Are Women Human in Christian Academia?
| | | | |

Are Women Human in Christian Academia?

ByBeth Allison Barr

Recently, Karen Swallow Prior spoke out against the “Billy Graham rule”–married men distancing themselves from women to avoid temptation and the appearance of evil. For those of you who missed Prior’s article, she eloquently argued that good moral character is better than rigid behavioral rules. As she writes, “Virtue ethics relies on moral character that…

Gone Girl: Disappearing Women from “The Easter Hymn”
| | | | |

Gone Girl: Disappearing Women from “The Easter Hymn”

ByBeth Allison Barr

I bet that, for those of you attending church on Easter Sunday, at least half of you will sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!Vain the stone,…

Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?
| | | | |

Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?

ByBeth Allison Barr

Recently I was made aware of an online church history curriculum. At first glance, it seemed promising (at least from my perspective as a medievalist). It dedicated two weeks to the Medieval Church (five if you include the three weeks of Reformation), and it began the lesson for the High Middle Ages with this disclaimer:…

Dance and the Church: A History More Complicated than Footloose…
| | | |

Dance and the Church: A History More Complicated than Footloose…

ByBeth Allison Barr

Today we are pleased to welcome Lynneth Miller to the Anxious Bench. Lynneth is a PhD candidate in the Baylor History department specializing in British and Women’s History. She holds an MLitt from St. Andrews and is writing a dissertation on Dance and the Church in England. It’s the climatic showdown at the heart of…

A Tale of Two Pastors: Mark Driscoll and A (Medieval) New Year’s Proposal for the 2017 Church
| | | | | | | | |

A Tale of Two Pastors: Mark Driscoll and A (Medieval) New Year’s Proposal for the 2017 Church

ByBeth Allison Barr

This is a story of two pastors. The first was a vicar in the deanery of Salisbury, England, in 1412. His name was Alexander Champion. He was accused of abusing his ecclesiastical authority by sexually exploiting the women in his care. His parishioners claimed he had slept with five of their wives, that he fathered…

Bringing the Spirit of (Medieval) Santa Back to Christmas
| | | |

Bringing the Spirit of (Medieval) Santa Back to Christmas

ByBeth Allison Barr

Every Christmas in the yard of a house not far from us stands a manger scene. The Christ Child rocks gently in his small white wooden manger; his halo glowing from the spotlight. Instead of Mary and Joseph gazing at their holy infant, or even angels surrounding the yard with praise, an unlikely figure stands…