'Pastor's residence in Andover' Korsbanaret, 1880 (Google Books). Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director in advance of our session for March. I’ve been writing these for several years now, primarily in order to help me focus my mind before we talk. It’s not a record or an agenda of our … Continue reading Notes on 19th-century Swedes in Illinois and an alt-country song from Appalachia (spiritual journal for March)
Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden — abstract and presentation script from October 2020
Note: A copy of the abstract and notes I used when I presented my paper "Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860" over Zoom at the Conference on Illinois History, Abraham Lincoln Public Library and Museum Springfield, Oct. 7, 2020. As I said in an email at the time, it was "probably … Continue reading Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden — abstract and presentation script from October 2020
Sundays@6: Lutherans in the Civil War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzSFgOSeqxs Satirical song about Germans commanded by Union Gen. Franz Sigel of St. Louis. Two things stand out in Jemar Tisby's treatment of the Civil War in The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism. The first, and most obvious: It was always about slavery, and that fact "has not … Continue reading Sundays@6: Lutherans in the Civil War
How white churches (including most Lutherans) split on slavery and self-segregated as the Black church grew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwWqkk4Ha70 Black History in Two Minutes (or so), narrated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Lightly edited copy of a blast email Debi and I sent out today to participants in Sundays@6, our online adult faith formation group at Peace Lutheran Church, Springfield. Sunday will be the third session in a book study on “The Color … Continue reading How white churches (including most Lutherans) split on slavery and self-segregated as the Black church grew
An old workshop poem brings back cherished memories of my father and a writers’ workshop in the Quad-Cities
Here's something I found when I was going through my Facebook photos prior to being locked out of my account (long story, you can read about it HERE if you're so inclined. Or not). It's a JPEG copy of a draft poem I wrote during a creative writing workshop at the Mississippi Valley Writers' Conference … Continue reading An old workshop poem brings back cherished memories of my father and a writers’ workshop in the Quad-Cities
Historians, including Ken Burns, cite historical parallels between today, the slavery crisis of the 1850s and the anti-Semitism of the 1930s
d r a f t More quotes for my Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden project — Two disturbing historical parallels in print this week, both suggesting that America faces a more difficult crisis -- more accurately a series of cascading crises -- now than it did in the runup to the Civil War. It's hard to know … Continue reading Historians, including Ken Burns, cite historical parallels between today, the slavery crisis of the 1850s and the anti-Semitism of the 1930s
Creolization: Jingoism v. jambalaya in France (with excerpts from my historical papers on the subject)
France 24, Feb. 15, 2022 Voilà! Turns out an obscure academic term I use in my historical writing got to be a political talking point in this year's French elections. The word is "creolization" (créolisation in French), and it's used by cultural anthropologists to describe the cultural blending in creole societies like those of the … Continue reading Creolization: Jingoism v. jambalaya in France (with excerpts from my historical papers on the subject)
Futures file (Notes & Quotes): Iowa’s nativist ban on foreign languages during World War I
Some first-rate quotes below, from a post on Patheos by a biographer of Swedish-American aviator Charles Lindbergh, on the anti-German hysteria that spilled over and left some Swedish, Norwegian, Czech and other immigrant churches unable to communicate with their parishioners during World War I and its immediate aftermath. I presented a paper on the hysteria, … Continue reading Futures file (Notes & Quotes): Iowa’s nativist ban on foreign languages during World War I
A trail of breadcrumbs in Roger Williams’ garden — short takes on theological hair-splitting, mix-and-match spirituality and an ongoing research project
Cartoon by Man Martin (rpt. Winnipeg Free Press, March 16, 2019) Short takes on a general theme that didn't start to jell until I'd been thinking about it for the better part of a month. It's still not completely jelled -- can we think of it as a Jell-O fruit salad? -- but I think … Continue reading A trail of breadcrumbs in Roger Williams’ garden — short takes on theological hair-splitting, mix-and-match spirituality and an ongoing research project
What can Roger Williams and Swedish Lutherans of the 1850s tell us about the culture wars? A research proposal
Alonzo Chappel, "Landing of Roger Williams," 1857 (Wikimedia Commons) “I have to write to discover what I am doing. Like the old lady, I don't know so well what I think until I see what I say; then I have to say it again.”― Flannery O'Connor, The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor, quoted in Goodreads. … Continue reading What can Roger Williams and Swedish Lutherans of the 1850s tell us about the culture wars? A research proposal
Fukuyama on Russia, Trump, ethno-nationalism, religion and other threats to the liberal world order
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwuMMmUCw98 Last month I posted a rather incoherent item saying: (a) I thought some important tectonic plates were shifting with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Ukrainian resistance to being reabsorbed into a post-Soviet Russian empire; and (b) it might somehow provide a context for writing up some of the historical research I've done in … Continue reading Fukuyama on Russia, Trump, ethno-nationalism, religion and other threats to the liberal world order
A spiritual mutt discovers a common thread in the 10 Commandments and a Buddhist lovingkindness meditation
God's covenant with Noah, Augustana Synod primer, 1919 (Wikimedia Commons). Since Debi and I are co-facilitating a congregational book study group on the Ten Commandments, a recent article on America magazine's website jumped off the screen at me. By associate editor Jim McDermott, it's headlined "Is it time for an 11th commandment?" His answer is … Continue reading A spiritual mutt discovers a common thread in the 10 Commandments and a Buddhist lovingkindness meditation
Timothy Snyder on Ukraine, code-switching, national identit(ies)
d r a f t Timothy Snyder, "Timothy Snyder on the Myths That Blinded the West to Putin's Plans," interview by Ezra Klein, The Ezra Klein Show, New York Times, March 15, 2022 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-timothy-snyder.html Verbatim quotes at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-timothy-snyder.html: So the way we tell the Second World War is completely inside out, you know, Western Front … Continue reading Timothy Snyder on Ukraine, code-switching, national identit(ies)
For the futures file? Another look at ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ in light of new circumstances
d r a f t In memoriam, Oley the Cat, ca. 2006-March 13, 2022. LTK Seems like the tectonic plates are shifting again, in my life and in the world at large ... In ways that may give a new context for my study of the church-planting stage of Swedish-American immigration and the foundation of … Continue reading For the futures file? Another look at ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ in light of new circumstances
UConn sociology prof explores a multi-faceted backlash against the religious right in the light of religious pluralism
d r a f t A recent article in The Guardian that makes sense of some of the cross-currents roiling today's culture wars. It might also suggest a conceptual framework -- or, at the very least, 21st-century parallels -- for the kind of religious pluralism I find in my study of immigrant Swedish pastors in … Continue reading UConn sociology prof explores a multi-faceted backlash against the religious right in the light of religious pluralism
Oh, joy! Are the ‘culture wars’ taking us into a new civil war? or sectarian conflict like in Northern Ireland?
Battle of Chickamaugua, lithograph, ca. 1890 (Wikimedia Commons). Here's a cheery note: If civil war comes to America as Barbara Walter of the University of California San Diego and other scholars are now predicting, it won't involve armies marching out to Gettysburg and Chickamauga in blue and gray uniforms -- it'll be more like the … Continue reading Oh, joy! Are the ‘culture wars’ taking us into a new civil war? or sectarian conflict like in Northern Ireland?
19th-century Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden: Applying a Japanese discernment concept to a historical research project
With an awkward footnote preserving a middle-of-the-night scratch outline on how to further revise my ALPLM paper 'Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860.' A useful discernment or decision-making technique I learned in a class for Dominican lay associate candidates -- it's called ikigai, and I wish I'd known about it when … Continue reading 19th-century Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden: Applying a Japanese discernment concept to a historical research project
Notes & quotes: Books on polarization, culture wars, tribalism; Trump a ‘gigantic … middle finger’ to cultural elites
d r a f t Carlos Lozada, "The united hates of America," Washington Post, Oct. 30, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/10/30/polarization-books-trump-election/. Carlos Lozada is WaPo's nonfiction book review editor [...] The growing polarization of the United States into a nation torn by partisan identities is one of the legacies of the Trump presidency, even if it began … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Books on polarization, culture wars, tribalism; Trump a ‘gigantic … middle finger’ to cultural elites
Notes & quotes: Political coverage in Hemlandet in 1850s, Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg, election of 1860
d r a f t Formatting stripped out -- i.e. no itals, etc. Unedited William C. Beyer, "Active But Critical Non-Partisanship: A Swedish-American Newspaper Editor and the Political Realignment of the 1850s," Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly, 30, no. 4 (1979) 242-56. https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/npu_sahq/id/4135/rec/1. "It is true: the middle way is a small thread, quite difficult to … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Political coverage in Hemlandet in 1850s, Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg, election of 1860
Notes & quotes: Obama’s remarks and backlash at 2015 National Prayer Breakfast, quip at Easter breakfast
d r a f t "Remarks by the President and the Vice President at Easter Prayer Breakfast," Office of the Press Secretary, White House, April 7, 2015 https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/04/07/remarks-president-and-vice-president-easter-prayer-breakfast "[...] Isn’t that how Jesus lived? Isn't that how He loved? Embracing those who were different; serving the marginalized; humbling Himself to the last. This is the … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Obama’s remarks and backlash at 2015 National Prayer Breakfast, quip at Easter breakfast
Smithsonian article on Know Nothing Party, class, nativism of 1850s
Anti-immigrant cartoon showing two men labeled "Irish Wiskey" and "Lager Bier," carrying a ballot box. (Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo) Excerpts from a 2017 article by Chicago free-lancer Lorraine Boissoneault: "[...] At its height in the 1850s, the Know Nothing party, originally called the American Party, included more than 100 elected congressmen, eight governors, … Continue reading Smithsonian article on Know Nothing Party, class, nativism of 1850s
David Brooks on lack of mutual trust, sense of common purpose in America’s ‘pathetic herd immunity failure’ on Covid
d r a f t In May 2020 xxx lede I was an American history major in college, back in the 1980s.I’ll be honest with you. I thrilled to the way the American story was told back then. To immigrate to America was to join the luckiest and greatest nation in history. “Nothing in all … Continue reading David Brooks on lack of mutual trust, sense of common purpose in America’s ‘pathetic herd immunity failure’ on Covid
A query that went nowhere: On David Brooks, the prophet Jeremiah, a French jurist, ‘creative minorities,’ cultural diversity, UNESCO and ‘reciprocal creolization’
Excerpts from a query: Sent Thu, Jul 22, 8:32 PM -- it doesn't matter who I sent it to, and I have no plans to fool around with a free-standing article, but Mireille Delmas-Marty's concept of "reciprocal creolization," a process of cultural blending that involves dialogue and mutual respect for differences, fits in so well with … Continue reading A query that went nowhere: On David Brooks, the prophet Jeremiah, a French jurist, ‘creative minorities,’ cultural diversity, UNESCO and ‘reciprocal creolization’
Robert Jones of PRRI on white Christian grief, anger; need for a ‘new story about who America is and where we’re going as a country that is sort of faithful to its past’
d r a f t https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURLbHWOjSU An author’s eulogy for ‘White Christian America’ | PBS NewsHour | Aug. 31, 2016 Blurb by PBS NewsHour: The demographic makeup of America is undergoing a visible change, and with it, America’s culture -- dominated by White Christian culture -- and power structures are shifting, too. That’s the premise … Continue reading Robert Jones of PRRI on white Christian grief, anger; need for a ‘new story about who America is and where we’re going as a country that is sort of faithful to its past’
Notes & quotes: Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity on US symbols, ‘city on a hill,’ narratives, Trump, Jan. 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6byirhkFiM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6byirhkFiM Editor's (admin's) note. Embedded video features an hour-long panel discussion at Harvard Divinity School by James Kloppenberg of Harvard and E.J. Dionne of Georgetown University, moderated by Catherine Brekus. Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity School, who teaches a survey of American religious history, explored several topics crucial to my research on Swedish immigrant … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Catherine Brekus of Harvard Divinity on US symbols, ‘city on a hill,’ narratives, Trump, Jan. 6
David Brooks speculates on Jeremiah, Jewish history and ‘creative minorities’ in a diverse, polarized America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq1tosBXgTE The segment with David Brooks' discussion of 'creative minorities' begins at 43:00. Editor's (admin's) Note. I posted this to Facebook with this note: "A new post to my spirituality blog. On an unusually thought-provoking op ed piece by David Brooks, one of the New York Times' house conservatives, in which he suggests a new … Continue reading David Brooks speculates on Jeremiah, Jewish history and ‘creative minorities’ in a diverse, polarized America
Notes & quotes — Augustana Synod and ecumenical relations
Two very useful articles on the subject: Allan Pfnister, "Augustana College and Theological Seminary: A Brief History," AHA, Spring 2002, 6-9 http://augustanaheritage.augustana.edu/aha_spring_2001.pdfvery clear on help Esbjorn got from president of Knox College, Passavant, p. 7-8 2. Derek R. Nelson, "Unity, Ecumenicity, and Difference in the. Augustana Synod," Lutheran Quarterly, 24 (2010) http://augustanaheritage.augustana.edu/Nelson_on_Unity.pdf This same theme, that of affi rming the validity … Continue reading Notes & quotes — Augustana Synod and ecumenical relations
David Brooks (and Martin Marty) on shared stories, the facts of history and American civil religion
In a remarkable op ed piece heading into the 4th of July weekend, at a time when Americans can't agree on factual matters as whether the 2020 election was fraudulent (spoiler alert: it wasn't) or scientific matters like whether vaccination can wind down the Covid-19 epidemic (it can), David Brooks of the New York Times … Continue reading David Brooks (and Martin Marty) on shared stories, the facts of history and American civil religion
New York Times op ed, podcast on evangelicals, US religious history by Molly Worthen of UNC-Chapel Hill
Molly Worthen, historian at UNC-Chapel Hill who studies 20th-century evangelicals (and has a keen grasp of theology qua theology, has an essay on the culture wars in the New York Times op ed section that starts with St. Augustine, mentions the "exhausted majority" from the Tribes of America study and ends up by suggesting the … Continue reading New York Times op ed, podcast on evangelicals, US religious history by Molly Worthen of UNC-Chapel Hill
Notes & quotes: Replacement theory and racial subtext to Trump’s speech ‘revving up’ Jan. 6 rioters; Kenneth Woodward article on evangelicals
Charles Blow: Blow's lede, "On Jan. 6, as Donald Trump was revving up the rioters who would attempt an insurrection at the Capitol, just a short distance away, he said to them: 'We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore'." It is yet another … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Replacement theory and racial subtext to Trump’s speech ‘revving up’ Jan. 6 rioters; Kenneth Woodward article on evangelicals
Whitehead and Perry: (white) Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 riot, Jim Crow election laws a fundamental ‘threat to a pluralistic, democratic society’
An op ed piece by sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry uploaded yesterday to Time magazine's website connects some important dots. Authors of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (Oxford, 2020), they conclude white Christian nationalism is "fundamentally a threat to a pluralistic, democratic society." Here's what I shared to Facebook … Continue reading Whitehead and Perry: (white) Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 riot, Jim Crow election laws a fundamental ‘threat to a pluralistic, democratic society’
James Davison Hunter on today’s ‘culture war’ — and why I worry about the runup to the Civil War in the 1850s
https://theweek.com/cartoons/983971/political-cartoon-mcconnell-mccarthy-jan-6-gop A couple of disconcerting long-form articles on the news websites this weekend. They're very different. One is an interview with the scholar who coined the term "culture war" and the other is a news-feature story on this month's shambolic election "audit" in Arizona. But they both show how desperate our times are getting (imho), … Continue reading James Davison Hunter on today’s ‘culture war’ — and why I worry about the runup to the Civil War in the 1850s
Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric, white Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol
Let's connect some dots that could help bring a couple of disparate strands of my immigration history project together. (Spoiler alert: I think some of the difficulties Swedish Lutheran immigrants experienced in the 1850s were similar to those confronting Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh immigrants today, and I think the "great replacement theory" of today is … Continue reading Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric, white Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol
A dissent on the ‘assertion of imaginary freedoms’ in Trump’s Supreme Court, by an English major turned jailhouse lawyer and armchair historian
“It was all Mrs. Bumble. She would do it," urged Mr. Bumble; first looking round, to ascertain that his partner had left the room.That is no excuse," returned Mr. Brownlow. "You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and, indeed, are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of … Continue reading A dissent on the ‘assertion of imaginary freedoms’ in Trump’s Supreme Court, by an English major turned jailhouse lawyer and armchair historian
Notes & quotes: Andersonville history, diversity; link to PDF file of 1928 congregational history of Immanuel
Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, "Welcome to Andersonville," Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, http://www.andersonville.org/the-neighborhood/ A neighborhood on Chicago’s north side, Andersonville is known for its Swedish roots, historic architecture, and bustling urban main street, Clark Street. When you arrive in Andersonville, you feel you have arrived someplace special. While our roots are Swedish, we are also recognized … Continue reading Notes & quotes: Andersonville history, diversity; link to PDF file of 1928 congregational history of Immanuel
Notes & Quotes: Detailed paraphrase from Hemlandet and texts of America letters in an old Swedish historical society collection
d r a f t An early historical society founded in Chicago in 1905. Moved to St. Paul, Minn., in 1920 and continued annual meetings there until 1934, when it disbanded and its collections were donated to the Minnesota Historical Society. See historical note to its description of the Swedish Historical Society of America's records … Continue reading Notes & Quotes: Detailed paraphrase from Hemlandet and texts of America letters in an old Swedish historical society collection
America’s civil — or public — religion defined (kinda) and expanded, in light of Trump supporters’ Jan. 6 insurrection
d r a f t Photo: Jarrad Henderson, USA Today, Feb. 28, 2021 After Jan. 6 when supporters of ex-President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, we saw a spate of articles about Christian nationalism. Prominently displayed by rioters were religious slogans and paraphernalia, (Since it has implications for the research I'm doing on Swedish immigrant … Continue reading America’s civil — or public — religion defined (kinda) and expanded, in light of Trump supporters’ Jan. 6 insurrection
Jon Meacham: Constitution a ‘Calvinist document’; thoughts on George Floyd murder verdict, civil rights movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHnaxA1YZko The morning after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, Jon Meacham weighed its significance on MSNBC's Morning Joe program. The network's blurb on YouTube is as good a summary as any: "Historian Jon Meacham discusses the new movement for racial justice, and he discusses the verdict in the … Continue reading Jon Meacham: Constitution a ‘Calvinist document’; thoughts on George Floyd murder verdict, civil rights movement
Does a theory of Philip Gorski’s shed light on a troubling Supreme Court decision on church-state relations?
https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2808921899368838 This morning Andrew Koppelman, a law professor at Northwestern, weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court's April 9 decision invalidating a California public health department restriction on indoor gatherings. While some of his rhetoric was.uh.-- shall we say? -- more flamboyant than professorial, he raised some important issues. So I shared it to social … Continue reading Does a theory of Philip Gorski’s shed light on a troubling Supreme Court decision on church-state relations?
Notes & Quotes: Sectarianism, culture wars and polarization in the 1850s, 2020s
https://soundcloud.com/theucipodcast/uci-podcast-the-new-american-political-sectarianism Podcast of psychologist Peter Ditto at Cal Irvine (cite below) Editor's (admin's) note: One of two posts today that were prompted by Nate Cohn's op ed piece “Why Political Sectarianism Is a Growing Threat to American Democracy” in the New York Times. Link HERE for my notes & quotes from a 2017 article on … Continue reading Notes & Quotes: Sectarianism, culture wars and polarization in the 1850s, 2020s
‘Swedes in Roger Williams Garden’: Main outline and links
D R A F T Working title: Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden: Church, State and Community in Swedish Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860 Link here for earlier outlines and notes HERE for Oct. 23-Jan. 24HERE for Jan. 25-April 7 ** INSERT A (Dec. 17, 2021): ** Scratch outline, from notes I jotted down at 3:57 a.m. during a midnight snack, on … Continue reading ‘Swedes in Roger Williams Garden’: Main outline and links
17th-century Arabic coins suggest presence of pirates, slavers in colonial Rhode Island
[Also: cite to Bejean, Roberts, Barry -- case of Richard Chasmore ...] William J. Cole, "Ancient coins may solve mystery of murderous 1600s pirate," Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/ancient-coins-may-solve-mystery-1600s-pirate-f5a6151b74e0dcf96de585eab451f90c Excerpts: “It’s a new history of a nearly perfect crime,” said Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist who found the first intact 17th-century Arabian coin in … Continue reading 17th-century Arabic coins suggest presence of pirates, slavers in colonial Rhode Island
University of Chicago study of Jan. 6 insurrection: White ‘fears of … losing out’ fueled Trump supporters’ violence
D R A F T Alan Feuer, who wrote up the study for the New York Times, from WaPo's op ed piece, observes in passing, "Other mass movements have emerged, he said, in response to large-scale cultural change." He brings an interesting perspective to his analysis. According to his bio, he "[...] covers courts and … Continue reading University of Chicago study of Jan. 6 insurrection: White ‘fears of … losing out’ fueled Trump supporters’ violence
GOP pollster on survey, focus group findings showing perception that Christians are persecuted in America
Kristen Soltis Anderson, interview by Ezra Klein, Ezra Klein Show, podcast, New York Times, March 26, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/podcasts/ezra-klein-podcast-kristen-soltis-anderson-transcript.html Excerpt: [...] But I also think that part of what you saw animate the rise of Donald Trump within the party is a real sense among many in the Republican coalition today that they are under siege. … Continue reading GOP pollster on survey, focus group findings showing perception that Christians are persecuted in America
Notes & quotes: ‘How Our Lady of Guadalupe Became Lutheran’
Luisa Feline Freier, "How Our Lady of Guadalupe Became Lutheran: Latin American Migration and Religious Change," Migraciones internacionales [Tijuana], 5, no. 2 (July-Dec. 2009) http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1665-89062009000200006. xxx [Luisa Feline Freier is a Professor in the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from … Continue reading Notes & quotes: ‘How Our Lady of Guadalupe Became Lutheran’
Minnesota Lutherans — Vasa and church in north Minneapolis profiled in Star Trib
[No byline -- reads like it may have come from a press release] "Lutherans work to shed stuffy image and kick-start change," Minneapolis Star-Tribune, July 3, 2017 https://www.startribune.com/lutherans-work-to-shed-stuffy-image-and-kick-start-change/432012663/. Redeemer Lutheran Church is not your typical Lutheran outpost. Summer means the bike store and coffee shop are humming, kids camp and Zumba classes are in gear, … Continue reading Minnesota Lutherans — Vasa and church in north Minneapolis profiled in Star Trib
George Bancroft on Roger Williams
George Bancroft, History of the Colonization of the United States, Vol. 1, 17th edition, Perseus, p. 375 (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2001.05.0326%3Achapter%3D13%3Apage%3D375) Chapter IX At a time when Germany was the battle-field for all Europe in the implacable wars of religion; when even Holland was bleeding with the anger of vengeful factions; when France was still to go through the fearful struggle with bigotry; when England was gasping under the … Continue reading George Bancroft on Roger Williams
Jan. 7 opinion piece blames white Christian nationalism, leaders for Jan. 6 Trump supporters’ riot
A day-after guest column in the evangelical magazine Christianity Today on the Jan. 6 riot when an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building and tried to stop certification of the 2020 presidential election returns. That mob action brought into sharp focus several of the themes I've been trying to track in … Continue reading Jan. 7 opinion piece blames white Christian nationalism, leaders for Jan. 6 Trump supporters’ riot
Teresa Bejan on civility and Roger Williams, with a fun quote on Luther and a link to an hour-long bonus track
Teresa Bejan, a professor of politics at the University of Oxford and the author of "Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration," had an article in the Washington Post shortly after former President Trump elected. It reads like a promo for her book Mere Civility, but it has a marvelous quote about Martin Luther … Continue reading Teresa Bejan on civility and Roger Williams, with a fun quote on Luther and a link to an hour-long bonus track
‘Judeo-Christian values’ and the religious right — Notes & Quotes
John G. Turner, "How the dream of a Judeo-Christian America shaped the culture wars," review of Imagining Judeo-Christian America by Healan Gaston, Christian Century, March 4, 2021 https://www.christiancentury.org/review/books/how-dream-judeo-christian-america-shaped-culture-wars. Excerpts (verbatim): [...] When pluralists spoke of Judeo-Christian America, they leaned on civic definitions of American identity, definitions that stressed a commitment to a shared set of … Continue reading ‘Judeo-Christian values’ and the religious right — Notes & Quotes
An old classroom teacher’s unpublished op-ed piece on immigrants, Henry Clay and common heritage at Clayville historic site
Broadwell Tavern at Clayville, Pleasant Plains, Illinois Editor's (admin's) note: I found this draft of an op ed piece last night when I was clearing old files out of my hard drive. It was dated July 28, 2017, and I don't remember where I submitted it for publication. Illinois Times? Wherever it was, it didn't … Continue reading An old classroom teacher’s unpublished op-ed piece on immigrants, Henry Clay and common heritage at Clayville historic site
Trump court theocrats open door to frivolous lawsuits in Georgia Gwinnett College case
"Uh oh" (as I said this morning on Facebook). "Linda Greathouse, longtime Pulitzer Prize-winning Supreme Court correspondent for the New York Times, explains how the theocrats on the Trump court have opened the door to a very narrow brand of fundamentalist bigotry" in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski: Her lede: Anyone who still needs proof of how … Continue reading Trump court theocrats open door to frivolous lawsuits in Georgia Gwinnett College case
Negative partisanship: Analytical essays, links in FiveThirtyEight
Two essays Lee Drutman, "How Much Longer Can This Era of Political Gridlock Last?" FiveThirtyEight, March 4, 2021 https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-much-longer-can-this-era-of-political-gridlock-last/. History holds, at best, a half lesson here. This current period of partisan stalemate stands out in a few respects when we consider America’s long history with partisan conflict. For starters, the period we find ourselves in … Continue reading Negative partisanship: Analytical essays, links in FiveThirtyEight
Facebook thread on Roger Williams, John Winthrop and the conflict between church and state
Editor's (admin's) note: This is a twofer. Saving it to Ordinary Time preserves: (1) an interesting thread in response to a recent post I shared to Facebook; and (2) an extended passage from John M. Barry's Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty that I posted … Continue reading Facebook thread on Roger Williams, John Winthrop and the conflict between church and state
Notes&Quotes: Religion News Service article on Capitol violence; also, ‘Heathens condemn storming of Capitol after Norse religious symbols appear amid mob’
Jack Jenkins, "Capitol violence brewed from nationalism, conspiracies, and Jesus," Christian Century, Jan. 25, 2021 https://www.christiancentury.org/article/news/capitol-violence-brewed-nationalism-conspiracies-and-jesus. [...] While not all participants were Christian, their rhetoric often reflected an aggressive, charismatic, and hypermasculine form of Christian nationalism—a fusion of God and country that has lashed together disparate pieces of Donald Trump’s religious base. “A mistake a … Continue reading Notes&Quotes: Religion News Service article on Capitol violence; also, ‘Heathens condemn storming of Capitol after Norse religious symbols appear amid mob’
A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal
Editor's (admin's) Note. Second of ___ Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one takes off from the covenant of Abraham, makes a quick stop in Puritan New England and deplanes in today's central Illinois. Clearing skies over Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, November 2012 Mark 8 … Continue reading A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal
Squabbling and schism at Knox from 1847 to 1862
A parallel to Esbjörn's troubles at the Lutheran seminary in Springfield -- at almost exactly the same time. Blanchard was an especially close friend and mentor ... Grant Forssberg, “Perspectives on Knox History: Sectarianism and Religious Schism,” 2010, Our History, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois https://www.knox.edu/about-knox/our-history/perspectives-on-knox-history/religious-schism. Of the 1838 schism over slavery: For these Presbyterians -- … Continue reading Squabbling and schism at Knox from 1847 to 1862
Forum on Chosenness, church and state in America
Chosen Nation: Christianity, Politics, and American Destiny Faith Angle Forum, a A program of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. From the May 2017 Forum in Miami Beach, Florida DR. CATHERINE BREKUS, CHARLES WARREN PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGION IN AMERICA, HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL Today we know it as American exceptionalism but not many of us … Continue reading Forum on Chosenness, church and state in America
Wide-ranging Catherine Brekus interview with PBS on conversion, frontier revivals, normative Protestantism, lasting influence of ante-bellum evangelicals; press release on ‘chosenness’
Catherine Brekus is Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America at Harvard Divinity School and in the Department of American Studies. It's in the supplemental material to the PBS series God in America, six 60-minute documentaries that aired in 2010; executive producer, Michael Sullivan. Interview was conducted June 23, 2009. Name of interviewer not … Continue reading Wide-ranging Catherine Brekus interview with PBS on conversion, frontier revivals, normative Protestantism, lasting influence of ante-bellum evangelicals; press release on ‘chosenness’
Interview about cost of racism with Heather McGhee on Ezra Klein’s podcast
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/podcasts/ezra-klein-podcast-mcghee-transcript.html xxxx Ezra Klein, "What 'Drained-Pool Politics' Costs America," New York Times, Feb. 16, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-heather-mcghee.html. “The American landscape was once graced with resplendent public swimming pools, some big enough to hold thousands of swimmers at a time,” writes Heather McGhee in her new book, “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We … Continue reading Interview about cost of racism with Heather McGhee on Ezra Klein’s podcast
Interview on mass radicalization, Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol
Michael Jensen, "The Problem Isn't One Insurrection: It's Mass Radicalization," interview with Zack Stanton, Politico, Feb. 11, 2021 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/11/mass-radicalization-trump-insurrection-468746. [From the intro to an interview that appeared in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol}: Historically, mass radicalization took time,” says Michael Jensen, an expert on extremism who leads the … Continue reading Interview on mass radicalization, Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol
Robert Baird — historical notes & quotes
Robert Baird, Religion in America, Or, An Account of the Origin, Progress, Relation to the State, and Present Condition of the Evangelical Churches in the United States: With Notices of the Unevangelical Denominations. New York: Harper, 1844. Google Books. [99, of first generation of New Englanders] They could have maintained silent, personal, individual communion with their … Continue reading Robert Baird — historical notes & quotes
Webinar on Christian nationalism after riot at U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6 (and Philip Gorski’s metaphor of rioters as apples, oranges and fruit cocktail)
D R A F T https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmgWHBoGBi8 BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty), Jan. 27, 2021 How can we respond when we see our faith and democracy under siege? On January 27, 2021, the Christians Against Christian Nationalism movement presented this webinar to explore how Christians are identifying and responding to the dangers of Christian … Continue reading Webinar on Christian nationalism after riot at U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6 (and Philip Gorski’s metaphor of rioters as apples, oranges and fruit cocktail)
Susan Posner on Trump, evangelicals, Brown v. School Board, church-state separation; Madeline Albright on ‘us-vs.-them thinking’
Sarah Posner, "'Unholy' Examines The Alliance Between White Evangelicals And Trump," interview by Terry Gross, National Public Radio, July 8, 2020 https://www.npr.org/2020/07/08/888906337/unholy-examines-the-alliance-between-white-evangelicals-and-trump. [Connects dots, demonstrates intersectionality between evangelicals, fear of people outside the religious community and school segregation. Posner is author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship At The Altar Of Donald Trump -- link HERE … Continue reading Susan Posner on Trump, evangelicals, Brown v. School Board, church-state separation; Madeline Albright on ‘us-vs.-them thinking’
‘Life and Letters of W.A. Passavant’ — Notes & Quotes
Internet archive: Full text of "Life and letters of W. A. Passavant, D. D." https://archive.org/stream/lifelettersofwap00gerb/lifelettersofwap00gerb_djvu.txt We have thought it well to give this sketch of Scandinavian church history because of the deep and abiding interest which Mr. Passavant took in these Lutherans from the Northland. He had made himself thoroughly acquainted with the character, 206 … Continue reading ‘Life and Letters of W.A. Passavant’ — Notes & Quotes
Samuel Schmucker, ‘Definite Synodical Platform’ (1855)
[Samuel S. Schmucker,] Definite platform, doctrinal and disciplinarian, for Evangelical Lutheran district synods: constructed in accordance with the principles of the General Synod (Philadelphia: Miller & Burlock, 1855), 4-5. Concordia Electronic Books https://digital.palni.edu/digital/collection/copebooks/id/803 and https://digital.palni.edu/digital/collection/copebooks/id/804. [...] Whereas the entire Lutheran Church of Germany has rejected the symbolical books as a whole, and also abandoned some … Continue reading Samuel Schmucker, ‘Definite Synodical Platform’ (1855)
Scratch outlines (Jan. 25 – ) ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
Working title?: Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Church, State and Lutheran Theology Community in Swedish Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860 Link HERE for earlier (Oct. 23-Jan. 24) outlines and notes. *** Scratch outline for discussion chapter [March 20] Andersonville - Ebenezer and Immanuel on North Side – Augustana in Andover (2017 service, capsule history of Aug., orphanage … Continue reading Scratch outlines (Jan. 25 – ) ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
Misc. notes & quotes: ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (high-trust society)
Maddy Savage and Benoît Derrier, "Why the Swedes love doing something that Americans hate," BBC Reel , Jan. 6, 2021 https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p09312qg/why-the-swedes-love-doing-something-that-americans-hate. In a BBC video (at 4:55) on why Swedes are OK with paying taxes, "... in general, there's a high level of trust in Swedish society, so we trust that the public sector will do, … Continue reading Misc. notes & quotes: ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (high-trust society)
Of faith and trust under a fig tree, East Tennesseans, Galileans and a Swedish-American historical research project
Bethany beyond the Jordan (from Qasr al-Yahud on Israeli side). John 1:43-51 (NRSV). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom … Continue reading Of faith and trust under a fig tree, East Tennesseans, Galileans and a Swedish-American historical research project
Notes and quotes: Korean-American U.S. Rep. helping clean Capitol rotunda after mob action by Trump supporters
Color for expansion of paper on Swedes in Roger Williams' garden? Money quote: “It’s so hard because we don’t look at each other and see each other as Americans first, whether it’s race or ethnicity or religion or political party that’s getting in the way of us being able to have that shared identity that … Continue reading Notes and quotes: Korean-American U.S. Rep. helping clean Capitol rotunda after mob action by Trump supporters
History of Henry County, Illinois (1877)
D R A F T History of Henry County, Illinois: Its Taxpayers And Voters; Containing Also, a Biographical Directory, a Condensed History of the State; Map of the County; a Business Directory...etc. Chicago: H. F. Kett, 1877 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002053502481. Preface signed H.F. Kett & Co. says the history relied on a series of historical articles on early … Continue reading History of Henry County, Illinois (1877)
Op ed: structural, political incentives to partisanship ‘post-Trump’; updated by ex-DHS official on Christian nationalism
Grist for discussion part of a larger study of "Luther's dear angels in Roger Williams' garden?" An opinion piece just as the first Congress was sworn in after Trump lost the Nov. 3, 2020 election, suggesting GOP strategy to undercut incoming Biden administration on economic recovery for partisan reasons ... comments within hours of its … Continue reading Op ed: structural, political incentives to partisanship ‘post-Trump’; updated by ex-DHS official on Christian nationalism
‘Us vs. them mentality’ in evangelical post-election support of Trump, ‘Christian nationalism’ (cited in CSM story)
Notes and quotes for my research on Swedish immigration -- from an article on a "Jericho march" protesting Pres. Donald Trump's defeat in the Nov. 3, 2020, election ... Citation: Harry Bruinius, "Will election become a new ‘lost cause’ for evangelical conservatives?" Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 16, 2020 https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1216/Will-election-become-a-new-lost-cause-for-evangelical-conservatives? A summary from the Monitor, under headnote … Continue reading ‘Us vs. them mentality’ in evangelical post-election support of Trump, ‘Christian nationalism’ (cited in CSM story)
Quotes from Eric Norelius: Pietist Norskies in Chicago and Swedes in Minnesota
D R A F T Excerpts from Early Life of Eric Norelius, a Lutheran Pioneer, 1833-1862, trans. Emeroy Johnson (Rock Island: Augustana Book Concern, 1934. "a Norwegian chapel that stood out on the plain on the north side. The service was conducted by a former acquaintance of mine, Mr. Rasmussen, who had been in Columbus. … Continue reading Quotes from Eric Norelius: Pietist Norskies in Chicago and Swedes in Minnesota
Krister Stendahl’s ‘holy envy,’ who gets to go to heaven and Luther’s dear angels in 19th-century Chicago: New perspectives on an ongoing research project
D R A F T Krister Stendahl prays at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, April 22, 1993 (C-SPAN). As I move on from my presentation on 19th-century Swedish immigrant churches for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, I've been cleaning my office -- sort of like clearing the decks for a sea battle in the … Continue reading Krister Stendahl’s ‘holy envy,’ who gets to go to heaven and Luther’s dear angels in 19th-century Chicago: New perspectives on an ongoing research project
Scratch outline — ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (pinned here for easy reference, other posts below)
Rough notes and outlines for a research project ... Working title?: "Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Acculturation Inclusion and Community in Swedish Immigrant Churches, 1848-1861″ -- or -- "Luther’s Dear Angels in Swede Town: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860-1861″ ... potentially expanding the presentation I gave at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in … Continue reading Scratch outline — ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ (pinned here for easy reference, other posts below)
Debriefing ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ — notes and a copy of the script for my Oct. 7 ALPLM presentation on acculturation and creolization
Presenting my paper to ALPLM's virtual Conference on Illinois History. Some ideas and observations that came to me presenting my paper, "Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum's annual Conference on Illinois History. Plus a couple of pictures -- including a very nice picture … Continue reading Debriefing ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ — notes and a copy of the script for my Oct. 7 ALPLM presentation on acculturation and creolization
Augustana Synod outtakes — cut during final edit, paper for ALPLM on ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
CUT FROM CONCLUSION: In quite a different context, folklorist James Leary suggests the multi-ethnic dance bands of the 1940s and 1950s in the upper Midwest created a “creolized, regional repertoire” out of Norwegian, Swedish, German, Slavic and “Scandihoovian” musical licks. “Here,” he proclaims, “reside North Coast creoles.” I am sure that L.P. Esbjörn, Paul Andersen … Continue reading Augustana Synod outtakes — cut during final edit, paper for ALPLM on ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’
‘Swedes in Roger William’s Garden’
Proposal for the paper I'm scheduled to present next month at the 22nd annual Conference on Illinois History sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Conference program and registration information are available HERE. Sessions will be conducted by Zoom, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My session will be from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 … Continue reading ‘Swedes in Roger William’s Garden’
Augustana: Notes, quotes and a 5-paragraph theme-style outline
Jenny Lind Chapel, mother church of Augustana Synod, Andover, Ill. I write because I don't know what I think until I say it. -- Flannery O'Connor xxxx Scratch outline Intro: What do the ethnic synods have to teach us in the 21st century? Folk church -- Swedish example Luther -- prince's responsibility to subjects, Christmas … Continue reading Augustana: Notes, quotes and a 5-paragraph theme-style outline
Perry Miller on covenant (with allusions to Whitman, Hawthorne); also van Engen’s ‘How America Became “A City Upon a Hill”’
Perry Miller, in Errand into the Wilderness (Cambridge: Harvard-Belknap, 1956). Verbatim excerpts: -- Introduction: [ix] What I believe caught my imagination, among the fuel drums [in Africa], was a realization of the uniqueness of the American experience; even then I could dimly make out the portent for the future of the world, looking upon these … Continue reading Perry Miller on covenant (with allusions to Whitman, Hawthorne); also van Engen’s ‘How America Became “A City Upon a Hill”’
Ordinary Time 