If things seem quiet around this blog, it’s because I’m preparing to give my first Bethel Chapel talk this Friday morning. Having taken themes from my book with Mark Pattie and taught about “Pietist options” for Evangelical Covenant, Lutheran, and Baptist churches, I’m thrilled to be invited to explain for students, colleagues, and other … More This Friday: “The Pietist Option for Bethel”
About thirty years ago, I got to know a fellow middle schooler named Kimberly Weaver. She was both smarter and funnier than me, and while we went to different schools, I was glad that church gave us twice-weekly opportunities to connect. But she went to college at Bethel, while I headed east. Coincidentally, I joined … More RIP Kimberly Weaver Olson
Another busy week as the semester starts to wind down… I talked with the director of the Minnesota Historical Society about public history, and with two of my students about hockey. I shared a talk I gave on sacramental similes for the liberal arts, and the Minnesota Prayer Breakfast got me thinking about death and … More That Was The Week That Was
God, give me an uncomplicated faith — if only for a moment. That’s what I prayed this morning as I attended the annual Minnesota Prayer Breakfast, a now 59-year tradition whose participants “gather to work and pray for unity so that they can come to know [God] and have their lives transformed by his love.” … More On Prayer, Death, and Resurrection
Here… • Why study history and other disciplines in the humanities? Because it entails intellectual and spiritual risk. • News from a Mennonite Brethren seminary dredged up memories of an important debate at my own institution. • You can watch video of my recent four-part adult class on “The Pietist Option for Baptists.” • Why … More That Was The Week That Was
Before we turn from Easter to the work week, I’ve got the privilege of concluding our devotional. Thanks for reading and sharing! So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in … More Living in Jesus Christ’s Future
As we wake to the Resurrection dawn of Easter, Mark Pattie (Lino Lakes, MN) brings our devotional near to its conclusion. Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. (John … More A New Day
In my column for the Fall/Winter 2017 issue of the journal Pietisten, I took a shot at doing something I’ve been most leery to do. Here’s how the column starts: “You need an elevator speech.” So said a friend when I announced on Facebook the publication of our book on Pietism. What she meant is that … More “Do You Believe in the Resurrection?”: My Elevator Speech for The Pietist Option
We’re into the last week of our countdown to October 3rd, when The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity hits shelves. So let me offer one more glimpse into the pages of our book: having shared the acknowledgments, let me now show everyone the book’s dedication. If you didn’t know Jim and Glen and had … More The Pietist Option Is Dedicated to…
Author and activist Shane Claiborne calls on Christians to “practice resurrection” and get in the way of death. Here’s how Christian historians do just that. … More To Be a Historian Is To Practice Resurrection
