WORLD WAR I: THE GREAT AND HOLY WAR Philip Jenkins is Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor. He is the author of seminal books in history and religion such as The Next Christendom and Jesus Wars. His book, The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade, framed this interview. The interview was conducted by David George Moore. Dave blogs at www.twocities.org. Moore: The literary landscape is glutted with books on World War I. What motivated... Read more
Goofiest story of the week about churches: Imagine Cinderella’s glass slipper scaled to about 100 times its original size and dropped on the coast of Taiwan. That’s the new church in Ocean View Park in Budai township. Looking like it was plucked from a distorted fairy tale, the glittering, shoe-shaped building is made up of about 320 tinted glass panels and stands 55 feet tall by 36 feet wide. It was reportedly constructed by the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area... Read more
By David George Moore Two events coalesced for me in an odd sort of way this past Monday. First, I listened to Trump’s talk at Liberty University. The other was an interview with the men who are featured in the just released movie, “13 Hours.” This movie details the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Though vastly different, what struck me is a commonality between the two events. In short, many of us Americans, including Christians, have checked... Read more
Before we dig in, I’d first like to say that this blog post comes with a critical caveat: I am not one bit qualified to write a post on parenting. Really, I’m not. I’m not even a “mommy blogger”; I usually like to write about theology, ministry, and all things related to the church. When it comes to parenting, most days I am pretty sure my husband and I are making things up as we go along. We are trying our... Read more
The apostle Paul was an immigrant, at least if we go with the earliest Christian traditions. His family moved from their nativeland, Galilee, to Tarsus, a major city in Asia Minor. He was a Jew surrounded by Gentiles, and hence lived a life in the diaspora of that time. We are looking at E.P. Sanders’ new book, Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought, and he sketches life in the Jewish diaspora. Here are his generalizations: 1. The Jews in the... Read more
From CT: Wheaton College’s faculty council has unanimously asked the Illinois school’s administration to withdraw its recommendation that Larycia Hawkins have her tenure and employment terminated. Hawkins, an associate professor of political science, told CT she felt “strengthened” by the decision. Wheaton told CT the college “respects the viewpoints” of the council, but plans for a hearing (as spelled out in the faculty handbook) will continue. Wheaton faculty were informed of the council’s vote yesterday. “Following recent discussions between faculty council, President... Read more
Any kind of Christian ministry in North America requires both preparation and experience, so an increasing number of ministers are deeply involved in the experience dimension and finding it nearly impossible to attend seminary full-time. A seminary curriculum focuses on the scope of the minister’s calling, from biblical and theological to practical and homiletical studies, but not all ministers need as intense preparation for each facet of ministry. Some focus on teaching while others focus on the more personal and... Read more
Amy Freeze: PARAMUS, New Jersey (WABC) — A new tool in a Paramus Elementary school is promoting physical activity while learning.It’s helping to keep the fidgeting down and the creativity up for first graders.Sit still and stay calm never really works for 7 year olds, but read at your desk and pedal looks promising!“It gets me relaxed,” a student said, “Exercise is good for your body!”The first graders described it as soothing.“I’m writing while riding a bike,” said Ashley. “When... Read more
More often than I am asked how I as a scientist can be a Christian, I am asked how I as an educated woman can be a Christian. After all, the questioner generally continues, Christianity oppresses women. Unfortunately we don’t have to look far to find appalling evidence for this view at the extremes. But even in churches closer to the center there is evidence that can be used to support this position. All we have to do is look... Read more
By Mimi Haddad. Did you know that there are twice as many women academics in the secular academy as in the Christian academy? Worse, women comprise only about six percent of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). And despite a recent study exposing the shaming experiences of ETS women, some members of ETS passed a resolution that identified gender as the basis of personal identity for Christians. Without actually defining “manhood” or “womanhood,” the resolution asserts that the essential or fundamental characteristics of... Read more
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