen minutes to share what’s at the heart of my belief as a Christian and how that shapes my understanding of education, I think this is the best answer I could give. It’s the text of the convocation address I delivered yesterday in the opening chapel of the 2015-2016 academic year at Bethel University. Thanks to … More The Body of Christ
I’ve been reading Andy Crouch’s Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power for about four months now and I’m barely a third of the way through it. Not because it’s bad! Quite the contrary: it’s one of those books that I have to set down every page or two because I need to think about the point being … More What We Mean When We Say We Want Christian Unity
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”
So, to complete the thought that ended yesterday’s post, is Union University president “Dub” Oliver right that “marriage is at the heart of the Gospel?” I don’t think so, and neither does theologian Kyle Roberts: The conservative Christian rhetoric about “biblical marriage” has, for quite a while now, struck me as close to idolatrous if … More If Not Marriage, What Is “At the Heart of the Gospel?”
At the end of June I had the chance to spend a few days at Rathbun Lake in southern Iowa, joining my wife’s extended family for a reunion. Of course, even on vacation I couldn’t escape my research. In a part of Iowa most famous in religious history for being part of the Mormon Trail, I turned … More Pietism as Instincts, or It’s More Than Old Churches in Rural Iowa
Here… • Three days after it went up, Mark Bruce’s guest post on Christian college conversations about sexuality was far and away the most-read post of the year at this blog. I think he struck a chord. • And my own post on the topic, expressing hope that such conversations could actually renew evangelicalism, is … More That Was The Week That Was
April 16th is finally here, which means that the first episode of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast is available on iTunes! It features my recent conversation with Roger Olson, Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics at Baylor’s Truett Seminary and author of numerous books, including The Journey of Modern Theology and Reformed and Always Reforming. Of course, Roger also contributed … More The Pietist Schoolman Podcast Debuts Today… with Roger Olson
We’ll have some new guest posts at the end of the week, but little from me while I spend Bethel’s spring break in Virginia with my parents. But it’s been a while since I’ve reposted any “best of” material, so I’ll share one from each year this blog has been published — in part to … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Emmaus Education
The Pietist Schoolman 