Research On Religion » Mark Driscoll

Barry Hankins on Jesus, Gin, and the Culture Wars (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 22 Apr 2018 15:35:58 +0000

While we are on a sabbatical, trying to get our format updated and finding more outlets on which you can enjoy this podcast, please enjoy this encore presentation from five years ago.

Most astute social observers today agree that the United States is in the throes of a “culture war,” with issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and drug legalization taking center stage in many political debates. But what if I told you that such “culture wars” are not uncommon in US history? Indeed, Prof. Barry Hankins of Baylor University makes the argument that “cultural wars” are the default position in American history, and it was only during the 1930s – 1970s that we seemed to have been immune from such conflict. He illustrates this point with a detailed discussion of The Roaring Twenties (and the decades leading up to that time), when issues such as Prohibition, evolution, obscenity, and a weakening of Christianity were the hot topics of the time. We begin our discussion by noting the dramatic changes that the U.S. experienced around the turn of the 20th century, roughly from 1880 to 1920. Rapid industrialization and urbanization, combined with new forms of immigration, set the stage for wide array of new cultural challenges facing the nation, in general, and Christianity in particular. As the Roaring ’20s were known as the era of Prohibition (and the time of the “speak easy”), we start with that topic. Prof. Hankins reviews the history of the temperance movement and reveals some surprising findings, such that alcohol consumption in the US during the 1820s was among the highest in the world and that temperance movements did help to sober the country up. He notes this was true of Prohibition, as well, countering an often-used argument today regarding the legalization of drugs that such legal restrictions don’t really affect usage much. Our conversation turns to some of the more charismatic characters of the era with a focus on Billy Sunday, a forerunner of today’s “megachurch” pastors. Barry recounts Rev. Sunday’s life and how he harnessed his athletic fame in the name of evangelization. Billy Sunday’s story is a nice reminder that “media star preachers” are not just a phenomenon of the late 20th century but emerged in an era when people were becoming increasingly concentrated in cities and mass media such as radio and theater was becoming more common. We also cover some of the more scandal-plagued preachers of the time including Aimee Semple-McPherson, J. Frank Norris, Daddy Grace, and Father Divine, reminding us that there probably is nothing new under the sun. We then take up the topic of the factionalization occurring within Christianity that is going on during this time — fundamentalists vs modernists. We discover that the liberal modernists tended to win these battles, often forcing more fundamentalist groups to break away and form new denominations. Again, this is reminiscent of our current time. The conversation then moves to an interesting puzzle that Barry is still thinking about, which is why the culture wars subsided between the 1930s and (roughly) 1980. We both offer us some speculation on this topic and finish off with additional thoughts about what the culture wars of the 1920s has to tell us about our culture wars today. Recorded: May 2, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Barry Hankins bio at Baylor University’s Department of History.

Jesus and Gin: Evangelicalism, the Roaring Twenties, and Today’s Culture Wars, by Barry Hankins.

American Evangelicals: A History of a Mainstream Religious Movement, by Barry Hankins.

The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists, by Barry Hankins.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matthew Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Christian Novetzke on Kung Fu Fighting and Eastern Religions (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 08:00:52 +0000

While we take a break for the Easter holiday, what better way to celebrate than to talk about religion and martial arts. The following is an encore presentation of our discussion with Christian Novetzke from back in 2012.

Get into the octagon with Prof. Christian Novetzke, associate professor at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, as we spar intellectually about the relationship between the martial arts and Eastern religions. We walk through Prof. Novetzke’s syllabus for the class he recently offered at the UW entitled “Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Seminar on World Cultures through the Asian Martial Arts.” We start by discussing Christian’s name and his “accidental” discovery of karate. The first interesting challenge that arises in this interview is to define yoga as a martial art. Prof. Novetzke does this by relying upon the concept of “self-actualization,” which he contends is related to all of the martial arts and moves us into our discussion of how religion and philosophy form a fundamental underpinning of these physical activities. Whilst talking about yoga, we also discuss the recent criticism levelled on this form of martial art by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. This sets up an intriguing discussion of what constitutes religion and the relationship between religions such as yoga and Christianity. We then also chat about Driscoll’s commentary regarding the connection between mixed martial arts (MMA) and Christianity, with Prof. Novetzke noting that a surprisingly high number of MMA fighters are also outwardly devout Christians. We then return to Eastern religions and other martial arts covering different aspects of Zen, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Throughout the conversation we also reflect upon educational pedagogy (i.e., how we teach our subjects of expertise) and what students pulled from this rather unique and interesting course. Recorded: March 12, 2012.

Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India, by Christian L. Novetzke.

Zen and the Martial Arts, by Joe Hymans.

Tao of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, edited by Paul Reps.

Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, by Barbara Miller.

Blood in the Cage, by L. Jon Wertheim.

RELATED PODCASTS

Andrea Molle on Spirituality and the Martial Arts.

Matthew Moore on Buddhism and Political Theory.

Jeremy Lott on the Religious Newsmakers of 2013

tonygill — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 09:00:10 +0000

Jeremy Lott of the RealClear world (now an editor-at-large at RealClearPolitics) joins us to discuss his list of the top religious newsmakers of 2013. Unlike a list that focuses on events, his recounting of the year focuses on personalities. The usual suspects, namely Pope Francis, make the list, but so do some other folks that you may not have remembered or even heard of.

We start off the coversation with two leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention — Fred Luter and Russel Moore — who have started to reshape the direction that their denomination is heading. Many of their policy moves represent a softening of the Southern Baptists on the political front and we discuss why this is. Next up, we do cover an “event” that was associated with two individuals — the Boston Marathon Bombing. Jeremy gives his perspective on that event and we speculate to what effect this will have on how we view terrorism in the United States.

On a less serious note, we turn to our third “newsmaker/event” of the year, which was the “Tips for Jesus” trope that strung out over several months. Starting with the actions of a pastor who refused to give 15% to a waitress back in the summer and then to another waitress who faked a similar incident, we track how this has led to a number of “anonymous” big tippers for Jesus in the month of December.

Following our gratuity controversy, we turn then to a series of three megachurch pastors that have all stirred up the religious soup pot in one way or another. Mark Driscoll is first on that list based not only upon his “in-your-face masculine” Christianity, but because of a recent plagiarism controversy that has arose around him. The next megachurch newsmaker was Joel Osteen, not for any action on his part but rather because of a hoax that someone perpetrated claiming Osteen has left Christianity behind. Given that so many people fell for this hoax might have something to say about the state of Christianity in the U.S. today, and we chat a bit about this. Finally, Rob Bell makes the list not for his acceptance of same-sex marriage. which became common fare for many religious notables this year, but rather for what happened to his own congregation following the release of his book, Love Wins. Apparently, there was a dramatic drop in membership following the publication of that work and this leads us to a brief discussion, once again, of “nones,” a topic that both Jeremy and I believe has been exhausted and/or needs a whole discussion unto itself.

Not all well-known ministers made the news because of controversy. We finish off the podcast with reflections on Billy Graham and Pope Francis. Graham makes this list because he gave his final sermon in the past year, prompting many people to reflect upon his amazing ministry and his impact in the future. Jeremy then shares his perspective on arguably the most talked about religious figure of the year, Pope Fancis. This perplexing pontiff seemed to both exhilarate and anger progressive and conservative Catholics alike, all the while garnering immense admiration all around the world. Finally, Tony asks Jeremy for trends to be looking for in the year ahead, which allows us to wrap around with some of the things from the year behind. Recorded: January 2, 2014.

RELATED LINKS

“Kind of a Big Deal: Top Newsmakers of 2013,” by Jeremy Lott (on RealClearReligion).

RealClearReligion — a great place for all your religious news! (You can also link to RealClearScience and RealClearBooks here too.)

William F. Buckley (Christian Encouter Series), by Jeremy A. Lott.

In Defense of Hypocrisy: Picking Sides in the War on Virtue, by Jeremy A. Lott.

The Warm Bucket Brigade: The Story of the American Vice Presidency, by Jeremy A. Lott.

I’ll Never Forget It: Memoirs of a Political Accident from East Baltimore, by Marvin Mandel, Jeremy Lott, and Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama.

Jeremy Lott on America’s Shifting Religious Election Coalition.

Jeremy Lott on Episcopalians, Ex-Atheists, Health Care, and German Circumcision.

Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion.

James Felak on Picking Pontiffs and Pope Francis.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

Barry Hankins on Jesus, Gin, and The Culture Wars

tonygill — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:00:22 +0000

Most astute social observers today agree that the United States is in the throes of a “culture war,” with issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and drug legalization taking center stage in many political debates. But what if I told you that such “culture wars” are not uncommon in US history? Indeed, Prof. Barry Hankins of Baylor University makes the argument that “cultural wars” are the default position in American history, and it was only during the 1930s – 1970s that we seemed to have been immune from such conflict. He illustrates this point with a detailed discussion of The Roaring Twenties (and the decades leading up to that time), when issues such as Prohibition, evolution, obscenity, and a weakening of Christianity were the hot topics of the time. We begin our discussion by noting the dramatic changes that the U.S. experienced around the turn of the 20th century, roughly from 1880 to 1920. Rapid industrialization and urbanization, combined with new forms of immigration, set the stage for wide array of new cultural challenges facing the nation, in general, and Christianity in particular. As the Roaring ’20s were known as the era of Prohibition (and the time of the “speak easy”), we start with that topic. Prof. Hankins reviews the history of the temperance movement and reveals some surprising findings, such that alcohol consumption in the US during the 1820s was among the highest in the world and that temperance movements did help to sober the country up. He notes this was true of Prohibition, as well, countering an often-used argument today regarding the legalization of drugs that such legal restrictions don’t really affect usage much. Our conversation turns to some of the more charismatic characters of the era with a focus on Billy Sunday, a forerunner of today’s “megachurch” pastors. Barry recounts Rev. Sunday’s life and how he harnessed his athletic fame in the name of evangelization. Billy Sunday’s story is a nice reminder that “media star preachers” are not just a phenomenon of the late 20th century, but emerged in an era when people were becoming increasingly concentrated in cities and mass media such as radio and theater was beoming more common. We also cover some of the more scandal-plagued preachers of the time including Aimee Semple-McPherson, J. Frank Norris, Daddy Grace, and Father Divine, reminding us that there probably is nothing new under the sun. We then take up the topic of the factionalization occuring within Christianity that is going on during this time — fundamentalists vs modernists. We discover that the liberal modernists tended to win these battles, often forcing more fundamentalist groups to break away and form new denominations. Again, this is reminiscent of our current time. The conversation then moves to an interesting puzzle that Barry is still thinking about, which is why the culture wars subsided between the 1930s and (roughly) 1980. We both offer us some speculation on this topic and finish off with additional thoughts about what the culture wars of the 1920s has to tell us about our culture wars today. Recorded: May 2, 2013.

RELATED LINKS

Barry Hankins bio at Baylor University’s Department of History.

Jesus and Gin: Evangelicalism, the Roaring Twenties, and Today’s Culture Wars, by Barry Hankins.

American Evangelicals: A History of a Mainstream Religious Movement, by Barry Hankins.

The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists, by Barry Hankins.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matthew Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Christian Novetzke on Kung Fu Fighting & Eastern Religions

tonygill — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:50 +0000

Get into the octagon with Prof. Christian Novetzke, associate professor at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, as we spar intellectually about the relationship between the martial arts and Eastern religions. We walk through Prof. Novetzke’s syllabus for the class he recently offered at the UW entitled “Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Seminar on World Cultures throug the Asian Martial Arts.” We start by discussing Christian’s name and his “accidental” discovery of karate. The first interesting challenge that arises in this interview is to define yoga as a martial art. Prof. Novetzke does this by relying upon the concept of “self-actualization,” which he contends is related to all of the martial arts and moves us into our discussion of how religion and philosophy form a fundamental underpinning of these physical activities. Whilst talking about yoga, we also discuss the recent criticism levelled on this form of martial art by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. This sets up an intriguing discussion of what constitutes religion and the relationship between religions such as yoga and Christianity. We then also chat about Driscoll’s commentary regarding the connection between mixed martial arts (MMA) and Christianity, with Prof. Novetzke noting that a surprisingly high number of MMA fighters are also outwardly devout Christians. We then return to Eastern religions and other martial arts covering different aspects of Zen, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Throughout the conversation we also reflect upon educational pedagogy (i.e., how we teach our subjects of expertise) and what students pulled from this rather unique and interesting course. Recorded: March 12, 2012.

Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India, by Christian L. Novetzke.

Mark Driscoll’s post on mixed martial arts.

Zen and the Martial Arts, by Joe Hymans.

Tao of Jeet Kune Do, by Bruce Lee.

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, edited by Paul Reps.

Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, by Barbara Miller.

Blood in the Cage, by L. Jon Wertheim.

Steve Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin & Other Stuff

tonygill — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Is denominationalism becoming a thing of the past? What are the upsides and drawbacks of a church affiliating with a denomination? Are young adults becoming too soft in their faith, or are the kids alright? Do we talk about sin enough in our contemporary religious landscape? Tony invites his good friend and colleague Steve Pfaff, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, to answer these questions and more in an open-ended discussion that mirrors a typical weekly discussion that Steve and Tony often have. You get a chance to listen in to what academics talk about over lunch or a few beers before a Husky football game. Steve has a more favorable view of denominationalism than Tony does, but recognizes some of the downsides including the tendency to become less entrepreneurial and stagnant. On the other hand, Tony is convinced by Steve’s argument that denominations help by communicating a consistent message about the quality of a religious organization and also assists in long-term quality control. We ponder whether churches like Mars Hill that have several branch campuses are on their way to becoming new denominations. Our conversation then turns to a recent article written by Rabbi Eric Yoffie on the Huffington Post (ht: RealClearReligion) that argues Americans no longer talk about sin very much. Steve contemplates the downside of this, but Tony chimes in that successful churches like Mars Hill and his own church hit you in the face with sin in a hard way. We both recognize that churches that provide a “tough love” message about individual sin are often more successful in attracting members than mainline churches that view sin as a social malady. Our conversation also covers whether kids today are less religious today than in the past and why religious pluralism might be a good thing in terms of encouraging greater civility, contrary to some prior worries that it would promote religious conflict. We promote the works of Christian Smith and James Wellman, but finally realize that we need people to know that both of us have written some pretty good books too! Recorded: October 21, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Steve Pfaff’s website at the University of Washington.

Exit-Voice Dynamics & the Collapse of East Germany, by Steve Pfaff.

RealClearReligion, a portal for religious news and opinion (we appreciate them linking to us – thanks guys).

Evangelical vs Liberal: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the Pacific Northwest, by James Wellman.

The Secular Revolution: Power, Interests, and Conflict in the Secularization of American Life, by Christian Smith.

Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults, by Christian Smith.

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill (implicitly mentioned in the podcast).

Americans Don’t Like to Talk about Sin, blog by Eric Yoffie on RealClearReligion and Huffington Post.

RELATED PODCASTS

James Wellman on Evangelical vs Liberal Christians.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Christianity.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Mark von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment & Retention.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths

tonygill — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:00:12 +0000

Since the early 1980s, the nmber of megachurches –defined as churches with weekly attendance exceeding 2,000 congregants — have increasingly grown in number and scope. From the casual glance of an outside observer, these churches often appear to be highly impersonal and spiritually shallow, prefering theatrics to theology. Dave Travis, the managing director of The Leadership Network and co-author of Beyond Megachurch Myths, explores these impressions and several other stereotypes surrounding megachurches. We cover the variation in size, demographic composition, and theological orientation of these churches and continue our discussion by examining the different organizational emphases one sees in these organizations. Our conversation also drifts to the denominational affiliation (or lack thereof) of megachurches and we think about whether denominationalism is a relevant concept in the contemporary world. Dave also reveals different ways that these large churches make themselves “smaller” with the use of small groups. Indeed, much of the spiritual growth that members of these churches experience often occurs outside the typical Sunday service. Dave’s research has also shown that many members of megachurches do feel they are getting a serious dose of theology. We speculate on the future of megachurches, particularly those led by charismatic and well-recognized figures such as Rick Warren and Mark Driscoll. What will happen when these figures pass from the scene? How do megachurches deal with the issue of pastoral succession? At the end of the interview, Dave discusses his role at The Leadership Network and tells Tony there is nothing he can do to help the Seattle Seahawks. Recorded: August 12, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Dave Travis’s profile at the Leadership Network.

Beyond Megachurch Myths, by Scott Thumma & Dave Travis.

“Not Who You Think They Are: The Real Story of People Who Attend America’s Megachurches,” by Scott Thumma and Warren Bird.

Reinventing American Protestantism, by Donald E. Miller.

RELATED PODCASTS

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes

tonygill — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:00:14 +0000

Are white evangelical Christians becoming more tolerant of other races over time? Darin Mather — a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Minnesota — discusses his recent research on the topic, published in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. Mather finds that younger evangelicals — those born after 1957, the official “end” of the Baby Boom — demonstrate much more tolerant attitudes and greater racial solidarity with minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanics. We discuss some of the reasons why the younger cohort is more tolerant, including greater contact with individuals of different races and ethnicities, as well as exposure to the ideas of toleration that permated the post-Civil Rights Movement. We have a fascinating discussion relating to relativism and examine whether toleration for other cultures necessarily means a change in (perhaps watering down of) one’s theological mindset. Younger evangelicals appear to accept cultural diversity so long as it is accompanies by an agreement on the basical laws of society. We also delve into the area of public policy, noting that younger evangelicals tend to be less supportive of affirmative action and economic assistance to historically disadvantaged communities. Mather offers several speculative ideas on why this might be the case, including the connection of evangelicalism to the South and the Republican Party. We finish with a brief discussion of Darin’s current dissertation research examining the differences between religious and secular education in Guatemala and the impact that has on equality of opportunity for young women. Recorded: March 7, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Darin Mather’s websiteat the University of Minnesota.

“Divided by Age?: Generational Shifts in White Evangelical Christians’ Attitudes Toward Racial Diversity,” by Darin Mather in the Interdisciplanary Journal of Research on Religion (requires free registration).

RELATED PODCASTS

Merisa Davis on Bill Cosby, Religion, and African-American Churches.

W. Bradford Wilcox on Marriage

tonygill — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:00:53 +0000

W. Bradford Wilcox — associate professor of sociology at the University of Virginia and director of the National Marriage Project — discusses the the recent report When Marriage Disappears: The New Middle America, part of The State of Our Unions series published by the Institute for American Values. When it comes to the health of marriage in society we often turn to the divorce rate as our primary statistical indicator. Since the 1970s, the trend is divorce has tended to stabilize and even declined in some sectors of American society. However, Prof. Wilcox views the institution of marriage from a number of different angles including cohabitation rates and out-of-wedlock births. With respect to these trends, Brad notes that while the poorest and least-educated portions of our nation have had high rates of cohabitation and unwed mothers, these practices have become increasingly common among “Middle Americans” — defined as those individuals with a high school education and moderate income. We talk about the consequences of this trend on both society and the religious landscape, detailing how married couples are more likely to attend church services than single parents. This, in part, may explain some of the noted decline in religious attendance in the US in recent years. Brad and I also delve into the causes of this trend. Interestingly, we note that while elite, highly-educated and wealthy Americans often hold values in support of cohabitation and single motherhood — and here we discuss the Murphy Brown controversy of the early 1990s — these same elite individuals are less likely to engage in cohabitation, more likely to practice traditional notions of marriage, and far less likely to get divorced. Prof. Wilcox offers some solutions for dealing with the decline in marriage among “Middle America.” At the end of the podcast we turn our attention to the role of religion and its affect on parenting, especially as it pertains to men and their role in the household. Recorded: February 23, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Brad Wilcox’s personal website (including many of his research reports and articles).

When Marriage Disappears: The New Middle America, the 2010 State of Our Unions annual report published by The National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values. This report is free for downloading.

Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands by W. Bradford Wilcox.

RELATED PODCASTS

Mike Donnelly on Homeschooling.

Byron Johnson on Religion and Delinquency.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church

tonygill — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:00:56 +0000

Welcome new visitors. Please check out our other great podcasts or subscribe to us on iTunes.

How can a small Bible study group in the heart of one of America’s least churched cities grow to be one of the largest mega-churches in just a decade and a half? This is the question we put before Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church based in Seattle, Washington. Pastor Driscoll recounts how he came to take on his pastoral mission and recounts many of the early difficulties he had in setting up his ministry including the challenges of finding adequate space to accomodate a rapidly growing membership. We discuss how Mars Hill developed a multi-campus approach that utilizes modern telecommunication technology to broadcast sermons from the main church in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle to seven other branches in the Puget Sound area and another one in New Mexico. What is perhaps most amazing about Mars Hill is that it attracts a demographic that is not typically known to be regular churchgoers — young single males. Mark relates how a message rooted directdly in Scripture can appeal to youth and to individuals who have been sinned against. We further touch upon the Acts 29 Network aimed at planting churches around the country and how it screens and trains future church leaders in the process. Mark reveals what characteristics he and his staff look for when determining who should lead a new church plant. Finally, Pastor Driscoll offers some reflections on why churches that are theologically conservative are growing whereas mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking. Admittedly, your host was expecting to learn how various organizational innovations have determined the success of Mars Hill. And while the church does rely upon creative organizational techniques, I learned that the content of the pastoral message is really what has been the main driving force in this church’s growth. Recorded: October 12, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Mars Hill Church.

Acts 29 Network.

Mark Driscoll’s Confessions of a Reformission Rev: Hard Lessons from and Emerging Missional Church (Zondervan Press).

Mark Driscoll’s Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (Crossway Books).

RELATED PODCASTS

James Wellman on Evangelical vs Liberal Christians.