Wars of Faith

Last updated on: May 27, 2018 at 9:47 pm By Philip Jenkins

I have been posting about the book The Adventures of Simplicius Simplicissimus, published in 1668 by Johann von Grimmelshausen. Grimmelshausen describes the atrocious conditions prevailing across Central Europe during the Thirty Years War (1618-48), which was notionally a death struggle between Protestant and Catholic states and their armed forces. But what did that religious quality mean in action? What kind of holy war was this? Simplicius Simplicissimus paints a truly grim picture of that and other “wars of faith.” It... Read more

Simplicissimus

Last updated on: May 24, 2018 at 7:33 am By Philip Jenkins

I recently blogged about the Thirty Years War, which erupted in May 1618 – four hundred years ago this month. Although this sprawling religious war was critical for the subsequent history of Europe and the West, and for Christendom itself, it remains little known in the English-speaking world. The same comment applies to much of the literature and culture stemming from that conflict, including what may well be the greatest classic European novel that remains unfamiliar even to most educated... Read more

A Hard Rain Fell: Robert Kennedy’s Assassination

Last updated on: May 23, 2018 at 10:10 am By johnturner

The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy will always remain linked, and not just because they both occurred in the span of two months some fifty years ago this spring. The murders are the fulcrums of Frye Gaillard’s moving new portrait of the 1960s, A Hard Rain. A journalist by training and background, Gaillard has authored a score of books about the history and culture of the American South, most prominently Cradle of Freedom. He is a... Read more

Death (and Life) Comes to the Archbishop

Last updated on: May 4, 2018 at 8:52 am By David Swartz

“I shall not die of a cold, my son. I shall die having lived.” Read more

The Religious History of Sherlock Holmes

Last updated on: May 21, 2018 at 5:35 pm By Chris Gehrz

Chris considers the religious history of Sherlock Holmes on the birthday of his creator. Read more

Every Bride and Groom is a Royal Couple

Last updated on: May 20, 2018 at 10:41 pm By Agnes Howard

The royal wedding is behind us. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex doubtless are among the many relieved by that fact. Not among those who woke before dawn to bake scones and watch the event live, I saw it all mediated by day-after analysts. Breathlessly, consistently, commentators dubbed the event a success because of its forward-looking, flexible vibe. Harry and Meghan broke with tradition, many writers gushed, shaking off fusty old aristocratic protocol and doing things in a modern, personal,... Read more

The Centuries-Old Words of a Modern Royal Wedding

Last updated on: May 19, 2018 at 10:11 am By Chris Gehrz

One of the oldest elements of today's rather modern royal wedding - the liturgy - was itself a blend of old and new when written in the 16th century. Read more

Red Easter

Last updated on: May 14, 2018 at 9:20 am By Philip Jenkins

I am here reprinting and adapting a column I wrote for this blog back in 2013. This coming Sunday, May 20, the church celebrates the great feast of Pentecost, with all its rich imagery of fire from heaven, tongues of flame, and speaking in tongues. In the Western tradition at least, the day marks the church’s birthday. In old English, it was called Whit (White, or Holy) Sunday. Italians traditionally called it Pascha Rossa, Red Easter, giving some idea of... Read more

The Global-Church Industrial Complex

Last updated on: May 16, 2018 at 6:43 pm By Kristin Du Mez

Today we welcome David W. Congdon to the Anxious Bench. David is acquisitions editor at the University Press of Kansas, and author of The God Who Saves: A Dogmatic Sketch, two books on Rudolf Bultmann, and an edited volume on Karl Barth. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson’s latest book, Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century, aims to be an accessible and practical introduction to what the new shape of the global church can teach US Christians. As the director... Read more

Is There Hope for Evangelical Women?

Last updated on: May 16, 2018 at 1:45 pm By Beth Allison Barr

My daughter and I were walking our new puppy when my phone buzzed. It was a twitter notification from my fellow blogger Chris Gehrz. He had tweeted about Beth Moore’s open letter. I stopped dead and started reading. This was a mistake. We had only had our new puppy a few days and hadn’t yet convinced her to stop teething on us (actually, we still haven’t succeeded in this…). But I was so stunned by Beth Moore’s letter that it... Read more

What day did God rest during creation?