Supposing Him to Be the Gardener

Last updated on: April 7, 2021 at 11:51 pm By johnturner

This is a lightly revised post from last summer, placed where it belongs, at Eastertide. One of my newly favorite Easter season texts is Rudyard Kipling’s concise and poignant short story, “The Gardener.” If you’ve never read it, it doesn’t take long, but perhaps refresh your memory of John 21 first. “The Gardener” narrates the grief and anguish of an Englishwoman named Helen Turrell, who for years has pretended that her out-of-wedlock son, christened Michael, is really her nephew. The... Read more

The Savage My Kinsman: Wheaton Wrestles with the Language of Mission

Last updated on: April 6, 2021 at 1:38 pm By David Swartz

Wheaton College Wrestles with Its Discourse of Missions Read more

Science as Faith: Arctic Martyrs and the Open Polar Sea

Last updated on: April 5, 2021 at 3:17 pm By Chris Gehrz

Chris explains how the tragic story of an Arctic expedition illustrates why, "for some Westerners in the late 19th century, science was a religion — as capable as any traditional faith of inspiring fanaticism and, ultimately, martyrdom." Read more

Asian American Religious Institutions Are Targets of Racist Attacks – And Also Sites of Resistance

Last updated on: April 5, 2021 at 3:58 pm By Melissa Borja

Last week, on one of the holiest days of the Christian year, over 120 families at a predominantly Asian American church in New Jersey gathered for their Good Friday Service to pray, sing, and commemorate the crucifixion of Christ. But the peaceful online service was interrupted by Zoom-bombers, who blasted pornographic images across the screen and assailed listeners with ear-splitting screams and racist slurs, including cries of “I hate Asians!” and “Chinks!” A member of the congregation described the incident... Read more

Holy Saturday and the Harrowing of Hell

Last updated on: March 26, 2021 at 7:06 pm By Philip Jenkins

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, the Easter Triduum… but for much of Christian history, the vast majority of Christians knew there was another essential part of the story, which they knew as well as any other part of the New Testament, and which they based on a series of beloved scriptures that we no longer treat as worthy of respect. If a Christian could visit us from Late Antiquity or the Middle Ages, it is this omission that would... Read more

Peace Through Understanding: The Life of a Christian Scholar

Last updated on: March 31, 2021 at 4:40 pm By Kristin Du Mez

I’ve written in this space from time to time on the subject of Christian scholarship, and I feel compelled to return to that topic today, but in a much more personal way. This past Sunday, my Calvin History Department colleagues and I were shocked to learn of the sudden death of our beloved colleague, Bert de Vries. Perhaps more than anyone I know, Bert has modled the best sort of Christian scholarship. His obituary traces a few highlights of his... Read more

Lessons in Leadership from the Long 2020

Last updated on: March 31, 2021 at 1:54 am By Andrea L. Turpin

It’s been a long year. Literally. Historians divide eras by cultural moments rather than strict dates. So future historians will likely consider us to still be living in “the long 2020,” at least until we reach herd immunity through mass vaccinations, and coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Historians will write not only about COVID-19, but also about our era’s racial tensions and political polarization. We have all been experiencing multifaceted trauma for over a year. And let’s not forget those of... Read more

Finding Your Roots: The Poignant Power of Genealogy

Last updated on: March 30, 2021 at 7:43 am By Chris Gehrz

Chris celebrates the PBS genealogy show, Finding Your Roots, whose host reminds us that the lack of genealogical evidence for African Americans "is a byproduct of the very design of the institution of slavery..." Read more

“Praise the Lord and Pass the Ball”: Basketball and the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Oral Roberts University

Last updated on: March 25, 2021 at 8:57 am By Chris Gehrz

Before the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles play their Sweet Sixteen game against Arkansas, learn about ORU's founder, his ambitions for that university, and the role that basketball played in those plans. Read more