The Problems of Writing Biography (Part 1 – Empathy and Exoneration)

Last updated on: December 3, 2016 at 12:20 pm By Chris Gehrz

While some of my colleagues here have written excellent examples of the genre, I’ve never had much desire to write a biography. In fact, it had been a few years since I’d even read such a book. But then a road trip that included numerous plays of the Hamilton soundtrack convinced me to download the Kindle version of the Ron Chernow biography that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write a hip-hop musical about America’s first treasury secretary. And now, having just finished one writing project, I... Read more

The Ghosts of Religion Past

Last updated on: November 12, 2016 at 4:41 pm By Philip Jenkins

When religious systems die or collapse, how do their followers carry on? Historically, such a situation is not that uncommon. Imagine a society with an established religion of some kind, based on hierarchical structures and priests, and then, for whatever reason, those structures vanish. In some cases, a new civil and religious order forbids or actively persecutes traditional habits and practices. We might look, for instance, at the fate of Catholics in many European countries following the Reformation; or Christians... Read more

Richard Davies and the Word of God

Last updated on: November 7, 2016 at 2:55 pm By Philip Jenkins

I posted about the autobiography of Quaker pioneer Richard Davies, arguing that this should be read both as a highly informative spiritual text and a prime historical source. Often, the book – the Convincement – reveals the processes by which an educated and curious seventeenth century Christian moved to some radical positions that in some ways seem far ahead of their time. That is especially true of attitudes towards the Bible. Reading Richard Davies sheds light on what at first... Read more

Unexpected Sites of Christian Pacifism: Hacksaw Ridge and Adventism

Last updated on: November 10, 2016 at 10:35 am By Chris Gehrz

The new Mel Gibson movie Hacksaw Ridge tells the story of a WWII medic named Desmond Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist who participation in that war exemplifies the Adventist idea of "conscientious cooperation" Read more

I Thought Hillbilly Elegy Was Just about Kentucky

Last updated on: November 11, 2016 at 11:17 am By David Swartz

My university—located on a relatively conservative campus in the very red state of Kentucky—was subdued this morning. In the run-up to the election, there was little to no public support for Trump. And today numerous students, looking a bit traumatized, are walking into classes with puffy eyes jarred by the unexpected result. None of the models predicted this. Polls suggested an easy Clinton win. The New York Times said that Clinton’s chances of losing were about the same as the... Read more

Election Day Reading Material from The Anxious Bench

Last updated on: November 8, 2016 at 12:33 pm By Chris Gehrz

Whether you want to read more about the 2016 election - or find something to distract you today... Here are some of our most popular posts from the summer and fall. Read more

Decision Day: An Open Letter on Faith, Hope, Love, and the 2016 Election

Last updated on: November 6, 2016 at 11:42 pm By Chris Gehrz

While I normally enjoy my Tuesday spot in the Anxious Bench rotation, it did leave me with the unenviable responsibility of posting on a particularly fractious Election Day. I thought about doing something as apolitical as possible, but ultimately decided I should address the election in some fashion. So after I cast my absentee ballot a couple weeks ago, I sat down to write an open letter to the only person who deserves to receive such an epistle from me: me.... Read more

Art and the Work of the People

Last updated on: November 7, 2016 at 11:02 am By Agnes Howard

This moment might seem an uncanny one for finding beauty and common purpose, but John E. Skillen summons us to just that in his new book, Putting Art (Back) in Its Place. The author beckons us to medieval and Renaissance Italy, not as luxury tourists or casual traintrippers, but for the repair of something that matters to us all. Treating the kind of religious art that Europeans made for centuries, Skillen argues that the way most of us attempt to behold those... Read more

The Convincement of Richard Davies

Last updated on: October 31, 2016 at 5:39 pm By Philip Jenkins

I want to recommend a book that is a major source on Christian history. It really is not well known or cited by non-specialists, and that is sad. The story it tells is critical for Protestantism in general, for Puritanism, British religious history, for attitudes to the authority of scripture, and for American religious origins. It is also a wonderful and moving read in its own right. It should be recognized as a spiritual classic. The book in question has... Read more

The Crisis of Corporate Evangelicalism (Part 6 – Constructing Modern Evangelicalism)

Last updated on: November 9, 2016 at 10:46 am By Tim Gloege

Evangelicalism's political past and its future after Trump. Read more

What is the Christian teaching about temptation?