That Was The Week That Was

Here… • I had to remind myself that there’s more to “Christian higher ed” than one organization wrestling with its membership criteria. • Former Eastern Mennonite and CCCU president Myron Augsburger spoke up. • Another distinguished Christian college figure reviewed our Pietism/higher ed book. • And I shared the surprising story of three Japanese-Americans who came … More That Was The Week That Was

West by Midwest 2015

5/20/15 – For the third year in a row, this afternoon I’ll spend part of my Study Day taking part in West by Midwest, a gathering of Bethel University folks who want to share innovative ideas for teaching and course design. I’ll be reporting on my experience teaching our new Intro to History course as a hybrid, blending face-to-face seminar … More West by Midwest 2015

The Pietist Schoolman Podcast Debuts Today… with Roger Olson

April 16th is finally here, which means that the first episode of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast is available on iTunes! It features my recent conversation with Roger Olson, Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics at Baylor’s Truett Seminary and author of numerous books, including The Journey of Modern Theology and Reformed and Always Reforming. Of course, Roger also contributed … More The Pietist Schoolman Podcast Debuts Today… with Roger Olson

Have You Seen Our Department Webisode Yet?

If not, this week is a great time to check in with Past & Presence, the weekly webisode series that Sam Mulberry and I have been producing with our colleagues and students in the Bethel University History Department. Today’s episode — #9 — is just packed with good stuff: As usual, I moderate everything with interstitial clips in … More Have You Seen Our Department Webisode Yet?

That Was The Week That Was

Here… Thanks to everyone who responded to our “comment drive” questions: • Which movies are most historically accurate? (And how important is that?) • What’s your favorite biography? • Why is the Civil War so fascinating, 150 years later? …There and Everywhere • One source sustaining my fascination with that conflict is the New York Times‘ Disunion blog, which recently pointed … More That Was The Week That Was

Am I “Making Religious Believers” Out of My Students? (part 2)

Okay, let’s go back to Wesleyan University president Michael Roth’s claim that while he wants his students (even fellow secularists) to engage with religious ideas and feelings, he certainly isn’t “trying to make a religious believer out of anybody.” But as a Christian historian — and as a professor at a Christian college — aren’t … More Am I “Making Religious Believers” Out of My Students? (part 2)

Am I “Making Religious Believers” Out of My Students? (part 1)

One of the ablest defenders of the liberal arts, in a time when many question their value, is Wesleyan University president Michael Roth. Indeed, before becoming an administrator, Roth was trained as an intellectual historian, and he still finds time to teach in that field. Last month he wrote an essay for the Wall Street Journal probing his students’ hesitation whenever he … More Am I “Making Religious Believers” Out of My Students? (part 1)

That Was The Week That Was

Here… • The most interesting sailor, Civil War veteran, painter, linguist, pastor, theologian, and university founder you’ve never heard of had a birthday. • Can Christians rehabilitate the word “piety“? • Our WWI trip: twenty-one days in Europe in just eleven photos. • Video footage from that trip featured in the latest webisode from our department. … More That Was The Week That Was

That Was The Week That Was

Here… • Our department’s weekly webisode series, Past & Presence, premiered on Wednesday. (Despite the best attempts of the Conference on Faith and History Facebook page to put us in competition, John Fea was gracious enough to plug our webisodes at his blog. And congrats to John for his Why Study History? getting such prominent attention from the American Historical Association!) • … More That Was The Week That Was