ESN frequently commissions new material designed for Christian academics to use in the seasons of the church calendar. In the past few years, our talented authors have created an impressive archive of ESN material for the Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter seasons. We're so grateful to have so many authors sharing their perspectives and experiences of the season. This year, with some big transitions and new projects in the works, we've decided instead to create a list of Advent resources you may find helpful this year, … [Read more...] about Resources for Advent
christianity today
Missionaries Changed the World Once – Can they do it again?
The topic of a recent cover story in Christianity Today is shaking up not only the world of missions, but also academia. The World the Missionaries Made is a report on the work of Robert Woodberry, a sociologist currently researching at the Political Science Department of the National University of Singapore. CT's Executive Editor Andy Crouch calls it the CT cover story of which he is most proud. Its thesis and Woodberry's work support a remarkable conclusion – that a generation of “conversionary protestant … [Read more...] about Missionaries Changed the World Once – Can they do it again?
On Christian Radicalism
For its cover story last month, Christianity Today published an article on contemporary Radicalism. The article struck me as controversial and provocative because it held out criticism of controversial and provocative people: David Platt, Francis Chan, and Shane Claiborne among others. The overall tone is quite critical of the icons and the culture of emerging Christian radicalism: These teachers want us to see that following Christ genuinely, truly, really, radically, sacrificially, inconveniently, and uncomfortably … [Read more...] about On Christian Radicalism
InterVarsity’s Alec Hill on CLS v. Martinez
InterVarsity president Alec Hill – who formerly taught law at Seattle Pacific University – has written an opinion column on Christianity Today's website that offers some wisdom and insight on the CLS v. Martinez case (and I'm not just saying that because he's my boss). Like many other commentators, Alec wonders about the viability of an "all comers" policy: It is difficult to imagine a large university like Ohio State adopting an "all-comers" policy. Student groups representing affinity groups such as … [Read more...] about InterVarsity’s Alec Hill on CLS v. Martinez