Faith, Friendship, and Sweet Magnolias: A Roundtable Discussion

Last updated on: July 24, 2023 at 5:17 pm By Melissa Borja

Friendship, family, and faith: these are central themes in Sweet Magnolias, the popular Netflix drama series that follows the lives of three lifelong friends in the fictional community of Serenity, South Carolina. First appearing amid the chaos of 2020–when Americans were grappling with a global pandemic, a month of protests against racism and police violence, and a contentious presidential election–the show has offered viewers the chance to escape into a simpler world, where almost any problem could be solved... Read more

Who Can Be Called “Pastor”? On Southern Baptists, Ancient Bishops, and What Goes without Saying

Last updated on: August 3, 2023 at 1:27 am By Jacob Randolph

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*Author’s note: A previous version of this post mistakenly identified Basil the Elder as the father of Gregory of Nazianzus. Basil was the father of Gregory of Nyssa. The post has been updated to reflect the change. My thanks to a close reader of the Anxious Bench for identifying the error. – JR* Pope Callistus was a controversial figure in his day. Bishop of Rome from 218 to 222 AD, Callistus rose through the ministerial ranks quickly despite a checkered... Read more

Rose Macaulay’s CREWE TRAIN; or, It All Started with Agatha Christie

Last updated on: July 20, 2023 at 6:44 am By Philip Jenkins

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Rose Macaulay (1881-1958) was an English author whom I used to regard as a very witty comic writer, but little beyond that. I have since rediscovered her as a stellar literary figure in her era, and one with a great deal to say to anyone interested in religious matters, or indeed women’s history. (I will have a lot more to say about the powerful spiritual and specifically Anglican themes in her work in my next post). I think the story... Read more

The Cross and the Badge: The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover

Last updated on: July 18, 2023 at 9:48 pm By David Swartz

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J. Edgar Hoover. Richard Nixon. Donald Trump. Roger Stone. History may not repeat itself. But it sure does rhyme. Read more

Where are the Mothers of the Church? On Patristic Theology and the Visibility Problem

Last updated on: July 12, 2023 at 12:16 pm By Adam Renberg

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When someone makes the mistake of asking what I do for a living, I typically describe myself as a historical theologian with a focus on the early church. This is normally enough to run someone off! But in the few instances where they probe further, I specify that I study ‘patristic theology’—that is, I study God in the thought of those from the first several centuries of the church. The term “patristic” is derived from the Greek and Latin terms... Read more

Church-Hopping in Texas

Last updated on: July 17, 2023 at 9:08 pm By Erica Ramirez

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On the morning of July 2nd, I scanned my wardrobe for something red or white or blue. My husband and I had agreed, the night before, we would take our girls to church without fail. Our daughters, nine and eleven, both want to attend church. For a year and a half now, we’ve been going to a little church plant that my childhood friend started. But we feel a new season upon us; we’re in the “market” for a new... Read more

Please Don’t Take our Friars Away! How Franciscans are Looking to the Past to Preserve their Future

Last updated on: July 14, 2023 at 5:06 am By Verónica A. Gutiérrez

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St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places and named a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1985 On June 25, 2023, on a blazing hot day in Phoenix, Arizona, my husband, children, and I sat in smooth, wooden pews attending Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica, where I had proudly delivered my high school valedictorian speech in 1996. Nearly a decade earlier, on September 14, 1987, I had waited anxiously... Read more

Blood Libels and Media Mythologies

Last updated on: July 12, 2023 at 10:43 am By Philip Jenkins

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This post has two related themes. It is about how the media systematically misunderstand and misreport religion, especially Christianity. It also concerns one of the most troubled and troubling verses in the New Testament. By way of background, Jim Caviezel is a talented actor whose best-known role was as Jesus in Mel Gibson’s 2004 film The Passion of the Christ. Caviezel has espoused conspiracy theories related to QAnon, including charges about children being abducted, tortured, and killed by sinister elites.... Read more

On Saying Goodbye to a Beloved Church

Last updated on: July 9, 2023 at 9:11 pm By Nadya Williams

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On Sunday, July 2, 2023, we attended service for the last time in our beloved local church of seven years. There is nothing wrong with the church. It is thriving; reaching people in the community; loving members old and new, young and old; sending out missionaries near and far; and preaching the gospel faithfully and beautifully every Sunday. Its care for children and families, in my view, has been an example other churches should follow, as I wrote here just... Read more

Facing Fears with an Evangelical Faith

Last updated on: July 13, 2023 at 10:13 am By Joey Cochran

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Tumultuous times of transition in the academic, evangelical, political, and social spheres have brought evangelical historians to an interesting midpoint of the summer. These conditions potentially foster fears that plausibly lead to the opportunity of faith. This past spring, a number of colleges and universities announced their closing, notable from the Christian sector included the announcement from King’s College in Manhattan. Then more news of transitions came from Manhattan in May, with the passing of Timothy Keller, heir of the... Read more