The Democrats Have a Religion Problem. But They’re Not the Only Ones.

June 29, 2017 By Kristin Du Mez

So, you’ve probably heard by now: The Democrats have a religion problem. Historian Daniel K. Williams certainly isn’t the first to make this case, but in light of Jon Ossoff’s defeat in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District last week, Williams thought it an opportune moment to consider anew the Democrats’ problem. In a New York Times op-ed, Williams identifies “a generational and racial divide between a largely secular group of young, white party activists and an older electorate that is more... Read more

Wonder Woman and Complementarianism

June 28, 2017 By Beth Allison Barr

I found myself thinking about complementarianism while watching the new Wonder Woman movie. Read more

Christian Responses to Lindbergh: “The Recrudescence of Paganism”

June 27, 2017 By Chris Gehrz

Christians debated how to respond to Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. To some, the ensuing hero worship smacked of "paganism." Read more

“To Unite All Religion Against Irreligion”

June 26, 2017 By Thomas Albert Howard

Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 was a grand affair, celebrating (one year late) in the form of a world fair the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyages. For religious historians, the event is especially important because the Exposition hosted the World’s Parliament of Religions—the first ever, at least in terms of scale, interreligious dialogue among what was dubbed then “the ten great religions of the world.” I have been examining this “Parliament” lately for a project that I am doing on... Read more

Alternative Scriptures: Theosophy and the Esoteric Tradition

June 23, 2017 By Philip Jenkins

I have been posting about the widespread knowledge of alternative gospels and scriptures that existed in Western culture over a century ago, roughly between 1870 and 1930. Whether we are looking at Gnostic and esoteric views of early Christianity, feminist interpretations of the role of Mary Magdalene, or the influence of Essene doctrine, very few ideas that we might today regard as radically modern and daring were in fact unfamiliar back then. Far from being confined to elite scholars, such... Read more

Bernie Sanders, Anti-Evangelical Bigot?

June 22, 2017 By johnturner

Senator Bernie Sanders opposed the nomination of Russell Vought as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget because of the way Vought supported his alma mater in its firing of Larycia Hawkins. Vought wrote the following for The Resurgent: Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned. Sanders declared that Vought’s comments were Islamophobic and therefore made him “really not someone... Read more

This Thai Is Not Like the Others

June 21, 2017 By David Swartz

My research on the antitrafficking movement in Thailand primarily tracked American Christian networks. As I suspected, the many missionaries and humanitarians I interviewed represented remarkable diversity. Some, horrified by sex trafficking, emoted like the passionate evangelicals they were. Others articulated the structural causes of trafficking with considerable sophistication. Some prescribed spiritual conversion. Others recommended more rescues. Still others suggested preventative measures. As a historical “splitter,” I was inclined to notice considerable heterogeneity in my scholarly subjects. What I did not... Read more

A Brief History of Vacation Bible School

June 20, 2017 By Chris Gehrz

Keep in mind that VBS is one of those traditions in American Christianity that is well-established, but not as old as you might think. Read more

Alternative Scriptures: Melville’s “Lost Gnostic Poem”

June 19, 2017 By Philip Jenkins

In 1891, Herman Melville published his final book, a collection of poems entitled Timoleon. I want to focus on one of these poems, which initially seems quite mysterious. But it can be understood, if we appreciate the prevailing historical views of the time about heresy and sectarian religion. I also want to touch on a theme that I will be exploring in more detail in coming posts, namely the wide-ranging influence of Theosophy in these years. The Melville work in... Read more

Alternative Scriptures: Gustav Holst’s Hymn of Jesus

June 16, 2017 By Philip Jenkins

I have been posting about the quite widespread knowledge of alternative and apocryphal scriptural texts in the early twentieth century, long before most non-specialists would assume that this would have been possible. Today’s post concerns an extraordinary example of this phenomenon. The First World War years witnessed a wonderful flowering of music in Great Britain, much of which had a religious content. (Think Edward Elgar, Frederick Delius, Ralph Vaughan Williams …). It was in 1916 that Sir Hubert Parry set... Read more