On March 1, 2017, Broadman & Holman publishers will release a book entitled, This is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel, by Trevin Wax. Along with books such as Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option, Anthony Esolen’s Out of the Ashes, and Jamie Smith’s Awaiting the King, the release of This is Our [ Read More ]
This week, Democrats made history by forcing Vice President Mike Pence to cast the deciding vote for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Why did Democrats decide to engage in all-out war against an education secretary? Why devote weeks of phone calls, media interviews, and emotional energy to defeating her rather than one of the other cabinet [ Read More ]
When Super Bowl LII commences at 6:30 p.m. this evening (Sunday, February 4, 2018), millions of viewers will tune in to watch the New England Patriots play the Philadelphia Eagles. For some fans, it is an opportunity to pull for the “underdog” Falcons against the “Evil Empire” Patriots. For others, it is a chance to [ Read More ]
Recently, the University of Oregon suspended a white female faculty member for dressing up as a black man at a costume party, even though her intention was to honor a black author, Damon Tweedy. The University concluded that her costume was a type of “speech” that constituted harassment and created a hostile environment. Even though [ Read More ]
One of the great privileges of my life has been the opportunity to teach History of Ideas at The College at Southeastern. Under the leadership of noted author and philosopher James K. Dew, the college requires its undergraduate students to take four courses in the History of Ideas. The first History of Ideas course is a lecture-style grand [ Read More ]
[Note: This post provides a glimpse into the life of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where I serve as Provost and Professor of Theology & Culture. Written as the opening presentation of our 2013 Faculty Workshop, it gives voice to Southeastern’s aspiration to be a “Great Commission Seminary.” The first portion of the essay articulates 3 core convictions [ Read More ]
Any person with a pulse and even a modicum of cultural awareness knows there is a movement afoot to stifle free speech on college campuses. Controversies related to free speech have rocked the campuses of many universities, including Yale, Scripps, Oberlin, and Wesleyan. A number of colleges are authorizing “safe spaces,” “speech codes,” and “trigger [ Read More ]
[Note: This post is a slightly modified version of an essay I wrote for the August 2015 faculty workshop at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where I serve as Provost and professor. Written just after Obergefell was legislated from the SCOTUS bench, I try to chart a course of Christian fidelity in light of the social, [ Read More ]
[Note: This post represents a peek into what I do in my role as Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Each year for Faculty Workshop, I write an essay which encapsulates the overall theme of the workshop. “How to Corrupt the Youth: 5 Imperatives for Shaping Students’ Hearts & Minds in [ Read More ]
It is no secret that something is deeply wrong with American politics and public life. We are alarmed by the unrest and violence that surrounds us. We are disturbed by the toxic nature of public conversation about matters that are important to our common life together.
We sense that we are being hoodwinked by the people we elected to office. Politicians often say one thing to get elected and do another thing once they enter office (I think it was William Buckley who once said that a politician is a person of his most recent word). More significantly, they lie to us on matters of the greatest significance (as the great political philosopher Dennis Miller once said, “Washington, DC is to lying what Wisconsin is to cheese).
We sense that our past political witness has, in some ways, failed.
In addition to these sorts of concerns held by many or most Americans, conservative evangelicals are disillusioned with the fact that the past few decades’ worth of political activism seem not to have paid off. Worse, it seems to have backfired.
[ Read More ]