For some centuries, Jews of the Second Temple era lived in a world that was definitely multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. That was true of course in Diaspora communities, but between, say, 200 BC and the 60s AD, Palestine itself was a mosaic of different ethnicities and religions. No Jew there had to travel more than a few miles to encounter alien customs and faiths. That old order came crashing down quite suddenly in the carnage of the Jewish Revolt. Based on... Read more
I dearly wish I had not been right. Back in early September, I did a post at this blog about potential terrorism in France and other European countries, under the title of The Age of Permanent Jihad. I wrote that The point is not just that many younger French Muslims are increasingly radicalized, but that they potentially have increased access to really dangerous heavy weapons, including automatic rifles, missiles, and even anti-tank armaments like Milan missiles. These are flowing into... Read more
Palestine in Jesus’s time was a much more complex and diverse place than we might sometimes think from the standard colonial imagery of Roman soldiers oppressing Jewish subjects. As I have described, there were plenty of other groups in Palestine and neighboring regions, and Jews and Gentiles lived in close proximity. There were also substantial Gentile areas, like the Decapolis. To that extent, Palestine and its environs were typical ancient Mediterranean societies, in being multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. Relations between communities... Read more
Joy Davidman Gresham is best known for the very end of her life. As depicted in the film Shadowlands, she and the renowned Christian author Clive Stapleton Lewis married after Joy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Recent years have brought an avalanche of books about C.S. Lewis, who a half-century after his death continues to inspire Christian of many different churches and denominations. Evangelicals, Catholics, and even Mormons admire Lewis and devour his writings. I enjoyed Alistair McGrath’s biography... Read more
It depended. “Multiple freedoms and multiple opportunities reinforced each other,” writes historian Jane Smith in The Gospel of Gentility, “and [female missionaries] described themselves as “fulfilled,” “found,” and “happy.” “My face is so red and rosy I look like I had had an over dose of paint,” wrote Jessie Ankeny after arriving in Fukien. “I am feeling better and more full of vim, more rested than I have felt for four years anyway.” Many female missionaries seemed grateful for the... Read more
The national motto “In God We Trust” has a complicated and contested history. Even though the phrase first appeared on American coins during the Civil War, it was only officially adopted as the national motto in 1956, during the Cold War era. Where did the phrase come from before the Civil War? There seems little doubt that it became more prominent in American parlance because of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” penned in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, which in its (almost... Read more
After traveling in the United States, G. K. Chesterton famously described America as “a nation with the soul of the a church.” Something akin to this could be said of India, but to church one must quickly add Buddhist stupa, Jain mandir, Sikh gurdwara, Parsi dar-e mihr, Muslim mosque, and, not least, Hindu temple. Indeed, the turbulently modernizing nation bristles with religious energy and diversity. Anyone wedded to the tired notion that modernity leads necessarily to secularization would to do... Read more
I have been posting about the shifting boundaries of the Jewish world during the Second Temple era, and of Jewish political power. By the start of the Common Era, the Herodian family definitely ruled on behalf of the Roman Empire, but the territories in which they operated were far more diverse, ethnically and religiously, than we might think from a casual reading of the New Testament. Yes, Jews were widespread throughout the Roman Empire, and beyond. But if we just... Read more
On my campus, there are plenty of signs that religion is not going quietly into the night. On a thoroughfare outside the main student center, very loud preachers have been hosting “sin awareness” days. Is that really needed? Pro-life groups have been stationed a hundred yards away, displaying fetal photographs and engaging passers-by in what appears to be polite conversation. Meanwhile, the Catholic ministries center across the road is thriving, and the school’s population of visibly Muslim students continues to... Read more
I originally published this post last year when I was just a guest blogger. As I am in the midst of conference preparation (indeed, my writing group just this morning gave feedback on my draft for a January 2016 conference), I thought this could be useful for others. Happy Conferencing! We academic folk have all been there. Piecing together funding grants and last month’s grocery leftover cash to present “the” conference paper. The one that will grab the attention of... Read more
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