Calvin College philosopher James K.A. Smith delivered the final plenary lecture at “The State of the Evangelical Mind” conference last week. Very early in his talk Smith announced that “everything going on in this conference has no connection whatsoever to...
historian and the church
Talking with Evangelicals About Religion and the American Founding
In January I had the wonderful opportunity to teach a course at my church titled “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?” “Mainstream Evangelical” is probably the best way to describe the people who attend West Shore Evangelical Free Church....
A Conversation on Christian America in Strasburg, PA
The good folks at First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg, PA–especially pastor Bob Bronkema and his team of very committed laypersons– know how to stage a conversation about Christian faith and public life. As far as I am concerned, their “First...
Conference on Faith and History Wrap-Up: Part Three
On the last day of the biennial meeting of the Conference on Faith and History, I attended a session entitled “Christology in History: Three Perspectives from the Trenches.” One of the presenters at this session was Susan Fletcher, the historian...