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David Swartz

The complicated history of John Howard Yoder’s The Politics of Jesus

John Fea   |  April 7, 2022

Yoder’s book turns fifty this year. Asbury University historian David Swartz reflects on its complicated history. Here is a taste of his piece at The Anxious Bench: I’ve not seen this anniversary mentioned anywhere yet—and for good reason: John Howard...

Today on the campaign sign front

John Fea   |  October 22, 2020

A reader sends this along. I think it sums up the troubling moral contradiction at the heart of American politics today. I also recommend Lisa and David Swartz’s political sign photo essay from Wilmore, Kentucky.

When progressive evangelicals held the national stage

John Fea   |  June 25, 2020

Over at Sojourners, American religious historian Randall Balmer traces the history of progressive evangelicalism in the 1970s. Here is a taste of “Before the Religious Right, Progressive Evangelicals Gained the National Spotlight“: Richard Nixon’s promise of a “secret plan” to...

The Pot-Smoking Dutch Calvinists Who Stopped “worshipping the Ph.D.” and Gave Their Students “guerrilla credentials.”

John Fea   |  May 20, 2020

I don’t pretend to know much about Dutch Calvinism in America or the differences between Abraham Kuyper and Herman Dooyeweerd. (There are good books on the subject, I would start with the work of James D. Bratt). But I know...

Do Evangelicals Care What I Think About Trump?

John Fea   |  November 6, 2019

Historian David Swartz does not think so. Here is Swartz at The Anxious Bench: White evangelicals are doubling down on President Donald Trump. Their choices in 2016—Trump or Clinton—may have been distasteful to them then. But in 2019, their taste for...

Jim Wallis: “Trump is operating in the spirit of the anti-Christ”

John Fea   |  October 10, 2019

Jim Wallis, the progressive evangelical leader of Sojourners, recently said in an interview with Publishers Weekly that Donald Trump “is operating in the spirit of anti-Christ.” (Wallis was discussing the themes of his new book Christ in Crisis : Why We Need...

Progressive Evangelicals Revive the 1973 Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern

John Fea   |  October 10, 2018

In 1973, a group of evangelical leaders gathered at the YMCA on Wabash Avenue in Chicago to affirm the Christian call to racial justice, care for the poor, peace, and equality for women.  The result of this meeting was The...

David Swartz on Jimmy Carter’s “Malaise” Speech

John Fea   |  July 14, 2018

Over at The Conversation, David Swartz, a historian of the evangelical Left, has a nice piece on Jimmy Carter’s 1979 “malaise” speech.  Here is a taste: It was a penetrating cultural critique that reflected Carter’s spiritual values. Like the writers...

“We Need a Revival”

John Fea   |  April 13, 2018

We linked to his “Photo Essay” on Wednesday.  Today we want to call your attention to David Swartz‘s report from Liberty University and the Red Letter Revival.  Swartz visited both this past weekend. Here is a taste of his piece...

David Swartz’s Photo Essay of the Red Letter Revival in Lynchburg

John Fea   |  April 11, 2018

Asbury University historian David Swartz not only covered the progressive evangelical Red Letter Revival event, but he also took a tour of Liberty University.  Check out his photo essay at The Anxious Bench....

Why John Wesley Opposed the American Revolution

John Fea   |  July 5, 2017

During last weekend’s #ChristianAmerica? tweetstorm I wrote: John Wesley smelled hypocrisy. Colonists said they were enslaved by Britain, yet owned African slaves. #ChristianAmerica? #4thofJuly — John Fea (@JohnFea1) July 3, 2017 Of course it is difficult to capture the nuance of...

"The Mystery of the Liberal Arts"

John Fea   |  August 20, 2016

Earlier this week I gave a short talk to the members of the Messiah College Admissions staff during their Fall retreat.  I spoke about the value of history and the humanities and hopefully gave them something to think about as...

Jimmy Carter for President!

John Fea   |  April 27, 2016

No, this isnt’s some weird flashback from 1976 or 1980.  The title of my post comes from David Swartz’s recent piece at The Anxious Bench: “J.C. Can Save America.”  When Swartz, the author of Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in...

Is Rand Paul a Pacifist?

John Fea   |  April 6, 2016

Rand Paul is out of the presidential race, but he is still a United States Senator from Kentucky.  He is also historian David Swartz‘s Senator.  Swartz, the author of the excellent Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism,...

The Anabaptist Turn in American Evangelical Historiography

John Fea   |  February 9, 2016

In some respects we are all Anabaptists these days–at least those of us who are bothered by the way politicians tend to conflate the church and the United States of America. I don’t know what the prevalence of Christian nationalism...

David Swartz Puts the InterVarsity Support of #blacklivesmatter in Historical Perspective

John Fea   |  January 7, 2016

Last week we did a post on InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s recent embrace of the #blacklivesmatter movement. Over at The Anxious Bench, David Swartz, the author of Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism, has provided some historical context to...

Schrag Lecture Recap

John Fea   |  March 8, 2014

David Swartz David Swartz’s Schrag Lecture on Thursday night was very well-received by the 70+ members in attendance in Messiah College‘s Alexander Auditorium. Swartz’s lecture, “Anabaptists, Evangelicals, and the Search for a Third Way in Post-War America,” focused on some of...

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Episode 51: “The Politics of Tinky Winky”

January 27, 2023 By John Fea

He was Florida’s professor of the year in 2006. Today his courses would be illegal.

January 27, 2023 By John Fea

Zakaria: The nation’s policy on classified documents and “secrecy” is “out-of-control”

January 27, 2023 By John Fea

Teaching John Henry Newman’s “What is a University”

January 27, 2023 By John Fea

What is popular this week at Current?

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