My colleague Roy Atwood is fond of reminding people of the revolutionary origins of our modern system of higher education. We don’t think much about it anymore, and simply describe it as “going off to college.” But going off to college now is quite a different thing than what it once was, and the difference …
Legislating Sunshine
It is starting to look as though he might be doing it all on purpose. Many years ago, William Simon commented that right wingers are prone to conspiracy theories precisely for this reason — it seems apparent to them that the destructive nature of the proposed policies A, B, and C are evident to all, …
Two Sizes Too Large
Carl Henry once said, “If evangelicals lose the battle for the mind of contemporary man it will be in their own colleges.” That’s the kind of prophetic and semi-inscrutable statement that we could use a lot more of, and which unfortunately, we don’t hear a very much any more. Since Henry wrote those words, the …
Unity and Uniformity
This post on the next chapter of Franke’s book will not be all that long. He says a number of true (and obvious) things about the diversity that has existed in the Christian church over the centuries, and which will no doubt continue to exist. He then points to the indigenization principle (God takes us …
Nadil Malik Hasan and the Street Light
A joke is told about a drunk who was crawling around under a street lamp on his hands and knees. He had been there for some time, and another guy came along and said, “What are you looking for?” The answer was that he was looking for his lost car keys, and so the new …
In the Mouths of Theological Blowhards
In his second chapter, John Franke says a number of reassuring things, that would have been just fine in another setting. But here, they are not. For example and to wit: “An understanding of the situated and contextual character of truth and Christian theology provides a theological framework from which to embrace Christian pluralism without …
At Least I Didn”t Confuse Him With Rutherford B. Hayes
I just got my author’s copies of 5 Cities That Ruled the World today, and you should of course get your twelve copies now. But — and this is the way it frequently goes even while the printing press is cooling down — this is the time when errors are brought to one’s attention, waving …
Health Care Freak Show
Now that the PelosiCare Fiasco has passed the House (in the middle of night, sight unseen, nothing to see here, folks, just keep moving), all eyes turn to the Senate. As Americans who know how to count continue to watch our solons of subtraction with fascinated horror, let me just throw up a small post …
The Plurality of Truth Moonwalk
John Franke begins by asking and answering the question, “Do you believe in truth?” He allows that the easiest thing for emergents to do is to just say yes, in order to reassure everybody. But then he gets into his explanation of why he thinks this is an odd question, and all the reasons why …
Macedoine Salad Without the Bowl
The next book that I shall blog through, Lord willing, will be John Franke’s new book, Manifold Witness. This first post will consist of two parts — the first being a quick take on the cover, title, blurbs, foreword and preface. The second will consist a brief statement of my presuppositions in conducting a review …