Today I continue my “Lessons from Saul Bellow” over at The Twelve blog. Here’s the opening couple of paragraphs: As you’ll note from my recent Perspectives article, “A Peculiar People,” I’ve been thinking a lot about the dynamics of immigration and how that intersects with my own experience of being an immigrant–and being Reformed. That’s…
Earlier this year I mentioned my rejuvenating time with the Society of Vineyard Scholars. One of the movers and shakers behind SVS is Caleb Maskell, a bright, passionate, all-around-great guy studying the history of American religion at Princeton University and deeply involved in Vineyard urban missions and church planting. A few months ago, Caleb and…
A couple of weeks ago I noted the launch of The Colossian Forum website. On the front page is a short film introducing TCF; we’ve also created a longer (8 1/2 minute) film that delves into some of the themes in more depth. You might find this a helpful conversation starter in different contexts. More…
The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an excerpt from Phil Zuckerman’s new book, Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion. In “Taking Leave of Religion,” Zuckerman notes the increase in “apostasy” in the United States, citing the growing numbers of Americans who identify with no religion. This is not just a factor of secularists…
I am blessed to work with pretty incredible people. Calvin College is the place I’ve planted myself, in no small part because the intellectual energy of this institution keeps me on my toes: I am constantly learning from my colleagues across the disciplines. We’re big enough to have an amazing array of scholars at work…
For the past year I’ve been quietly involved with a start-up organization called The Colossian Forum. Rooted in the conviction that “all things hold together in Christ,” The Colossian Forum aims to help the church grapple with issues that often cause tension and dissension within the body of Christ. In particular, we’re focused on helping…