Early Christian Women and the Making of Scripture

Last updated on: May 31, 2019 at 9:43 am By Philip Jenkins

I have been writing about different traditions of the Resurrection and what I understand to be the late appearance of stories involving Mary Magdalene as a witness of the Resurrection. Modern scholars devote much attention to the developing story of Mary Magdalene, commonly emphasizing how her early importance was denied and denigrated by a patriarchal church. I wonder if we have this upside down? Instead of being demoted and denigrated, women were rather being advanced and built up as the... Read more

Jesus the Jew. Really.

Last updated on: April 26, 2019 at 9:18 am By Philip Jenkins

A golden rule when reading the New York Times is never to be shocked by idiocy. That is what they are, and what they do. But I do confess to breaking my own rule in reading a recent Eastertide article about depictions of Jesus, by one Eric Copage. I am by no means the only person to point this out, but how the article got through the editorial process defies belief. Yes, I’m shocked. The vast majority of Mr. Copage’s... Read more

The Myth of Puritan Intolerance

Last updated on: April 24, 2019 at 8:52 pm By johnturner

Puritan New England’s reputation for rigidity and intolerance goes back almost all the way to Plymouth Rock (that’s another myth for another time). By 1624, several of the English financial backers of New Plymouth had received complaints from settlers who did not share the separatist principles of the colony’s leaders. The Pilgrims allegedly were “condemning all other churches, and persons but yourselves and those in your way, and you are contentious, cruel and hard hearted, among your neighbours and towards... Read more

Does Brooklyn need to check extravagance?

Last updated on: April 24, 2019 at 12:45 am By Agnes Howard

A New York Times report earlier this year on trends of stylish Brooklyn moms put me in mind of Puritan sumptuary laws. The article notes, “in Brooklyn recently, a decidedly more bohemian expression of middle-aged fashion has emerged.” The specs: you buy moderately expensive chunky shoes and a very expensive purse, which you rusticate by attaching a patterned strap. “This ensemble is made up of two accessories: Part 1 is the No. 6 clog, which has become ubiquitous in upscale... Read more

A Sacramental Vision of the Liberal Arts

Last updated on: April 23, 2019 at 8:50 am By Chris Gehrz

Chris proposes that we might better understand the purpose of the Christian liberal arts if we think about them by analogy to baptism, eucharist, and other Christian sacraments. Read more

Pence, Populist Evangelicals, and the Politics of College Commencements

Last updated on: April 22, 2019 at 8:19 am By David Swartz

Pence's invitation to speak at Taylor University's commencement reveals an evangelical populism that has been there all along. Read more

Pilate’s Holy Saturday

Last updated on: April 20, 2019 at 8:49 am By Chris Gehrz

In part because the gospel accounts have so little to say about Holy Saturday, in part because I often wake up this day with little to do, I often find myself speculating. Not necessarily What happened? in between Crucifixion and Resurrection — someone else can write a post about the Harrowing of Hell — but What were people thinking? What was on the minds of the participants as the dramatic events of Good Friday started to turn from vivid experience to fading memory? How their... Read more

Mark’s Ending and the Resurrection

Last updated on: April 18, 2019 at 3:20 pm By Philip Jenkins

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

Pete Buttigieg and The Politics of American Greatness

Last updated on: April 18, 2019 at 10:51 am By Kristin Du Mez

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

The Crucifixions of the World Wars

Last updated on: April 16, 2019 at 4:43 pm By Chris Gehrz

As Christians prepare for Good Friday, Chris considers how the Crucifixion helped Europeans make meaning of the two world wars. Read more

Who did God give the Ten Commandments to?