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Are Women Human in Christian Academia?

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.…

Beth Allison BarrApril 19, 2017

American Religion Baptist History Christian Patriarchy Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Women's History

Gone Girl: Disappearing Women from “The Easter Hymn”

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,…

Beth Allison BarrApril 5, 2017

American Religion British History Church History Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Medieval History

Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome 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…

Beth Allison BarrFebruary 22, 2017

Articles & Essays Church History Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Featured

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

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…

Beth Allison BarrFebruary 8, 2017

#ChurchToo Activism American Religion British History Christian Patriarchy Church History Complimentarianism Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Medieval History

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

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…

Beth Allison BarrDecember 28, 2016

American Religion Church History Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Medieval History

Bringing the Spirit of (Medieval) Santa Back to Christmas

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…

Beth Allison BarrNovember 30, 2016

American Religion British History Church History Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Medieval History

When Churches Fail

In Eastcheap, near Fenchurch St. in London, stands the medieval church of St. Margaret Pattens. Founded in 1067 and rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666, it slowly lost its congregation. It was closed as a parish church in 1952—more than 900…

Beth Allison BarrNovember 16, 2016

American Religion Baptist History Church History Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism

The Modern Roots of Pagan Halloween

I remember trick-or-treating when I was small. The night air was crisp and cool (we lived in the northwest at the time). My little sister was batman, my older sister a ballerina, and I a clown. My dad held our hands as we walked through…

Beth Allison BarrOctober 5, 2016

American Religion Church History Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism Medieval History the Bible

Of Pastors and Power: Mark Driscoll and the Avignon Papacy

I made the mistake recently of reading Mark Driscoll’s 2008 Crossway book On Church Leadership. For those of you who have forgotten, or just blocked it, Mark Driscoll was the former pastor of the Mars Hill megachurch. He resigned deep in scandal in 2014, but…

Beth Allison BarrAugust 24, 2016

American Religion Complimentarianism Contemporary Connections Evangelicalism

No Room in Wayne Grudem’s World for a Female President

In a stunning statement, Wayne Grudem–Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, former professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and co-founder of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood–pledged his wholehearted support of Donald Trump. “y conscience, and my considered moral judgment…

Beth Allison BarrJuly 31, 2016

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