Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

Last week I was part of a discussion at Bethel about what defines “the humanities.” I bit my tongue, but I was tempted to say, “A perpetual sense of crisis.” And perhaps “crisis of the humanities” talk has been overblown. I wrote a whole post about this nearly three years ago, noting historian Ben Schmidt’s finding that (aside … More Are the Humanities in Crisis at Christian Colleges?

What My Daughter Taught Me This Weekend about Courage… and Education

“This is going to be on the blog, isn’t it?” This post is about to prove my friend Will right. But honestly, as we stood in front of the climbing wall at Covenant Pines Bible Camp this past Saturday afternoon, all I could think was, “I can’t believe Lena wants to go up that thing!” My daughter is … More What My Daughter Taught Me This Weekend about Courage… and Education

6 Reasons to Watch a 40-Minute Tribute to a 30-Year Old Western Civ Course

A list, but it can’t be click-baity with this kind of bait, right? So this past Tuesday my friend Sam Mulberry and I got to co-host a special presentation in the Bethel University Library: a walk down memory lane for GES130 Christianity and Western Culture, a staple of Bethel’s gen ed curriculum for three decades now. While it was … More 6 Reasons to Watch a 40-Minute Tribute to a 30-Year Old Western Civ Course

The Liberal Arts Are Not Synonymous with Elite Private Colleges

For a couple weeks now, I’ve been meaning to circle back to a post by Muhlenberg College president John Williams that John Fea shared at his blog. I still haven’t had time to write up a full response, but I thought I’d go ahead and share what Williams wrote — and why it simultaneously encourages and … More The Liberal Arts Are Not Synonymous with Elite Private Colleges

That Was The Week That Was

Here… • What qualities should Christian voters seek in political candidates? (Thanks to Mennonite World Review for picking up this post.) • We’ll be asking what’s wrong with Christianity when we record next week’s newest episode of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast, but I suggested that I shouldn’t really try to answer that question until I’m ready to answer a … More That Was The Week That Was

“No One Is Safe”: Larycia Hawkins Responds to Wheaton

Yesterday Wheaton College announced that provost Stanton Jones had recommended the termination of tenured political science professor Larycia Hawkins. (If you’re new to the story, here was my summary and reaction in mid-December, after Hawkins was suspended.) After a faculty committee makes its own recommendation, Wheaton president Philip Ryken will then take the matter to the college’s board for … More “No One Is Safe”: Larycia Hawkins Responds to Wheaton

Are Men Leaving the Church Because It’s Insufficiently Intellectual?

I don’t normally comment on things a year after they’re published, but since a post I hadn’t noticed before was referred to me over the weekend by two different colleagues, let me offer a few thoughts on Luke Harrington’s January 2015 piece, “Baptizing ‘Masculinity’: The Real Reason Men Are Leaving the Church.” In short, Harrington suggests … More Are Men Leaving the Church Because It’s Insufficiently Intellectual?

“Thoughts and Prayers”

My thoughts and prayers are with the shooting victims and their families in San Bernardino. — Dr. Ben Carson (@RealBenCarson) December 2, 2015 In the wake of the mass shootings on Wednesday, social media was predictably filled with politicians and others saying that their “thoughts and prayers” were with the victims’ families. But that prompted a fierce … More “Thoughts and Prayers”

That Was The Week That Was

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