Here… • I found some more evidence of the Pietist impact on American religious history. • Indexing the Bible verses cited in our new book made me wonder again about the place of the Old Testament in Christian theology. • One particular Hebrew scripture has been especially formative for Christians living in exile, from 16th … More That Was The Week That Was
Here… • You can add “fledgling Charles Lindbergh biographer” to my résumé. • If you want to see the Pietist option in practice, visit an Evangelical Covenant congregation like Abbey Way of Minneapolis, MN or Vox Veniae of Austin, TX. • Coming across an essay by the ECC’s “first female theologian” helped me think through … More That Was The Week That Was
Last Friday I took issue with Vice President Mike Pence’s commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy, in part because he exhorted graduates to “Follow the chain of command without exception. Submit yourselves, as the saying goes, to the authorities that have been placed above you.” His allusion to Romans 13:1-2 (or 1 Peter 2:13-14) got … More Public Uses of Romans 13 in American History
I don’t regret participating in our national angsting over the presidential election, but I can’t say it’s been much fun. So before diving back into that mess, I thought I’d toss off something vastly less serious: a few of the things in life — other than my family — that I’m currently enjoying. Or, a few … More A Few of My Favorite Things, or America’s Already Pretty Great
I had intended to write a series of these “dispatches,” and I still might have one or two more things to add before we head back to Minnesota. But for now, I put together a few observations about our time in one of the most strongly pro-Trump parts of the country. For my fall sabbatical, my … More Dispatches from Trump Country: The Past and Politics
6/26/15 – Look who’s taking over C-SPAN: it’s Pietist Schoolman guest-blogger Jared Burkholder, speaking about religious pacifists during the American Revolution. Jared points to the diversity in responses from the Moravians, Mennonites, Brethren, and other “peace church” traditions — several rooted in Pietism. (Incidentally, I had wondered aloud about this topic way back in a 2012 blog post … More Jared on C-SPAN: Pacifists in the American Revolution
Here… • Announcements: Books & Culture is alive and kicking; Efrem Smith took a new job; the U.S. News Best Colleges report came out and it’s still ridiculous. That is all. • Not exactly the finest hour for either Britain or France: the Phoney War of 1939-1940. And WWII would get worse for both countries … More That Was The Week That Was
Quick: name a really good movie about the American Revolution. Not so easy, is it? In the recent “Real to Reel” episode of the podcast BackStory (H/T John Fea), historian Mark Peterson pointed out how little attention this significant episode in American history has drawn from filmmakers and how lousy most of the rare attempts … More Which Modern War Has Yielded the Best Movies? (part 1)
Here • As more and more universities seek to develop online programs, will education become interchangeable with “infotainment”? And am I just making things worse with one of my summer projects? • Entries F and G in my Albums A to Z series took me into the genres of country and gospel. • Wrestling with … More That Was The Week That Was
That’s the question asked by political scientist Tony Gill on his podcast, Research on Religion, of three Christian scholars familiar with religion and politics in 18th century America: Gregg Frazer (The Master’s College), Jonathan Den Hartog (Northwestern College, MN), and Mark David Hall (George Fox University). More specifically, he asked each: “As a Christian in … More Should Christians Have Fought in the U.S. War of Independence?
The Pietist Schoolman 