How Evangelicals Forgot Women’s History
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How Evangelicals Forgot Women’s History

ByBeth Allison Barr

A country church burned to the ground last week. Flames billowed over its wooden spires in a scene reminiscent of Notre Dame. But while stone defended the Parisian cathedral, the timber walls of the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia, Texas, didn’t stand a chance. Winds blustered that morning, fanning the fire and ensuring total…

The Patron Saint of Bachelorettes
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The Patron Saint of Bachelorettes

ByBeth Allison Barr

I am so happy to have a post today from one of my favorite graduate students. Taylor Sims is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Michigan, specializing in late medieval and early modern European and women’s history. She holds an MA in History from Baylor University and is writing a dissertation on…

Christians Must Face The Reality Of Rape Culture
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Christians Must Face The Reality Of Rape Culture

ByBeth Allison Barr

I am so pleased to welcome guest blogger Leslie Hahner, PhD, to The Anxious Bench today. Leslie is a brilliant thinker, writer, and professor. I know this because we have been in an interdisciplinary writing group together since 2011. She has two recently published books, To Become an American: Immigrants and Americanization Campaigns of the…

What Will Evangelicals Say to Jesus?
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What Will Evangelicals Say to Jesus?

ByBeth Allison Barr

“White Jesus has blood on him.” Angela Tarango, Associate Professor of Religion at Trinity University, said this during the Conference on Faith and History’s 2019 panel for the American Historical Association meeting in Chicago last weekend. The panel (which I was so excited to have organized) featured Jennifer Graber’s excellent and provocative book The Gods…

A Tale of Two Mennonite Pastors: Siblings, Gender, and How to Disagree
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A Tale of Two Mennonite Pastors: Siblings, Gender, and How to Disagree

ByBeth Allison Barr

Today we welcome Regina Wenger to the Anxious Bench. Regina is a doctoral student in the Baylor History department, currently studying with Barry Hankins and Elesha Coffman. This post was born in her seminar paper for my graduate course, and I asked her to share it with our readers. I want to share the story…

My First Sermon: The Faith of a Woman
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My First Sermon: The Faith of a Woman

ByBeth Allison Barr

I teach and research sermons. Two weeks ago, on September 11, I had the privilege of preaching my first sermon at Truett seminary. I am so thankful for seminaries like Truett which affirm and actively support women in ministry. Although my sermon text stands as I originally wrote it (including the section I just jotted…