The final chapter of John’s gospel reports the risen Christ meeting his disciples at the Sea of Galilee. I suggested that this might in fact have been the oldest version of the Resurrection story, predating the more famous encounter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the Jerusalem garden. Some scholars have also raised the possibility that this scene, or something like it, might originally have been the culmination of another of the canonical gospels. The Gospel of Mark, at least... Read more
On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg made it official. He’s running for president, because he wants “to tell a different story than ‘Make America Great Again.’” But one way or another, his, too, will be a story of American greatness. As an openly gay, openly Episcopalian mayor of a Rust Belt city—and a veteran who served in Afghanistan—Buttigieg is a rising star in a crowded field of Democratic contenders. Buttigieg is making waves in part by reclaiming Christianity from the Religious Right.... Read more
As Christians prepare for Good Friday, Chris considers how the Crucifixion helped Europeans make meaning of the two world wars. Read more
“a fire burnt the whole parish of St. Alkmund’s starting at daybreak on the eve of Pentecost….anno. 1312.” I was in a meeting with my fellow graduate deans when I first saw the pictures. My colleague just handed me his phone. He said something, but I don’t remember his words as the image drowned out everything else. The small screen connected me to people all over the world and we watched, together, in silence and shock, as fire ravaged Notre... Read more
In this Easter season, I will be thinking a lot about coal fires, anthrax, and anthracite. The coal fires, especially, are critical to our understanding of the New Testament accounts of the Resurrection. Like all good fires, they shed light – specifically, on how the Gospel of John was composed and edited. As a guide to where I am going in all this, I am going to explore the idea that early Christians believed that Jesus appeared to his disciples,... Read more
I have a literary dilemma. I want to rave about a piece of writing – a short story – that I would claim as a first rate masterpiece. It is also the best argument you will find for Biblical literacy as an essential aspect of Western culture. The problem is that I can’t tell you exactly why that is the case without giving away the key to the plot. I abhor spoilers. So let me tread as delicate a path... Read more
“American religious history is women’s history,” Ann Braude argued in an essay published nearly two decades ago. She pointed to a fundamental problem with the field. Most churchgoers throughout most of American history have been women, yet most historians narrate the history of men. Most leaders have been men, and archives are full of sources written by and about men. Even those scholars who have observed the imbalance in the pews, Braude noted, have reflected more on the absence of... Read more
Prayers shaping politics--or politics shaping prayer? Read more
Chris recommends an article surveying the religious history of the early Internet: both how Christian critics responded to it, and how its advocates used religious language. Read more
1965 represents a major turning point in American religious history. The Immigration and Nationality Act of this year marked a radical shift from the immigration policies of the past. Previous laws curtailed immigration from Asia and Africa, and gave preference to northern and western Europeans. Not surprisingly, the new immigrants brought with them their faiths: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and more. And today there are more Muslims in the United States than there are Episcopalians, Jews, or Presbyterians. Los Angles is... Read more
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