John G. Stackhouse Jr.'s Blog, page 36

Trump, American Evangelicals, and “the Establishment”

I know, I know: You’re sick of reading about Trump, thinking about Trump, waking up from nightmares about Trump…me, too. Still, a friend directed me to a letter in the New York Times and asked me to comment. Maybe you’d like to … Continued

When Nothing (or “Anti-Everything”) Is Cool

Lisa Ruddick, an associate professor of English language and literature at the University of Chicago, has written a poignant, powerful piece on the anti-humanism that has brought her discipline to an embarrassing, dysfunctional pass: “When Nothing Is Cool.” I mention … Continued

Mr. Trump, Evangelicals, The Globe, and Crucial Distinctions

Canada’s newspaper of record, the Toronto Globe and Mail, expresses astonishment that Donald Trump, “a profane, thrice-married worshipper of Mammon,” could poll so highly among evangelicals in Iowa and beyond. The story then goes on to quote some dubious explanations from some … Continued

More of Me (Irresistible, I Know…)

First, if you don’t SUBSCRIBE yet, please do. I blog only impulsively, even desultorily, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time checking to see if something new has been posted. Just subscribe (by clicking on that helpful little button over yonder) … Continued

Four Reasons Why Christians Are Smarter than We Used to Be

Calvin College recently hosted a session with four of its most esteemed alumni and former professors: George Marsden, Richard Mouw, Alvin Plantinga, and Nicholas Wolterstorff. You can view it here, and you should: Even in the space of an hour, … Continued

Justice Means Justice for Everyone

The high-profile case of Wheaton College and Dr Larycia Hawkins continues to grind on. Full disclosure: I earned my MA there; I taught there briefly as a doctoral student; I have returned there periodically for lectures and conferences; and I have … Continued

What Will We Want Jesus to Want from Us?

Reading in Matthew 14 this morning, I was impressed afresh at the Apostle Peter’s audacity. I wonder if I, on the verge of 2016, will dare as he dared. Peter and his fellow disciples are rowing for their lives in … Continued

“Conservative” Shouldn’t Mean Just “Grumpy and Complacent in Privilege”

This article, touted by a good friend of mine, but written by someone not known to me, is a prime example of why I stopped subscribing to, and then reading at all, First Things…and similar journals in other countries. I … Continued

Too Cool for the Gospel?

One could read a lot of pages of GQ (and its brethren) before one would expect to find a fair-minded portrait of evangelical Christianity. But behold! a piece on Hillsong NYC, inevitably identified as the church of Justin Bieber (he’s a … Continued

Allah and Yhwh…and Tash and Aslan

Just a little more on this issue of “Which God is which?” As I implied at the end of my previous post, but now will say explicitly: I rather wish Professor Hawkins simply hadn’t gotten into what we academic types … Continued