Tag: Memoirs

Some of the endorsements on the back cover of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

Pietist Vision Previews: “Pietist not just in content but tone”

December 30, 2014

I’m still a bit staggered that scholars as gifted as John Fea, Rhonda and Douglas Jacobsen, John Schmalzbauer, and Amos Yong would think highly enough of our book on Pietism and Christian higher education to endorse it. But my heart was specially warmed that Houghton College president Shirley Mullen focused so much of her endorsement on how the book was written: … More Pietist Vision Previews: “Pietist not just in content but tone”

Los Angeles Crusade tent in 1949

Unbroken: The Meaning of Conversion

December 24, 2014

Whatever concerns I have about how Angelina Jolie brings Louie Zamperini’s story to the screen, I’m less interested in discouraging movie-going than in encouraging book-buying. If you haven’t read it yet, I heartily recommend Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, based on extensive primary source research and numerous interviews with Zamperini (who died earlier this year, four after the book came … More Unbroken: The Meaning of Conversion

Worthen, Apostles of Reason

That Was The Week That Was

December 7, 2013

Here… • Rest in peace, Nelson Mandela. • Would Pietists have embraced C.S. Lewis as much as evangelicals, Catholics, Mormons, and others have? • Can Christian churches (and colleges) tackle the challenge of becoming multi-ethnic if they haven’t learned to bridge differences within racially similar communities (e.g., class and gender)? (See also Ed Stetzer’s reflection … More That Was The Week That Was

Best Christian Book bracket

March Madness: The Best Christian Book of All Time?

March 22, 2013

When Marquette pulled out a last-second win over Davidson and Butler turned back a late Bucknell rally, I lost two of the upsets I’d predicted in my NCAA men’s basketball bracket. (And I clearly should have had more faith in my graduate alma mater’s conference!) Adding more evidence to counter the notion that human beings … More March Madness: The Best Christian Book of All Time?

Applebaum, Iron Curtain

The Best History (and Religion) Books of 2012?

November 27, 2012

It’s late November, which means that newspapers and periodicals are starting to put out their “Best of 2012” lists. Here are the works of scholarly and popular history (and some historical fiction) that have shown up on “Best Books” lists produced by Publishers Weekly (PW), The Washington Post (WP), and Britain’s The Guardian. For each, … More The Best History (and Religion) Books of 2012?

Jesus Saves Sign

Best of The Pietist Schoolman: The Potluck Church

October 29, 2012

While I catch up on grading some overdue midterms… Enjoy one of the reflections I wrote after reading Lauren Winner’s Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis this past summer. As you might guess from the title, Lauren Winner spends plenty of time alone with her thoughts in Still, but it doesn’t usually take more than … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: The Potluck Church

Pie Social

Reflections on Lauren Winner’s Still: The Potluck Church

July 26, 2012

Today: a second reflection inspired by Lauren Winner’s Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis. Read the first here. As you might guess from the title, Lauren Winner spends plenty of time alone with her thoughts in Still, but it doesn’t usually take more than a page or two before a relative or friend or pastor … More Reflections on Lauren Winner’s Still: The Potluck Church

Williamsburg Baptist Church

My Churches: A Spiritual Travelogue (part 2)

March 16, 2012

Today I’ll continue my recollection of the churches that I’ve called home over the years. (See part 1 here.) While the congregations of my childhood and adolescence in the Twin Cities were all members of the Evangelical Covenant Church, deciding to attend the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia meant that I didn’t … More My Churches: A Spiritual Travelogue (part 2)