Virgil Olson – The Pietist Schoolman

“Antipathy to authoritarian forms”: An Interpretation of Pietism from Mid-1950s Bethel

September 22, 2021

One benefit of participating in the Following Jesus conversation this year is that I’ve been prompted to dig back into a variety of sources from what we’re calling “The Pietist Tradition.” One that recently arrived in my mailbox is From Head to Heart: A Compendium of the Theology of Philipp Jakob Spener. Edited by K. … More “Antipathy to authoritarian forms”: An Interpretation of Pietism from Mid-1950s Bethel

The Pietist Option for Bethel (Luke 24)

November 11, 2019

Here’s the text of my Chapel talk at Bethel University last Friday morning. I’ll skip past some of the introductory remarks — mostly clarifying that Pietism, lamentably, has nothing to do with pie — and get right into the biblical passage for the talk. I explained that Luke 24 is what G.W. Carlson had urged … More The Pietist Option for Bethel (Luke 24)

Cover of The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education

Staying Christ-Centered: A Pietist Perspective (My Remarks to the Christian College Consortium)

September 24, 2014

The last two days I was honored to take part in a Christian College Consortium (CCC) gathering at Wheaton College. Our delegation from Bethel was assigned to help lead the Tuesday morning discussion, of what it means for colleges and universities to stay Christ-centered. I’m grateful to our president, Jay Barnes, for inviting me to prepare some remarks stemming from … More Staying Christ-Centered: A Pietist Perspective (My Remarks to the Christian College Consortium)

Screen shot of the new Baptist Pietist Clarion website

The New Online Home of The Baptist Pietist Clarion

May 19, 2014

Readers interested in Pietism, Baptists, social justice, Christian spirituality, religious liberty, or Bethel University should head over to the brand new website for The Baptist Pietist Clarion, edited by my friend G.W. Carlson. Clarion issues have been available for download for several years now, but they were hosted by a page at a now-outdated version of our department’s website. … More The New Online Home of The Baptist Pietist Clarion

In the Fall/Winter 2013 Issue of Pietisten…

December 18, 2013

In part because it only happens twice a year, but mostly because I appreciate its aims and quality, the arrival of the Fall/Winter 2013 issue of the newsletter Pietisten made for a good start to finals week. As always, there’s a lot of diverse content to savor in this issue, let me just note a … More In the Fall/Winter 2013 Issue of Pietisten…

The July 2013 Baptist Pietist Clarion

July 8, 2013

7/8/13 – Readers of this blog will likely enjoy The Baptist Pietist Clarion, an annual newsletter edited by occasion Pietist Schoolman contributor G.W. Carlson. Its newest issue is now available for download: in addition to several pieces on Martin Luther King, Jr., it includes Jonathan Larson’s eulogy for Virgil Olson, the Baptist historian paid tribute … More The July 2013 Baptist Pietist Clarion

Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 2

June 14, 2013

GW Carlson’s tribute to the late Virgil Olson continues today. While the first part focused on Virgil’s understanding of the Baptist Pietist heritage and how it shaped the Baptist General Conference and Bethel College and Seminary, today GW turns to Virgil’s advocacy for missions and Christianity in the Global South. (Virgil headed the World Missions … More Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 2

Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

June 13, 2013

As mentioned here last week, Virgil Olson, a longtime professor at what’s now Bethel University and the leading historian of what used to be the Baptist General Conference, died last Tuesday at age 96. His friend G.W. Carlson offered to share this two-part tribute with readers of this blog. (Previously, GW has contributed essays on … More Virgil Olson: A Faithful Disciple of Jesus Christ (G.W. Carlson) – part 1

RIP Virgil Olson

June 6, 2013

This isn’t really how I’d like to come back to blogging after some time off, but… I’m sad to pass on the news that Virgil Olson, an important figure in the history of Bethel University (seminary professor, 1951-1968; college dean, 1968-1974) and the leading historian of its sponsoring denomination, Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference), died … More RIP Virgil Olson

A Preview of My CFH Talk on Pietism at Bethel

October 2, 2012

This weekend I’ll be joining the other members of the Conference on Faith and History (CFH) for its biennial conference, held this year at Gordon College outside Boston. CFH is my favorite professional society, and I’m honored to be part of a Saturday morning panel on Pietism and Christian colleges and universities in the 20th … More A Preview of My CFH Talk on Pietism at Bethel

The Pietist Schoolman

The website and blog of historian Chris Gehrz

Tag: Virgil Olson