This week I launched a Substack newsletter, devoting my first two issues to Frederick Douglass and Holocaust commemoration. Then I added a sequel here to the latter, reporting on several spots on Berlin. Elsewhere: • Singing hymns is probably my favorite spiritual discipline, but I had never thought about that practice originating in early Christian expectations of the Apocalypse. • Nor I … More That Was The Week That Was
This week: a Bethel colleague and I launched a new podcast meant to help Christians thinking about college, and I recorded an hour-long conversation about Ukraine with two other Bethel colleagues. Elsewhere: • Here’s a historical analogy I didn’t muse about in our Ukraine podcast: is Volodymyr Zelensky the 21st century version of Lajos Kossuth? • I … More That Was The Week That Was
Apart from debating the wisdom and likelihood of baseball returning by July, this week on The 252 we primarily talked about the two topics that students in History and Politics of Sports encountered in this second-to-last week of spring classes. 1. Chris talked about the history and (complicated!) politics of sports gambling, and how it’s being affected … More Thursday’s Podcast: The Future of Sports Media
I thought I was strong. I thought I could hold out. I thought I could resist one more digital distraction. But no. Earlier this week our department decided that our efforts on Facebook and Twitter were reaching alumni, but not current and prospective students. So we started an Instagram account. And so I crumbled, and … More Now on Instagram!
Two weeks until The Pietist Option hits shelves! And I know that our publisher has already been sending out some pre-ordered and promotional copies. So as it starts to find its way into the hands of readers, let me suggest a few ways that you can help Mark and me spread the word about a book whose … More How You Can Help Spread the Word about The Pietist Option
Last week I reflected on my concerns about social media like Twitter and Facebook, and explained why I ultimately agreed with historian Tommy Kidd that scholars can make good use of them. But as a counterpoint, let me share a bit of what Tyler Wigg-Stevenson wrote (the same day as my post) in explaining his … More A Second Opinion on Quitting Social Media
More than at any time in the last five years, I’ve been thinking of quitting social media. A lot of this is driven by the unpleasant experience of the presidential campaign, and the immediate aftermath of the election. Far from creating a more robust kind of democratic discourse, in which a broader array of citizens … More Quit Social Media?
Here… • Can a Pietist institution redefine and renew Christian higher education? That’s the plan. • Advice of the week to churches: don’t overlook college professors when filling leadership positions. • Thanks again to Devin Manzullo-Thomas for joining us on this week’s Pietist Schoolman Podcast! • The polls are still open this weekend if you’d like to vote for a … More That Was The Week That Was
10/9/14 – Readers interested by my posts last week on the biennial meeting of the Conference on Faith and History (CFH) may want to follow CFH as it ventures into the world of social media. In addition to an updated website, CFH now has a Twitter handle (@faithandhistory) and Facebook page. And look for at least one … More CFH on Social Media
Part two of my recap of the 2014 Conference on Faith and History meetings, held last week at Pepperdine University. Part one covered sessions from Friday morning on teaching and public memory. Friday afternoon plenary: “Heritage Religion and the Mormons” Having arrived too late on Thursday night to attend Allen Guelzo’s conference-opening address in the … More CFH 2014: Heritage Religion and Social Media
The Pietist Schoolman 