Christian Thought & History Archives - Page 5 of 8

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Scholarship

The Reinvention of “Evangelical” in American History: A Linguistic Analysis

by Hannah Butler and Kristin Du Mez Scan the headlines, and it seems that everywhere you look, evangelicals are in the news. From Paige Patterson to the “court evangelicals” to Trump’s most dependable voting bloc, evangelicals have been the topic…

Kristin Kobes Du MezMay 31, 2018

Image of National Memorial for Peace and Justice

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Church History

Poisonous History and Its Antidote: Christian Nationalism, Black History, and New Beginnings

On April 26, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, in Montgomery, Alabama, opened its doors. The memorial is visually stunning. Around 800 rusted iron columns hang from above, each representing a county where a lynching took place. In a recent…

Kristin Kobes Du MezMay 3, 2018

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Thought

The Church of James Dobson?

Is Focus on the Family a church? It depends who you ask. And it depends when you ask, apparently. Back in 2016, Focus on the Family reportedly asked the IRS to classify the organization as a church, in order to dodge the…

Kristin Kobes Du MezApril 18, 2018

Image of Martin Luther King Jr with Lynden B Johnson

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Church History

April 4, 50 Years Out

Fifty years. Fifty years since the shot rang out. Since Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Over the years there has been a lot of reflection on the legacy of King, our…

Kristin Kobes Du MezApril 4, 2018

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Thought

Defining Evangelicalism and the Problem of Whiteness

Do you approve of the way Trump is handling his job as President? If you’re an evangelical, chances are you do. In a recent poll, 78% of white evangelicals approve of Trump’s job performance. This number, of course, comes remarkably close…

Kristin Kobes Du MezMarch 22, 2018

image of richard mouw from wikimedia commons

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Scholarship

Is It Time to Put Away “the Prophetic”?

A few weeks back, evangelical theologian Richard Mouw explained over at Religion News Service why he declined to sign “prophetic” declarations. (You know, the official statements proliferating about this or that “justice-related matter.”) Since that time, the essay has been reprinted at First…

Kristin Kobes Du MezMarch 8, 2018

image of the journal of church and state

American Evangelicalism Book Chapters & Journals Christian Scholarship

My Brother’s Keeper: George McGovern and Progressive Christianity. By Mark A. Lempke

Excerpt: Long overshadowed by historians’ preoccupation with the influence conservative evangelicals have wielded on the national stage, the scholarship on progressive faith traditions is now coming into its own. Alongside works like David R. Swartz’s Moral Minority and Jill K. Gill’s Embattled…

Kristin Kobes Du MezDecember 11, 2017

Articles & Essays Christian Scholarship

Christian Scholarship, For Such a Time as This

I’ve got to be honest. There was a time, not long ago, when I had become weary of conversations about “Christian scholarship.” These conversations, it seemed to me, had become stale, and sometimes took the place of actually doing scholarship,…

Kristin Kobes Du MezNovember 16, 2017

image of coffee cup and notebook with pen

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Thought Christian Women

Tish Warren, Jen Hatmaker, and the “Crisis” of the Female Christian Blogosphere in Historical Perspective

As a historian of American Christianity, I have followed with great interest the conversation Tish Harrison Warren began earlier this spring at Christianity Today’s #AmplifyWomen series. In an essay titled “Who’s In Charge of the Christian Blogosphere?,” Warren identified “a new crisis…

Kristin Kobes Du MezAugust 31, 2017

Articles & Essays Christian Women Church History

Why We Need to Know the History of Our Churches

The fact remains that most American Christians remain startlingly ignorant of critical aspects of their church’s history. Learning this history can help us more faithfully know ourselves, love others, and follow Christ.

Kristin Kobes Du MezAugust 7, 2017

Christian Thought & History