The psalms, Martin Luther decided, “are not words to hear, but [words] to live.” So how do we live the words of Psalm 46? Chris suggests we start by thinking of God's refuge and strength in terms other than Luther's "mighty fortress." Read more
The psalms, Martin Luther decided, “are not words to hear, but [words] to live.” So how do we live the words of Psalm 46? Chris suggests we start by thinking of God's refuge and strength in terms other than Luther's "mighty fortress." Read more
I have posted often on the theme of witchcraft, which is a critical topic for anyone studying Early Modern history in Europe or the Americas – or actually, for understanding large sections of the modern world. I recently read a major book that contributes much to this literature. It makes a great read in the days leading up to Halloween! Here is my review. John Callow, Embracing the Darkness: A Cultural History of Witchcraft (New York: I. B. Tauris, 2018).... Read more
In the Percy Jackson stories, Western civilization is described as "a collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years." While Chris agrees that it asks important questions, "Western civ" is not timeless. In fact, it turns 100 this month. Read more
Dear John, So I imagine you’ve been caught by surprise at the popularity/notoriety of that little audio clip released last week. I mean, it wasn’t as though you weren’t expressing something you haven’t said, in one form or another, for decades now. More people than I can count have already taken to Twitter and the blogosphere to call you out for disrespecting Beth Moore, and rightly so. But Moore said she’s ready to move on, and besides, I’m guessing the... Read more
David R. Swartz reflects on last week's announcement about the first nonwhite president of the National Association of Evangelicals Read more
The Pew Foundation has just released a significant report concerning the state of American religion. As with anything done by Pew, both the research and the analysis are exemplary, and the findings are convincing. I will challenge one small but important thing in the report, namely its title – but I will be arguing a great deal with the way in which it has been represented in the media. We are seeing substantial changes in religious attitudes and beliefs, but... Read more
Present day visions of motherhood may feel so askew that we might look in many directions–religion? the past? other places?–for correction. The current issue of the journal Image carries an arresting art piece, “Motherhood: A Visual Contract,” aiming to find some use in religious imagery of motherhood from the past. The art and text from Israeli-born London artist Leni Dothan engage contemporary perplexities in ways that echo a noteworthy book from earlier this year, Sarah Knott’s Mother is a Verb.... Read more
I need to declare an interest in what follows. I am writing here about a new book called Voices of the Voiceless: Religion, Communism and the Keston Archive, edited by Julie deGraffenried and Zoe Knox, published by Baylor University Press. I teach at Baylor, where Julie is a colleague of mine in the History Department. Having said that … I am describing the book because it addresses such a critical topic in modern Christian history, and it does so through... Read more
He was the first student to ever visit my office. I wasn’t expecting him to visit. In fact, I wasn’t expecting anybody to visit. I wasn’t holding official office hours that day. My office was nearly impossible to find, set apart from the main corridor and hidden in the back corner of the building. And I was a new professor, only a few weeks into my teaching career. The students barely knew me, and I barely knew them—or anything, for... Read more
Last week I got an unusual opportunity to live out the tagline of The Anxious Bench: “The Relevance of Religious History for Today.” A colleague asked me to guest lead a discussion in his education department graduate course “Foundations and History of Higher Education.” I have lots of experience using religious history to train graduate students—who plan to go on to be historians like me! It was fascinating to instead use religious history to train graduate students who plan to... Read more
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