This week I shared a Pentecost reflection inspired (in part) by George Floyd and explained why academic freedom is deeply rooted in Bethel’s religious heritage. Elsewhere: • My Bethel colleague Sara Shady filled in for me at The Anxious Bench with a powerful reflection on the Floyd protests and riots in light of some words from Martin … More That Was The Week That Was
I’m eager to crack open Turning Points in the History of American Evangelicalism, edited by Heath Carter and Laura Rominger Porter and featuring a who’s who of American religious historians. Dedicated to Mark Noll, the book “seeks to both honor and build upon his contributions” via Noll’s own concept of “turning points.” I summarized it last year in a … More Was 2016 a Turning Point in the History of Evangelicalism?
Here… • One thing that everyone in this terribly divided country should be able to agree on: my dad is a terrific guy. • Very high on the list of things I never thought I’d blog about: alleged “demonic activity” at a presidential rally. • It’s getting harder and harder to buy the argument that white … More That Was The Week That Was
So is Messiah College history professor John Fea correct that “Enrollments in humanities fields — history, philosophy, literature, theology — at evangelical colleges have experienced a precipitous decline over the last decade”? Last week I looked at my own institution to begin to offer an answer to that question. But I admitted that I didn’t … More Quantifying the Crisis in Humanities at Christian Colleges
On Sunday I’ll be back at Calvary Church in Roseville, MN, teaching the second of six classes in an adult Sunday School series entitled “Turning Points: Global Christianity in the 20th Century.” As I explained to everyone last Sunday, I’m borrowing a concept from Mark Noll, who suggests that “One of the most interesting ways to grasp … More What Are Turning Points in the Global History of Christianity in the 20th Century?
I couldn’t quite maintain the standards of academic decorum when I saw that the newest issue of Books & Culture included my first piece for the best Christian cultural review around. The sports expression “Act like you’ve been there before” comes to mind… But hey, it’s the 20th anniversary issue! And my name is even on the cover! And they … More Look Who’s in Books and Culture!
Any new issue of Fides et Historia is a cause for celebration, but the Winter/Spring 2015 iteration of the journal of the Conference on Faith and History (CFH) is truly an embarrassment of riches. Reflections on the Incarnation and on mystery, a special review of my former Bethel colleague Steve Keillor’s approach to providential history, anniversary responses … More Updating My Contribution to the New Issue of Fides et Historia
Not long after our panel on social media concluded, the Smothers Theater at Pepperdine University began to fill in, as Conference on Faith and History members gathered for what was clearly the most prominent (or, at least, most-tweeted) concurrent session of the meeting: Closing the afternoon with a discussion of David Bebbington's work on the … More CFH 2014: 25 Years of the Bebbington Quadrilateral
Later today I’ll be flying to southern California to join fellow members of the Conference on Faith and History (CFH) at its biennial meeting, held this year on the lovely campus of Pepperdine University. Now, I’d be excited simply to exchange the weather of St. Paul, MN for that of Malibu, CA for a couple days, … More Headed to the Conference on Faith and History!
The second half of my paper delivered last week at the Evangelical Theological Society, arguing for a more international and transnational approach to the history of evangelicalism. A Global Reflex in Evangelical Historiography Earlier this year the newsletter of the American Historical Association (AHA) published a study by Luke Clossey and Nicholas Guyatt finding that, … More The Global Reflex: An International Historian Appraises David Swartz’s Moral Minority (part 2)
The Pietist Schoolman 