Like the proverbial quiet before the storm, we pause this week in our Best Christian Book of All Time Tournament (BCBATT). Nominations closed over the weekend, and the brackets won't be announced until next week. This seemed an appropriate time to ponder the question: What is a Christian book, anyway? When I called for people to nominate their picks for the “best Christian book,” I expected there to be some differences of opinion about what constituted a “Christian book,” as well as questions about how to choose which … [Read more...] about What IS a Christian Book? (A Working Definition)
Best Christian Book of All Time: Early Nominations
The nominations are coming in for our Best Christian Book of All Time Tournament (BCBATT for short). So far, more than 140 different books have been nominated, ranging from the 2nd to the 21st centuries. Here are a few of the books receiving multiple nominations: Augustine, Confessions Augustine, City of God Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion G.K. Chesterton, … [Read more...] about Best Christian Book of All Time: Early Nominations
What’s the Best Christian Book of All Time? (Call for Nominations)
We all have our favorite Christian books, as well as our favorite ones for undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, Urbana attendees, and so on. But which one is the best, the one book to which all others pale in comparison? Here on the Emerging Scholars Blog, we're going to find out. Next month, the best men's and women's NCAA basketball teams will battle it out in a single elimination tournament to determine the single best team in the land. While talking about basketball at Urbana, Tom and I thought, “What … [Read more...] about What’s the Best Christian Book of All Time? (Call for Nominations)
Omri Elisha: The Frustrations of Socially Engaged Evangelicals
I'm reading and blogging about Omri Elisha's Moral Ambition: Mobilization and Social Outreach in Evangelical Megachurches, an ethnography of two evangelical megachurches in Knoxville, Tennessee. See my introduction to the series and my follow-up post about Bible Belt Christianity. In Chapter 4 of Moral Ambition, anthropologist Omri Elisha profiles four evangelical leaders who personify the activist orientation of evangelical social engagement, and embody the virtues, struggles, and moral ambitions that go along … [Read more...] about Omri Elisha: The Frustrations of Socially Engaged Evangelicals
Academic Conferences for Undergraduates
Academic conferences are a fact of life for graduate students and faculty, but there are plenty of opportunities for undergraduates, too —especially if you're considering a career in academia. Many conferences feature special rates or events for undergraduates, and there are also conferences intended primarily for undergraduate attendees and presenters. Two such conferences came to my inbox recently. What other conferences for undergraduates do you recommend? Leave details in the comments or email them to me, and … [Read more...] about Academic Conferences for Undergraduates