Category Archives: video

A Christian Nation?

Posted on by under theology, video

Was America founded as a Christian nation?  How you answer this question reveals a certain understanding of American history.  The answer may also say something about your view of the role of religion in American government and public live.  And, for certain Christians, the answer has to do with a theological understanding of America as a nation somehow unique in God’s plans.

This 30 minute video interview with prolific Christian historians Mark Noll and George Marsden addresses America’s founding with important – and often neglected – historical nuance.  I wish all American Christians would take the advice given by Noll and Marsden to acknowledge the messy complexities of America’s religious roots.

Weekend Reading

Posted on by under video
  • A nice article about a new community garden in Bronzeville.  Last August, on this corner of Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, neighbors and guests mingled over refreshments featuring recently harvested fresh vegetables and herbs. They were celebrating Chicago’s newest South Side urban garden, located on the western edge of the community where Chicago-bound African-Americans settled after leaving the South to seek a better life in northern cities during the Great Migration.
  • Vonnegut on “How to Write With Style.”  The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not. Don’t you yourself like or dislike writers mainly for what they choose to show you or make you think about? Did you ever admire an emptyheaded writer for his or her mastery of the language? No.
  • A great video featuring Jad Abumrad of Radio Lab talking about the science of sound.  The last minute or two are wonderful.