Anxious Bench - The Relevance of Religious History for Today

Refugee Politics and a Tale of Two Thanksgivings

November 15, 2018 By Melissa Borja

Nearly forty years ago, a minister, a rabbi, and two priests went to the White House, and together with the President and other religious leaders, they planned a special series of Thanksgiving observances. Their Thanksgiving events, however, did not feature turkey feasts and English Pilgrims. Rather, the Thanksgiving they planned called for fasting and church fundraisers to collect money to aid Southeast Asian refugees. The year was 1979, and a humanitarian crisis was unfolding in Asia. “Boat people” were escaping… Read more

Disrupting Evangelical Biblical Womanhood

November 14, 2018 By Beth Allison Barr

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I want to tell you two stories. The first one is really disturbing, so prepare yourself. Once upon a time there was a middle-class American family. The dad lost his job and couldn’t get a new one. So the mom had to go to work to pay the family bills. This caused tension in their marriage, as the husband wasn’t performing his manly role as provider. The marriage relationship became strained, with the wife accusing the husband of not fulfilling… Read more

How Different Are Mainline and Evangelical Protestantism?

November 13, 2018 By Chris Gehrz

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Now attending a Lutheran church, Chris has been wondering just how permeable the boundary is between evangelical and mainline Protestantism. Read more

1918: The Other Centennial

November 12, 2018 By Philip Jenkins

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We have heard so much recently about the end of the First World War in November 1918, but there is another anniversary around this time that was even more significant for its role in reshaping Christianity, and in laying the foundations for the religious world we know today. I am referring to the influenza epidemic that swept the world at that time. The raw numbers alone are incredible. To a world already thoroughly smitten with war, death, and famine there… Read more

100 Years After The Great War: “The Sheep That Were Not Fed”

November 11, 2018 By Chris Gehrz

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On this 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Chris reflects on the experience of army chaplains… and how Christian churches may have missed a chance for religious revival in 1914-1918. Read more

1918: Did the War End Too Soon?

November 9, 2018 By Philip Jenkins

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Did the First World War end too soon? At first sight, such a question might seem ridiculous, if not actively blasphemous. Did not the peace that November end a cycle of bloody and futile slaughter? Actually, a surprisingly good case can be made for the “too soon” theory, one that raises critical questions of ethics and political morality. The argument has recently been discussed by the first-rate historian David Reynolds, in an article in the British New Statesman. The argument… Read more

The Six Year Rule, and Why I Am Totally Certain What Will Happen in US Elections in 2020

November 9, 2018 By Philip Jenkins

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This is something nobody would expect from me, namely a totally objective and non-partisan comment on the recent midterm elections. No, really. It is also unusual in being a second post of mine for the day, but it is quite time sensitive, so I had to squeeze it in somewhere. As you will have noticed, the Republicans retained the US Senate, and all manner of explanations were advanced for this fact. But I am taken aback when people writing about… Read more

Mormon Pageants, Past, Present, and Future

November 8, 2018 By johnturner

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently announced that the Hill Cumorah Pageant will end after its 2020 production. The Church stated that “larger productions, such as pageants, are discouraged,” as it further shifts its focus to “home-centered, Church-supported curriculum that contributes to joyful gospel living.” I grew up outside of Rochester, New York, and have been familiar with the Hill Cumorah Pageant for quite some time. My wife and I attended a performance at the pageant in 2002,… Read more

The Evangelical Party

November 7, 2018 By David Swartz

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As Watergate smolders, a Bible college student proposes an evangelical political party. Read more

When Evangelicals Affirmed Women as Preachers and Evangelists

November 6, 2018 By Chris Gehrz

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While the Evangelical Free Church no longer ordains women, two of its founders celebrated the key roles played by evangelical women who preached and evangelized. Read more