@anxious_bench

@Patheos group blog featuring faith, politics, & culture in view of American & global religious history.

patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/
Joined June 2016
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Welcome to The Anxious Bench, feat. reflections on faith, politics, and culture by Christian historians. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben… @Patheos

Anxious Bench

At Patheos Evangelical, Christian historians share their reflections on contemporary faith, politics, and culture. Authors include Beth Allison Barr, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Chris Gehrz, Tim Gloege,...

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The Anxious Bench retweeted
Joey Cochran@jtcochranJul 13
I received exciting news over the weekend. Our God Is an Awesome Brand is now entering into its copy-edit stage. To celebrate, I’m sharing the Table of Contents. I hope the sneak-peek of the topics Our God Is an Awesome Brand covers catches your interest. Pre-order at Amazon now.
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Christmas in July: Candles in the Darkness Release patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Christmas In July: Candles In The Darkness Release

It’s book release month for the Advent devotional that my husband and colleague Adam and I co-wrote– a sort of Christmas in July, as it were. We’re so

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The Anxious Bench retweeted
Joey Cochran@jtcochranJul 3
My latest at the Anxious Bench…
The Anxious Bench@anxious_benchJul 3
Profiting On Promoting 250 Years Of Christian Nationalism patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Profiting On Promoting 250 Years Of Christian Nationalism

Celebrations commemorating 250 years of America ... have served as an opportunity to profit on promoting 250 years of American Christian Nationalism.

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Profiting On Promoting 250 Years Of Christian Nationalism patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Profiting On Promoting 250 Years Of Christian Nationalism

Celebrations commemorating 250 years of America ... have served as an opportunity to profit on promoting 250 years of American Christian Nationalism.

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The Foundations Of Re-Enchantment | Philip Jenkins patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

The Foundations Of Re-Enchantment

I recently came across a book that resonated with so many of my interests! This was The Foundations of Re-Enchantment: Freemasonry, Theosophy, and the

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The Anxious Bench retweeted
Baylor ISR@BaylorISRMar 26
The Foundations of Re-Enchantment - Philip Jenkins, @anxious_bench patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

The Foundations Of Re-Enchantment

I recently came across a book that resonated with so many of my interests! This was The Foundations of Re-Enchantment: Freemasonry, Theosophy, and the

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Why Doing History In Seminaries (And Everywhere) Is Hard | Jacob Randolph patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Why Doing History In Seminaries (and Everywhere) Is Hard

We problematize the received narratives as a way of acknowledging that it is the nature of human beings in community to be problematic. This problematization constantly counsels that as Christians...

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For your weekend: Science, Superstition, And Standard Bearers | Philip Jenkins patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Science, Superstition, And Standard Bearers

I have written in the past about how invaluable cartoons and caricatures can be for historical sources, and as teaching materials. In my current project,

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Recently at the Anxious Bench: God Is in the Midst of Her | Michael Jimenez patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

God Is In The Midst Of Her

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. Psalms 46:5 In one of the first episodes of the show

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Evangelicalism And Interstices: A 19th Century Intervention | Wyatt Reynolds patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Evangelical Debates The Interstices: A 19th Century Intervention

Before jumping into this piece, I want to make an acknowledgement. First, Professor Sutton has a new and well-regarded book expanding his argument from Neither Sutton's political redefinition nor the...

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Abuse And Ownership, Past And Present patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Abuse And Ownership, Past And Present

“Countries have to have ownership and you defend ownership, you don't defend leases.” (Mr. Trump as quoted in BBC Article from January 9, 2026) “When True protection has historically come through...

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New at the Anxious Bench!
Joey Cochran@jtcochranJan 26
My latest at the Anxious Bench takes lessons from Ida B. Wells’s book Southern Horrors to help us think about our own American horror story that is unfolding today. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Our American Horror Story

We are all living in an American horror story. As we navigate this era of The Great Deportation, it will serve us well to glean lessons from Ida B. Wells.

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Daniel K. Williams gives a parting gift to the Anxious Bench with his last column on the many ways he has shaped and been shaped by the Anxious Bench over his years as a columnist. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

My Farewell To The Anxious Bench

After five and a half years on the Anxious Bench, the time has come to say goodbye. Given my other writing commitments during the coming year (including

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Today at the Anxious Bench, @jtcochran provides a detailed account of Jack’s (C. S. Lewis) war on Xmas in personal correspondence and public writing and how he reimagined Christmas and Father Christmas (Santa in the U.S.) for his Narnian audience. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Jack's (C. S. Lewis) War On Xmas

To say Jack’s relationship with Xmas was tendentious is to understate it. Even in his youth, elements of the season niggled at him. He did not care for

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ICYMI, Daniel K Williams interviewed Karen Johnson about her recent publication Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Karen Johnson On "Ordinary Heroes Of Racial Justice"

Karen J. Johnson, a professor of history (and department chair) at Wheaton College, has just published a book about Christians’ struggle for racial

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You can also read today’s book review from Ansley Quiros on Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Review Of Karen Johnson, "Ordinary Heroes Of Racial Justice"

AB: Ordinary Heroes of Racial Justice OK full disclosure: I wrote this post before Daniel Williams posted his wonderful interview with Karen Johnson about

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What is happening in Chicago? Historian Joey Cochran documents some of the recent protests and talks about how Chicagoans have responded to Operation Midway Blitz. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

Everyday Evangelical Resistance For My Chicago Neighbors

Historians talk about the danger of presentist history. They rarely talk about what happens when presentist history is unavoidable.

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What is going on in right-wing America? Historian Paul Yandle traces the similarities between dehumanizing Reconstruction-era rhetoric and the fear mongers of the new Right. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

"Nations Are Made By Men, Not Paper Constitutions"

For over ten years my colleague and friend Paul Yandle and I have been comparing southern history and contemporary politics. Unlike me, he is a

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How a government shutdown during a school trip allowed a group of history students—and their professor—to gain a new perspective on public service. patheos.com/blogs/anxiousben…

The Benefit Of A Government Shutdown (for My Students In DC)

This summer I picked up the book Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service. Each chapter features someone who works in a department of the Government shutdown

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In 1692, Anders Poulsen and his shaman drum were brought before Finnish authorities on charges of witchcraft. What does Poulsen's testimony tell us about the complexity of lived Christianity in his time--and in ours? Link below.
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Lessons In Listening From A Scandinavian Witchcraft Trial

It seems seasonally appropriate to start October with a post about a witchcraft trial– particularly one that defies expectations for what one might find

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