Tag: The Church

Rachel Held Evans

How Not To Speak for a Generation: Rachel Held Evans on Millennials Leaving the Church

August 1, 2013

Let me preface this post by saying that, most of the time, I’m a big fan of Rachel Held Evans. I appreciate the way she treats her blog readers as conversation partners. I enjoy that she’s the rare Christian writer who tends to come off as more self-deprecating than self-righteous. And I admire that she … More How Not To Speak for a Generation: Rachel Held Evans on Millennials Leaving the Church

“Religious, but Not Spiritual”: Jesus and the Pharisees

March 20, 2013

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned singer-songwriter Marcus Mumford’s desire to follow Jesus but distance himself from “the culture of Christianity,” a combination critiqued by UCC pastor Lillian Daniel, author of When “Spiritual but Not Religious” Is Not Enough, in a recent op-ed. She might have added that Jesus himself was deeply religious, so bound up with … More “Religious, but Not Spiritual”: Jesus and the Pharisees

Marcus Mumford

A Mainline Critique of “Spiritual, but Not Religious”

March 19, 2013

I can’t imagine that too many pastors serving a United Church of Christ congregation have had their arguments featured in multiple evangelical publications within a three-day period, but that’s what Lillian Daniel of First Congregationalist Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois accomplished earlier this month. First, Christianity Today ran a review by Andrew Byers of Daniel’s … More A Mainline Critique of “Spiritual, but Not Religious”

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

Swedish Covenant Hospital

Roger Olson on Denominations and Christian Unity

October 12, 2012

If you don’t normally read Roger Olson’s blog, check it out: he’s on a roll. I’ve probably got three or four posts to write that have been inspired by something Roger’s written, but let me start with the most recent topic: denominations. I know this will shock many people, but my attitude toward denominations is … More Roger Olson on Denominations and Christian Unity

CFH 2012 Biennial Conference

Thoughts from CFH 2012: Tracy McKenzie’s Presidential Address

October 5, 2012

Once I deliver my paper on Pietism at Bethel University tomorrow morning, my attention will shift to a different kind of writing project: an essay on the integration of learning and Christian faith in support of an application for promotion in faculty rank. I long ago decided that I was going to write my promotion … More Thoughts from CFH 2012: Tracy McKenzie’s Presidential Address

Butler Bass, Christianity after Religion

Is “Christianity after Religion” a Kind of “Neo-Pietism”?

August 9, 2012

In the current issue of my denomination’s magazine, The Covenant Companion, Jay Phelan reviews the newest book from historian Diana Butler Bass, Christianity after Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. (Alas, the review isn’t available for download at the Companion site.) As summarized by Phelan, Bass stresses that … More Is “Christianity after Religion” a Kind of “Neo-Pietism”?