FIRST-PERSON: Commending classical evangelicalism
The evangelical label has fallen on hard times. A growing number of Americans treat it almost like a slur, especially on social media. The terms evangelical and evangelicalism are contested by scholars, controversial in the public square, and confusing to many churchgoers. Pundits, pollsters, journalists and many scholars are convinced evangelicalism is primarily a special interest group that skews […]
A popular but misguided idea
Americans are concerned with the state of our colleges and universities. Last summer, the Gallup organization reported that only 36 percent of those polled reported “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. Most were ambivalent or negative, with 40 percent of respondents expressing only “some” and 22 percent claiming “very little” confidence. […]
Carl F. H. Henry: Integrating Public Engagement and Personal Evangelism
Carl F. H. Henry (1913–2003) was arguably the most important American theologian of the postwar years. His best-known book likely remains his 1947 manifesto The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, which was recently republished by Crossway. I reflected on this important work in a previous essay for The Land Center. Henry is also known for […]
On the Political Uses (and Misuses) of Scripture
American political figures love the Bible. Some no doubt love the Scriptures because they sincerely believe the Bible is God’s written words for humanity. Others seem to love the Bible because it serves as a useful prop that resonates with particular voting blocs. Still others probably just have a nostalgic love for the Good Book […]
Spiritual Awakening and Cultural Engagement
I’ve been a student of spiritual awakenings for several years. As a church historian, I have taught many courses over the years on the history of revival and closely related themes. I’ve also published a little bit in the area, mostly in relation to either Jonathan Edwards or the Missionary Awakening among English Baptists in […]
An Absence of Trust: Navigating our Knowledge Crisis Faithfully
Americans don’t trust the media. According to a Gallup story released in October 2022, American confidence in mass media remains near historically low. The story did document some noteworthy variances. Democrats trust the media more than Republicans, the college-educated have more trust than those who did not finish college, and younger Americans were far less […]
A Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022. She was 96 years old. Her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, preceded her in death in 2021. Queen Elizabeth was the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom from 1952 until her death. Her 70-year reign made her the longest-serving ruler in British history. She was […]
Thinking Christianly About Assessments
For the past seven years, I’ve been an academic administrator in two Christian universities. I’ve served as the dean of a school within one university, and I now serve as another university’s provost (chief academic officer). I manage a leadership team of about a dozen direct reports. I also teach courses in the field of […]
Revisiting Carl Henry’s “Uneasy Conscience for a New Generation”
Postwar Evangelicals at a Crossroads The year was 1947. Evangelicals were trying to figure out how to navigate faithfully the postwar world. They were still less than a generation removed from a string of defeats in the fundamentalist-modernist denominational controversies of the 1920s and 1930s. The Scopes Trial, while technically a victory for theological conservatives, […]
Why It Matters That the World is Watching
In recent years, I’ve attended denominational meetings where believers discussed—sometimes passionately—about how to engage the culture most faithfully. I‘ve often heard a common refrain that goes something like this: Christian A: “We need to be clear about XYZ issue because the world is watching.” Christian B: “What does it matter what the world […]