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Evangelical

Chris Gehrz

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September 2023

September 08, 2023

History, Cancel Culture, and the Desire for Innocence

In the 1980s when I was growing up as a pastor’s daughter in a conservative...

June 2022

June 21, 2022

My Farewell to The Anxious Bench

Our blogmeister says farewell after six years and nearly 400 posts at The Anxious Bench.

June 14, 2022

The Half-Year in Review

I usually wait until the end of June to post a mid-year report on what’s...

June 07, 2022

Interfaith America: An Interview with Eboo Patel

Chris talks to Eboo Patel about his new book, We Need to Build, and his...

May 2022

May 17, 2022

An Oral History of The Anxious Bench: Change over Time

Part two in Chris' "oral" history of this blog covers the period from 2015 to...

May 10, 2022

An Oral History of The Anxious Bench: Origins

This month The Anxious Bench celebrates its 10th anniversary by telling its own story... starting...

April 2022

April 26, 2022

“Just the Same as Never Before”: A Christian College at 150

As his university concludes its 150th anniversary, Chris considers how it remains — in the words...

April 19, 2022

What Has 2022 To Do with 1939?

Chris considers another analogy between WWII and the war in Ukraine: how the arguments made...

April 12, 2022

“The Ukrainian Family”

In recent days, Marc Chagall's WWII-era painting of a "Ukrainian Family" has been circulating on...

April 05, 2022

College for Christians

Why go to college? How do you find a good fit? Is the cost worth...

March 2022

March 29, 2022

The Evangelical Affinity for Ukraine

What do evangelicals in the U.S. think about the Russian invasion of Ukraine? You might...

March 22, 2022

The Religious History of Daylight Saving

I don't often dip into my archives and reprise a post. But since the U.S....

March 12, 2022

Can We Curse Putin? A Brief History of American Christians Using Imprecatory Psalms

Christians often struggle with the cursing language of the imprecatory psalms. But Chris found that...

March 01, 2022

Centered on Jesus: A Free Devotional for Lent

Chris shares a free daily devotional for Lent, a faculty-written booklet that made him think...

February 2022

February 22, 2022

Is Christian History Faithful, Hopeful, and Loving?

Should Christian history make evident Paul's three great virtues: faith, hope, and love?

February 15, 2022

The Time Christians Tried to Boycott the Olympics

“Boycott China’s Winter Olympics?”, asked a Christianity Today headline last week. “Many American Christians Agree.”...

February 01, 2022

“Female Leadership Has Been a Consistent Part of Baptist History”: A Northern Example

Chris tells the story of Ethel Ruff, the first — and, in her lifetime, only — woman...

January 2022

January 28, 2022

At Long Last… Previewing the 2022 Meeting of the Conference on Faith and History

Chris previews the long-postponed next meeting of the Conference on Faith and History, coming to...

January 18, 2022

“Everything You Know about Prohibition Is Wrong”

A new book argues that we have misunderstood prohibition, casting it as a global movement...

January 11, 2022

Why I’m Still a Protestant

According to a new survey, the term Protestant is becoming much less common among younger...

January 04, 2022

Why Do Christians Read (and Write) Biographies?

“Why should we read — and write — biographies?” It seemed like a good question...

December 2021

December 28, 2021

My Favorite Articles, Essays, and Blog Posts in 2021

Chris recommends some of his favorite short reads from 2021, touching on everything from fast...

December 23, 2021

The Great War’s Great Christmas Memorial

Chris explains the history of a war memorial that's "both more ephemeral and more enduring...

December 21, 2021

It’s a Wonderful Life

Chris explains why It's a Wonderful Life is both his favorite Christmas movie... and yet...

December 14, 2021

To Be a Historian Is To Speak over Gravesides

In a figurative sense, I stand by gravesides most of the time I teach, write,...

December 09, 2021

My Favorite “Fundamentalist”

Chris pays tribute to his friend and mentor, Kevin Cragg (1945-2021), who taught ancient history...

December 07, 2021

Reconstructing Evangelicalism

Joel Lawrence, executive director of the Center for Pastor Theologians, talks to us about reconstructing...

November 2021

November 30, 2021

Christmas Gifts for the History Buff in Your Life

This blog serves a number of purposes. It helps Christians think more deeply about the...

November 23, 2021

Human Rights and the “Surprising Greatness” of a Born-Again President

Two recent biographers argue that Jimmy Carter was actually a significant U.S. president, in part...

November 16, 2021

Do Evangelical Churches Have a Catechesis Problem?

Why Chris thinks that historians have a role to play in improving evangelical catechesis — the...