The World Her Wilderness

Last updated on: July 27, 2023 at 6:03 am By Philip Jenkins

Last time I wrote about the English novelist Rose Macaulay (1881-1958), arguing that she was a far more significant figure than her reputation as a comic writer might suggest. I particularly praised her book Crewe Train (1926), which was the subject of my recent Christian Century column. But Macaulay wrote over twenty other novels, several of which demand attention. One in particular here is a powerful historical document for the religious thought of the mid-twentieth century. Christian conversion – specifically,... Read more

The Great Potsdam Castle Bathroom Incident, or, How I Changed My Mind

Last updated on: July 26, 2023 at 4:31 pm By Andrea L. Turpin

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One sunny afternoon in Germany, I found myself in need of a restroom. And I realized that historian and philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn was on to something. I was in Berlin for a conference, which I then extended into a European vacation with my friend Jill. By “European,” I mostly mean Berlin. It contains more than enough to hold your interest for a week. But we are Americans, so Europe means castles. We went in search of the closest... Read more

President Warren Harding’s Liberal Baptist Faith

Last updated on: August 21, 2023 at 9:18 pm By Daniel K. Williams

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Next week marks the 100-year anniversary of the death of the first Baptist president of the United States. But if “Baptist” wasn’t the first word that came to mind when thinking of Warren Harding, who died in office on August 2, 1923, you’re probably not alone. Even if he was a member of a Baptist church, Harding was one of the nation’s least overtly devout presidents. Those of you who have read Barry Hankins’s Jesus and Gin know that Harding... Read more

Faith, Friendship, and Sweet Magnolias: A Roundtable Discussion

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

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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

Who was the first high priest of Israel?