Over the past couple of centuries, scholars have devoted a lot of attention to understanding story-telling. They examine how motifs emerge and evolve, and how they take different forms. Some are represented as historical fact, some as legend, and some in an inbetween category. Rarely does it do much good to try and seek the origins of such tales in solid history. Many have tried to apply such methods to Biblical texts and stories, with consequences that are controversial. In... Read more
Today, Europe is a predominantly secular continent, but that is not how American evangelicals perceived it in the 1950s. Read more
Nine years ago, I was reading applications for our PhD program at Baylor History. My upstairs table was covered with files (we still printed paper copies then). Our Graduate Program Director (GPD), Barry Hankins, had suggested I look first at an applicant from the University of St. Andrews. She was graduating with a MLitt. from the St. Andrews History department and had written her thesis on nineteenth-century dance halls. He though I might be interested in working with her. So,... Read more
On January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Brazilian Congress, Supreme Court, Senate, and Presidential palace. Many people reported on the event—and a forthcoming piece I co-wrote on the history of evangelical connection to right-wing politics in Brazil will hopefully come out soon—but I would like to highlight some evangelical pastors who supported Bolsonaro and have not condemned the criminal acts against the Brazilian democracy. The Brazilian insurrection underscores that Christian nationalism (and/or “the religious right”) is a transnational... Read more
I glanced at my phone. It was 11:48pm on December 31, 2022. I ambled slowly across the tile floor, pushing my IV towards the nearest bathroom, my gown trembling about me. All but one of the lights over the nurses’ station had been turned off and it was quiet and peaceful, much as it had been at 6am when a nurse had wheeled me up from the ER and into an unoccupied space and drew the curtain. There was no... Read more
Over the past couple of decades, one of the most active and creative fields of historical scholarship has been the history of the senses, of the ways in which people interact with their worlds. To borrow the words of a recent blurb, what did the past sound like, taste like, smell like? You can actually make reasonable efforts at knowing such things. One excellent book I read last year was Moravian Soundscapes by Sarah Justina Eyerly, which uses a “sonic... Read more
It is a new year and a wonderful time to welcome a new guest contributor to the Anxious Bench to tell us about his new book. Today’s post is by Benjamin Guyer, who is currently a lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin, and an adjunct professor in the departments of Religious Studies and History at the University of Kansas. He is a Council Member of the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference,... Read more
The Conference on Faith and History (CFH) has its annual board meeting this Friday, on the heels of annual meetings for both the American Historical Association (AHA) and the American Society of Church History (ASCH). CFH is an affiliate member of the AHA and the organization has traditionally hosted a breakfast for its members at AHA, along with hosting a panel. If you happened to be in Philadelphia last week, I hope you ran into my Anxious Bench colleague, Lisa... Read more
Like many of you, I watched in horror last Monday as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin fell backwards following a collision in the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. I sat, stunned and suddenly riveted, as medical personnel worked to revive the 24-year-old. Shocked players fell to their knees, hugged one another, and openly wept. They also prayed. Groups of Bills and Bengals players huddled, their heads bowed, as did fans, regardless of team affiliation, in the... Read more
“The Americans, having introduced slavery among them, their hearts have become almost seared, as with a hot iron, and God has nearly given them up to believe a lie in preference to the truth!!! And I am awfully afraid that pride, prejudice, avarice and blood, will, before long prove the final ruin of this happy republic, or land of liberty!!!… Will the Lord suffer this people to go on much longer, taking his holy name in vain? Will he not... Read more
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