For many Americans, Joel Osteen is the public face of evangelical Christianity. For many evangelical Christians, Osteen is not an evangelical Christian. Despite what follows, I have never taken much of an interest in such debates. Arguing over whether or not someone is an “evangelical” is rarely fruitful or uplifting. In fact, when I watch Joel Osteen (and I recently watched a Lakewood Church service via the internet with a group of students), the first question that occurs to me... Read more
According to Kent Shaffer at Church Relevance, “The Anxious Bench” is the 95th best “church blog” on the Internet. I am not sure what this all means, but the ranking has me thinking. Are we really a “church blog?” I prefer to think of us as a religious history blog that might be useful to those in the church. Whatever the case, I think it is OK to pat ourselves on the collective back–we broke the top 100! By the... Read more
The Freedom from Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) campaign to remove religion from American public life has opened a new front: stopping public prayers at college football games. It sent “cease and desist” letters to the University of Tennessee recently, asking that both its Knoxville and Chattanooga campuses end their rituals of pregame prayers. Chattanooga complied, but the Volunteers are standing strong, saying that the First Amendment (freedom of religion and of speech) permits nonsectarian prayers. As I argued previously with regard... Read more
In Denmark not long ago, I was of course struck by the rich sense of history at every turn, by the roster of mighty leaders and epochal events. Speaking with Danes though, a foreigner might be surprised to find just how they rank these great figures. Kings, generals, inventors, writers? Yes, yes, plenty of those. Religious leaders – oh, isn’t that Kierkegaard’s house? Well, I suppose so – is he meant to be famous? – but let me take you... Read more
You have probably observed the media fuss over the ancient text – a lost gospel? – that apparently refers to “Jesus’s wife.” The story is a classic illustration of how the media misinterpret religious stories, but the underlying issue is of rather more interest. Briefly, Harvard Professor Karen King reported the discovery of a Coptic text from around 400AD, and she presented her findings in a scrupulous and responsible way. She argued strongly for the authenticity of the actual document... Read more
Over at Religion in American History, our friends have posted a fascinating interview with Rebecca Goetz, author of the recently published The Baptism of Early Virginia (Johns Hopkins University Press). A few highlights: – On in importance of religion for understanding race in early American history: This was the early 2000s, so race, class, and gender were hot topics. In seminar everyone was talking about the obligatory “Foucault footnote” (my book doesn’t have one!). Kathleen Brown’s deeply influential book Good Wives,... Read more
Here’s a piece that I wrote after Obama’s acceptance speech at the DNC. It originally appeared at The Way of Improvement Leads Home, but I thought Anxious Bench readers might be interested in it as well. For those who have already seen it, I apologize for the cross-post. — The Founding Fathers would have been proud of Barack Obama’s speech Thursday night in Charlotte. Ever since the Chicago-based community organizer broke onto the national political scene at the 2004 Democratic... Read more
This week marks the 150th anniversary of two of the most significant events of the Civil War: the Battle of Antietam (Sept. 17) and the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (Sept. 22). The contrast between these two events remains poignant a century and a half later: the most deadly single day of battle in American history signaled the beginning of the end of American slavery. Robert E. Lee, contemptuous of his rival general George McClellan, moved his army into Maryland in early... Read more
What happens out West does not necessarily stay there. On November 6, voters in the State of Massachusetts, where I live, will have a “Death with Dignity” Act on their ballot, of the sort that has passed in recent years in Oregon and Washington State. In an election year when economic issues seem to trump all else, this ballot initiative brings a jolting “culture wars” theme into one of the bluest of the blue states. Polls suggest it will... Read more
Religious shrines come in many different shapes and sizes, as, of course, do definitions of “religion.” I have no doubt that in terms of its emotional and spiritual impact, one of America’s authentic holy places is at Shanksville, PA, the site of the new Flight 93 monument. The story needs little retelling. On September 11, 2001, hijackers had taken an airliner, United 93, with the likely intention of destroying the US Capitol. Passengers and crew fought to retake the plane.... Read more
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