After Charlottesville, I have spent a fair bit of time on Facebook arguing about the Confederacy, the Civil War, and statues of Confederate heroes such as Robert E. Lee. My position is that the Confederacy was incorrigibly racist, that it … Continue reading The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History | Book Review
John Fea, Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction, rev. ed. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2016). Few questions in American politics generate as much controversy as the relationship between church and state. On one side are … Continue reading Review of ‘Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?’ (revised edition) by John Fea
John Fea, Why Study History? Reflecting on the Importance of the Past (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013). Paperback / Kindle Why study history? John Fea sets out to answer this question in his eponymous new book, which is subtitled, “reflecting on the importance of the past.” Fea is associate professor of American history and chair of the history department at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. An evangelical Christian teaching at an evangelical college, he has written or edited several books, including Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction[1], The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers … Continue reading Review of ‘Why Study History?’ by John Fea
“On Neuroscience, Morality, and Free Will” … in which Peter Wehner takes on Sam Harris. Wehner’s colleague, Omri Ceren, adds “Language” as one more element that needs to be considered. If you’re interested in this topic, check out William Lane Craig and Sam Harris’s debate on the question, “Is the foundation of morality natural or supernatural?” William Lane Craig vs Sam Harris – Is the Found…, posted with vodpod _____ “Oregon couple convicted in faith-healing trial.” Opposing faith to the use of medicine is bad theology. Evidently, it’s criminal too. _____ “I’m convinced that bad art, like bad literary theory, … Continue reading The World Wide (Religious) Web for Thursday, June 9, 2011
This year is the 400th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. Over at ChristianityToday.com, Mark A. Noll asks, “What would it have been like if the KJV had always been only one among several competing English-language versions of the Bible?”His answer: When the KJV became the cultural and literary standard for the entire English-speaking world, it was easier to focus on the literary excellence of the translation without stopping to face the divine imperatives and promises that are any Bible’s primary reason for existence. The pervasive cultural presence of this Bible also made it easy to … Continue reading The World Wide (Religious) Web for Monday, May 9, 2011
“Welcome to hell, bin Laden.” So said Gov. Mike Huckabee in the opening statement of his Huckabee Report. It’s a common sentiment, but is it a Christian one? James Martin SJ, asks, “What is a Christian Response to Bin Laden’s Death?” Jennifer Fulwiler writes about “The Shocking Truth That God Loves [loved?] Bin Laden Too.” Jim Wallis argues that “it is never a Christian response to celebrate the death of any human being, even one so given over to the face of evil.” Joe Carter reminds us that “our relief at his death must be tempered by a Christian view … Continue reading The World Wide (Religious) Web for Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Here are ten religious posts that caught my eye today: Lee Strobel discusses how Easter killed his faith in atheism. If you’re interested in the topic, check out N. T. Wright’s exhaustive study, The Resurrection of the Son of God, which—at 740 pages is not merely exhaustive but exhausting…to hold, anyway. Or read Michael Licona’s The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach, which is 22 pages shorter. President Obama hosted an Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House, and a reporter can’t help but note a political angle (in the penultimate paragraph). Personally, I cheer the president’s statement of … Continue reading The World Wide (Religious) Web for Wednesday, April 20, 2011
GeorgePWood.com 