'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
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
It’s beginning to look a lot like Advent — what better time for Christmas chorales, Praetorius and family heritage?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9a3tBYXFNE TENET Vocal Artists et al. of San Diego, in concert in New York City, Dec. 14, 2013 Last year I mentioned to my cousin John that I had downloaded the mp3 files of Praetorius' Mass For Christmas Morning performed by the Gabrielli Consort and conducted by Paul McCreesh. They came, of course, without liner … Continue reading It’s beginning to look a lot like Advent — what better time for Christmas chorales, Praetorius and family heritage?
Swedes in Chicago: A mise en scène in 1848 and a potential tie-in (?) with Glissant?
d r a f t For the futures file as I rework my paper "Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden" -- More information on John Lewis Peyton, whose description of northern European immigrants I quoted in the original paper, including an important correction on his background. Turns out he was more of a blueblood than I … Continue reading Swedes in Chicago: A mise en scène in 1848 and a potential tie-in (?) with Glissant?
University of Maryland survey data show extent of Christian nationalism, white grievance among Republicans
More data points for my Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden project -- A new survey, summarized today in Politico magazine, shows that white Christian nationalism is strongly linked to age and membership in the Republican Party. A survey conducted in May by the University of Maryland's Critical Issues Poll found that 61 percent of Republicans … Continue reading University of Maryland survey data show extent of Christian nationalism, white grievance among Republicans
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
Research notes: Cite for Rushdie’s creolization quote; right-wing dog whistle du jour featuring assault on Rushdie
Two very different items popped up last night when I did a Google search on keywords Salman Rushdie and creolization. They are: A 2001 article on "Creolization and the Lessons of a Watergoddess in the Black Atlantic" by Alex van Stipriaan that cites a Rushdie quote: "Mélange, hotchpotch, a bit of this and a bit … Continue reading Research notes: Cite for Rushdie’s creolization quote; right-wing dog whistle du jour featuring assault on Rushdie
Spiritual direction, August 2022
Editor’s note. Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director in advance of our monthly meeting for August. I email her every month, mostly to focus my mind before we meet, and I archive them here so I have a record of issues I’ve dealt with over time. Being able to consult them … Continue reading Spiritual direction, August 2022
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)
Research notes: Salman Rushdie, post-colonial theory, creolization and me
Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rushdie.JPG A grab bag of short takes ... I also have a chaotic and unedited collection of "Notes and Quotes" -- my term for research notes -- on the postcolonialist author Salman Rushdie, who was recently stabbed by an Iranian-American youth, and some of the themes raised by his fiction -- and … Continue reading Research notes: Salman Rushdie, post-colonial theory, creolization and me
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 am I doing for Christ?’: An Ignatian triple colloquy F2F with Jesus via Zoom
Third in an occasional series of Ignatian colloquies ... Christ Pantocrator, Haiga Sophia, Istanbul, ca. 1080-1100 (Wikimedia Commons) Editor's (admin's) note. One of a series of posts in which I journal my attempts to incorporate Jesuit imaginative prayer exercises into my own prayer life. In today's, I try what is often known as the triple … Continue reading ‘What am I doing for Christ?’: An Ignatian triple colloquy F2F with Jesus via Zoom
Here’s what Krister Stendahl said, in his own words, about ‘holy envy’ in the context of effective interfaith dialog
Krister Stendahl, dean of Harvard Divinity School and bishop of Stockholm in the Lutheran state Church of Sweden, is probably best known now for his "three rules of religious understanding" -- especially the third rule, "Leave room for 'holy envy'," which supplied the title of a best-selling book in 2019. The book is Barbara Brown … Continue reading Here’s what Krister Stendahl said, in his own words, about ‘holy envy’ in the context of effective interfaith dialog
‘Conviviality at the Crossroads’: Open-source studies from Malmö on creolization, hybridity, etc.
Link here to open-source copy on Springer Nature Switzerland AG website Woo hoo! I found a new book. It's available online under a Creative Commons license, and finding it was like Christmas in July -- with Easter, St. Paddy's and the annual Jordbruksdagarna (ag days) festival at Bishop Hill, Illinois, all rolled into one. Forgive … Continue reading ‘Conviviality at the Crossroads’: Open-source studies from Malmö on creolization, hybridity, etc.
Roger Williams and me — notes on the Supreme Court and church-state relations I never finished and posted to the blog
Alonzo Chappel, "Landing of Roger Williams," 1857 (Wikimedia Commons) [Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that … Continue reading Roger Williams and me — notes on the Supreme Court and church-state relations I never finished and posted to the blog
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
Olof Krans: ‘Wizard with a brush’ at Swedish-American colony in Bishop Hill
Swedish postage stamp features Krans at right (https://czeslawslania.org/sw1986/). Three paintings by Olof Krans have been donated by the Merle and Barbra Glick estate to the Bishop Hill State Historic Site, in Henry County near the Quad-Cities. Merle Glick, who was active in numerous civic and community institutions in the Peoria area including the Peoria Riverfront … Continue reading Olof Krans: ‘Wizard with a brush’ at Swedish-American colony in Bishop Hill
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
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
Östervåla psalmodikon pix
d r a f t Parked here (and cross-posted to my other blog) till I can figure out what to do with the pix: https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2923906727870354 Embedded content from facebook.com can't be previewed in the editor. And here's a link to Marilyn's post: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.demay.96/posts/873207133331978
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
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
Mireille Delmas-Marty: A French jurist advocates ‘reciprocal creolization’ to protect cultural diversity from globalism
Another potentially rewarding context for creolization! A French legal scholar named Mireille Delmas-Marty has written a couple of articles building on the work of French Caribbean poet Edouard Glissant and suggesting creolization -- by which I think she essentially means negotiating differences among different cultures -- as a means of ensuring cultural diversity in a … Continue reading Mireille Delmas-Marty: A French jurist advocates ‘reciprocal creolization’ to protect cultural diversity from globalism
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
Tucker Carlson says the quiet part out loud, echoes ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory, nativism of 1850s
Anti-Irish cartoon by Thomas Nast, 1871 (Wikimedia) Fascinating profile of Tucker Carlson today on the Washington Post website by Michael Kranish, a national political investigative reporter for the Post who has written bios of Trump, Mitt Romney and Thomas Jefferson. Quotes sources who know the man, ranging from Al Sharpton to Bill Kristol, to make … Continue reading Tucker Carlson says the quiet part out loud, echoes ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory, nativism of 1850s
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
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
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
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
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
‘Sliding in on a shrimp sandwich’
Some useful concepts ... but would Pastor Esbjörn and the Augustana Synod approve? https://www.facebook.com/peter.ellertsen/posts/2772475713013457
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
More notes & quotes on extremist GOP legislators downstate; also death threat to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville
A combination here of Mark Maxwell's reports on WCIA and the Capitol Fax items that picked them up and amplified them. Mark Maxwell's Feb. 25 story about Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, whose pickup truck bearing a III%er decal and Illinois state legislative tags was spotted in a restricted space for members of Congress during the … Continue reading More notes & quotes on extremist GOP legislators downstate; also death threat to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville
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’
White Christian nationalists in Illinois politics? You betcha!
"[Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has echoed through … Continue reading White Christian nationalists in Illinois politics? You betcha!
Christian nationalism: Notes & quotes
Jonathan Davis, "Christian nationalism and the looming death of religious liberty," Baptist News Global, Aug. 13, 2018 https://baptistnews.com/article/christian-nationalism-and-the-looming-death-of-religious-liberty/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt8aRy6T_7gIVHimzAB3bdAG3EAAYASAAEgJlBfD_BwE#.YDSUaRNKjm1 According to the Christian Nationalist Alliance, Christian nationalism “upholds the belief that politics is just as capable of saving souls as other forms of Evangelical outreach.” Let that soteriological statement sink in – the saving of souls … Continue reading Christian nationalism: Notes & quotes
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)
Yumpin’ Yimminy, I’m Swedish (at least 9% of my DNA is, according to Ancestry.com)
My DNA map. Orange and umber areas, in New England and Norway, have the most matches. If they've heard a low rumbling noise around Valhalla cemetery on Staten Island lately, it's probably my Norwegian grandfather. Debi and I just got an update from the spit tests we did with Ancestry, com, and I'm 9 percent … Continue reading Yumpin’ Yimminy, I’m Swedish (at least 9% of my DNA is, according to Ancestry.com)
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)
Notes & quotes: ELCA teaching document on civic engagement, church-state relations; background in 2014 article
D R A F T A couple of resources that are right down my alley as I struggle with the conceptual framework for an expanded study of how Swedish immigrant churches in Chicago and the upper Midwest adapted in the 1850s to an essentially Protestant American culture where churches were voluntary associations not supported by … Continue reading Notes & quotes: ELCA teaching document on civic engagement, church-state relations; background in 2014 article
Notes & Quotes: Article on Joe Biden’s faith in The Washington Post
Screen grab of the Post's website this morning. Seen today on the Washington Post website (the second Sunday after Epiphany, no less!), a perceptive article on President-elect Joe Biden's Catholic faith that raises some of the same issues I hope to touch on in my expanded study of cultural issues in the old Swedish-American Augustana … Continue reading Notes & Quotes: Article on Joe Biden’s faith in The Washington Post
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)
Is noodling on the dulcimer a spiritual discipline? English folksingers nudge me to try it after this ‘festering boil of a year’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGThVwKowks "Sweet Bells," Yorkshire pub carol performed by GreenMatthews Instead of New Year's resolutions, I'm dealing with hunches and nudges this year. Besides, I know myself and most of my resolutions don't make it past the first weekend in January. But hunches? Sometimes I act on them, and lately I've had several clamoring for my … Continue reading Is noodling on the dulcimer a spiritual discipline? English folksingers nudge me to try it after this ‘festering boil of a year’
Canned fish at Christmas, the ‘most charitable construction’ and Luther’s catechism: Notes on a Norskie heritage
Editor's note: While I was looking for other posts to link to my year's-end spiritual formation review, I came across this draft. Apparently I started it just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit town, and I never got back to as my concerns and priorities shifted dramatically. It looked like it was worth salvaging, so I … Continue reading Canned fish at Christmas, the ‘most charitable construction’ and Luther’s catechism: Notes on a Norskie heritage
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
‘The Benedict Option’: Notes and quotes from Rowan Williams, David Brooks
Wikipedia notes author Rod Dreher's involvement in controversies on race and gender, among other issues https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Dreher *** Rowan Williams, "The Benedict Option: a new monasticism for the 21st century," NewStatesman, May 30, 2017 https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2017/05/benedict-option-new-monasticism-21st-century. Its argument is simple. For conservative religious believers, the battle on the political field has largely been lost; there is no point … Continue reading ‘The Benedict Option’: Notes and quotes from Rowan Williams, David Brooks
Odds and ends: Swedes in Illinois’ Civil War regiments in Quad-City Times; review of ‘Swedish Immigrants in Lincoln’s Time’
New working title? -- Luther's Dear Angels in Swede Town: Redemption and Table Fellowship in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860" --- Tom Emery, "Q-C area Swedes played role in Civil War," Moline Dispatch-Rock Island Argus, Sept. 21, 2013 https://qconline.com/news/illinois/q-c-area-swedes-played-role-in-civil-war/article_da991c6f-a524-50cc-b062-9b88d120b296.html. VERBATIM EXCERPTS: Dr. Dag Blanck, director of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock … Continue reading Odds and ends: Swedes in Illinois’ Civil War regiments in Quad-City Times; review of ‘Swedish Immigrants in Lincoln’s Time’
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)
WaPo story on civil religion
Important update (imho) on the issue, at a time the culture wars were just beginning ... Keith Richburg, "America Already Has a Civil Religion," Washington Post, Sept. 8, 1985 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1985/09/08/america-already-has-a-civil-religion/89818518-9e27-45bd-814a-fbae9981a823/. Article by Keith Richburg, then of the Washington Post (educated at Michigan and LSE, longtime foreign correspondent and later director of the Journalism and Media Studies … Continue reading WaPo story on civil religion
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’
‘Dear Church’: A tapestry of discipleship and a call for white folks to ‘do good white folk work’ to help dismantle racism
What can the "whitest denomination(s) in the US" do about institutional racism in this time of pandemic and racial reckoning? Quite a bit, actually. At least more than you'd think, according to the Rev. Lenny Duncan of Vancouver, Wash. Mission development pastor at a Lutheran church in Vancouver, Duncan is the author of Dear Church: A … Continue reading ‘Dear Church’: A tapestry of discipleship and a call for white folks to ‘do good white folk work’ to help dismantle racism
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
Notes for future reference on AHMS book on Scandinavian free churches, perceived ethnic traits
Notes from an 1884 book by an official of the American Home Missionary Society who wanted to solicit immigration from Scandinavia -- it came to me in a pretty roundabout way, a summary in the JSTOR Daily newsletter by free-lance writer Livia Gershon, "How Churches Helped Make Scandinavians 'White',” JSTOR Daily, June 30, 2020 https://daily.jstor.org/how-churches-helped-make-scandinavians-white/ … Continue reading Notes for future reference on AHMS book on Scandinavian free churches, perceived ethnic traits
Word, sacrament, a Lutheran chorale and reading the bible: Lessons from a Swedish immigrant church in Chicago during a time of cholera
First phrase of chorale by Philipp Nicolai Svenska Psalmbok (1819), Nos. 55, 412. O Gud! ditt ord och sakramentLåt aldrig bliva från oss vändt ...-- Svenska Psalmbok (1819), No. 412, v. 6[O God, let your word and sacrament / never be turned away from us ...] No doubt it's just a coincidence, but since I … Continue reading Word, sacrament, a Lutheran chorale and reading the bible: Lessons from a Swedish immigrant church in Chicago during a time of cholera
Working on a Swedish-American history paper and reading Luther in a global pandemic: Spiritual direction journal, July
Copy of an email sent tonight (Saturday) to my spiritual director. Lightly edited in the interest of making sense and removing obvious illiteracies. Hi Sister -- Just a quick note -- quicker than usual this month -- to confirm that unless I hear otherwise from you, I'll be calling you Monday at 2:30 p.m. for our … Continue reading Working on a Swedish-American history paper and reading Luther in a global pandemic: Spiritual direction journal, July
Swedish Lutherans: Synodical and congregational minutes on baptism and membership in the 1850s
Selected Documents: Dealing with the Organization of the First Congregations and the First Conferences of the Augustana Synod and their Growth Until 1860, Vol. 1, ed. I.O. Nothstein, Augustana Historical Society Publications, 10 (1944): 92. Chicago-Mississippi Conference Minutes, Chicago, January 4-9, 1854. 90 [92] Thereupon the following question was acted upon: "What shall be the … Continue reading Swedish Lutherans: Synodical and congregational minutes on baptism and membership in the 1850s
Jante laws: ‘Don’t get above your raisin’.”
This morning when Debi and I were going over the end-of-chapter questions for Debby Irving's Waking Up White, the Jante laws came up. Pronounced "YAN-teh," they're a series of 10 tongue-in-cheeck observations on small-town life in Scandinavia. Small-town life anywhere, as far as I'm concerned. If they can be summed up in a word or … Continue reading Jante laws: ‘Don’t get above your raisin’.”
Martha Nussbaum on Roger Williams
Martha C. Nussbaum, "The First Founder" [review of On Religious Liberty: Selections From the Works of Roger Williams, ed. James Calvin Davis], New Republic, 9 Sept. 2008 https://newrepublic.com/article/61558/the-first-founder?fbclid=IwAR07-wz1bFDtyu3DaK-xt5yDLOoUyYo7s6Y5qjqTE-C69vNiNIk0nbv9WHI. Verbatim excerpts: ... Williams wrote many books, including two lengthy philosophical treatises that are among the major works on religious toleration in the history of Western thought. … Continue reading Martha Nussbaum on Roger Williams
Luther on church, Anabaptists (copy)
Notes on my post at https://hemlandssanger.wordpress.com/2019/08/23/note-luther-quote-on-anabaptists/ on Luther's quote about the church as a "little flock of the faint-hearted, the feeble, and the ailing, who feel and recognize the wretchedness of their sins" in his sermons on John 1-4. Copied here from Hemlandssånger, Aug. 23, 2019 for convenient reference ... --- Screen shot Aug. 23, … Continue reading Luther on church, Anabaptists (copy)
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”’
Spiritual direction — January and February
Editor's note -- copy of email sent to my spiritual director this morning, updating and summing up the past month and a half. Posted here, along with earlier updates, so I can tabs on the direction I'm taking as it evolves. Hi Sister -- A quick note to confirm our appointment for 2:30 p.m. Monday … Continue reading Spiritual direction — January and February
Found poem — in a Swedish grammar book I kept in my office at at SCI-Benedictine
Editor's note -- another workshop poem I wrote when I was teaching creative writing at Springfield College in Illinois, which later merged with Benedictine University and was subsequently closed. According to the Academy of American Poets, found poems "take existing texts and refashion them, reorder them, and present them as poems. The literary equivalent of … Continue reading Found poem — in a Swedish grammar book I kept in my office at at SCI-Benedictine
Trump’s post-impeachment prayer breakfast caper and the wall of separation between church and state
"[Roger Williams] was saying that mixing church and state corrupted the church, that when one mixes religion and politics, one gets politics." -- John M. Barry, "God, Government and Roger Williams' Big Idea," Smithsonian, January 2012."Something there is that doesn't love a wall ...," Robert Frost, "Mending Wall." My research into Swedish immigration has me … Continue reading Trump’s post-impeachment prayer breakfast caper and the wall of separation between church and state
Theology, shmeology: When is an answered prayer like a kick in the pants?
Picking up on a thread -- more like an internal dialog -- that started last month when I was reading a copy of James Hazelwood's new book, Everyday Spirituality, in the doctor's office. Hazelwood is the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's New England Synod, and he had some interesting things to say … Continue reading Theology, shmeology: When is an answered prayer like a kick in the pants?
Review of John Barry’s bio of Roger Williams — ‘chopping through four centuries of undergrowth’
Tracy Lee Simmons, "'Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul,' by John M. Barry," [review], Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2012 https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/roger-williams-and-the-creation-of-the-american-soul-by-john-m-barry/2012/01/23/gIQAhjmqnQ_story.html. Excerpts: [Lede:] Last December, when Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee confronted critics who accused him of kowtowing to political correctness by tagging the blue spruce in the statehouse as not a “Christmas tree” but … Continue reading Review of John Barry’s bio of Roger Williams — ‘chopping through four centuries of undergrowth’
Eric Norelius — Civil War reminiscences (notes & quotes)
Eric Norelius (26 October 1833 – 15 March 1916) was a Swedish-American Lutheran minister, church leader, and author.[3] ... Eric Norelius was born on 26 October 1833 in Norrbäck, Hassela parish, in Nordanstig Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden. He received his early education at Hudiksvall's general school. In 1850, at the age of 17, Norelius emigrated to the United States. In May 1851, he accompanied Lars Paul … Continue reading Eric Norelius — Civil War reminiscences (notes & quotes)
Ebenezer Scrooge, Luther’s sermons and Swedish-American history: A New Year’s resolution (of sorts)
On the way back from visiting family in the Quad-Cities on Christmas Day, we tuned in to the public radio station from Champaign. As we zipped down Interstate 155 from Peoria to Lincoln and onto I-55 toward home, they aired a dramatic reading from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. A 45-minute dramatic reading was the … Continue reading Ebenezer Scrooge, Luther’s sermons and Swedish-American history: A New Year’s resolution (of sorts)
The dear angels’ song at Bethlehem and the presence of God in a well-annotated 1871 edition of Luther’s House Sermons
Luther's Sermons, annotated by seminary student in St. Louis, ca. 1908. Originally posted July 15, 2018, to my research blog Hemlandssånger and copied here (with light editing). Original at https://hemlandssanger.wordpress.com/2018/07/15/luthers-dear-angels/. Everyone has an inner child. But mine took a double major in English and history, so my inner life can get pretty odd sometimes -- I guess … Continue reading The dear angels’ song at Bethlehem and the presence of God in a well-annotated 1871 edition of Luther’s House Sermons
Herding cats: Not just for cowboys and ad agencies — it worked in Copenhagen for pastors and music directors, too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=60&v=vTwJzTsb2QQ&feature=emb_logo So when I should have been working on my article about church polity in Swedish-American Lutheran congregations in the 1850s, or thinking about getting it off the back burner at the very least, I drifted into one of those clickbait websites for animal lovers (called Pawpulous), and got to watch what I think must … Continue reading Herding cats: Not just for cowboys and ad agencies — it worked in Copenhagen for pastors and music directors, too
A joyful South African freedom song (by way of Sweden) of Word, sacrament and witness for Pentecost XVII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqvj9d1VgQ 'Haleluyah Pelo Tsa Rona' sung by the Concordia College-New York Tour Choir and the Mt. Lebanon [Pa.] United Lutheran Church Chancel Choir, March 2013. Jason Thoms, Director. Sunday's gospel reading at Peace Lutheran was from St. Luke. “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be … Continue reading A joyful South African freedom song (by way of Sweden) of Word, sacrament and witness for Pentecost XVII
Ordinary Time 
