We hear a great deal about the likely effects of climate change, and what it means for the rising seas. That is a terrifying prospect, which at its worst offers a vision of a quite literal apocalypse. I am in no sense trying to deny, undermine, or minimize that here. But I am going to take that vision of rising seas to explain some dramatic recent scientific. findings that really do have significant consequences for history, and religion. Briefly, through... Read more
This coming Sunday, June 5, 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 its significance in the church calendar. In the Orthodox churches, the feast carries a significance second... Read more
These hunted people were my people. Read more
What will happen if the Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade next month and gives states the power to set their own abortion policy? Many pro-life advocates believe that the end of Roe will be the key to saving unborn lives – the holy grail they’ve sought for decades. And many reproductive rights advocates expect it to lead to a horrific era of dangerous self-abortions and state policing of women’s bodies. In reality, though, the practical results of the Supreme... Read more
Historians have long argued that American evangelicalism is a transatlantic religious movement. However, according to Helen Jin Kim, that’s only half the story. Kim, who is Assistant Professor of American Religious History at Emory University, explained that “it simply is not possible to understand evangelicalism without looking at transnational linkages and movement across the Pacific, especially when we move into the twentieth century.” In her view, scholars must “take seriously the importance of writing transpacific American religious history.” This topic is the... Read more
Today we have a guest post from my Baylor colleague, T. J. Geiger. As he writes, “I’m an Assistant Professor of English at Baylor University. My research interests include the undergraduate writing major, writing pedagogy, undergraduate research, and religious rhetorics. My articles have appeared in College English, Composition Studies, Peitho, and CCTE Studies.” Faithful Deliberation: Rhetorical Invention, Evangelicalism, and #MeToo Reckonings by T.J. Geiger If you’re interested in religious rhetoric, feminist critique, the #MeToo movement, or Beth Moore, you might... Read more
I applied to history PhD programs twice. I was actually admitted to a couple very good programs the first time, with only a BA under my belt. I visited one of them on campus. While I was there, I came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with the program, but there was something wrong with me. I wasn’t ready. Specifically, I wanted to spend more time reflecting on how to integrate my identity as a Christian and my... Read more
Chris' oral history of this blog ends with some closing reflections from contributors, who also share their favorite posts. Read more
Last time I talked about using a longish poem as a resource for teaching the history of missions, and of Global/World Christianity. Through the years, I have acquired quite a useful list of books, films, music, and other items as valuable teaching aids on these topics, and here is another that I would rate very high indeed. It also raises an intriguing question: How many good (or even tolerable) films have ever been made on the subject of Christian missions... Read more
On Wednesday morning, May 11, Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, who was covering an Israeli military raid on the West Bank, was killed by an Israeli soldier. According to witnesses, the shooter targeted her with full knowledge of her identity. Her murder and the violence that erupted during her funeral received significant news coverage and well-deserved expressions of indignation all over the world. But these events are only the most recent example of the continued weight of the history... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In