Andy Rowell

Author: Andy Rowell

  • Why Books & Culture magazine matters

    My favorite magazine, Books & Culture, is facing extinction if it does not raise $90,000 by Monday. It is the magazine by Christian professors for Christian professors.

    Pledge to save it: http://www.booksandculture.com/donate/

    Every Christian professor and graduate student of any discipline should be appalled that Books & Culture may fold. This is the magazine of Philip Jenkins, Alan Jacobs, Lauren Winner, Christian Smith, Mark Noll, Andy Crouch, John Stackhouse, C. Stephen Evans, and Richard Mouw. It covers art, books, literature, psychology, history, theology, sociology, economics, and science. In this way, readers are exposed to sharp, open, Christian commentary on the cutting edge of what is happening in the academic disciplines. Sure, you might, *might*, be able to find all of this somewhere somehow on the web but here it is curated, beautifully presented, and consistently excellent. Books & Culture is an open square where scholars can say what they really think and get a wide hearing from other academic people. Furthermore, writers draw broadly from the Christian tradition as opposed to many other publications where writers make no effort to engage with anyone beyond their politically conservative, or Reformed perspective, etc. In Books & Culture, you find pieces by Miroslav Volf, David Bebbington, James K. A. Smith, Scot McKnight, Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, George Marsden, Jeremy Begbie, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Roger Olson, Ron Sider, Brad Gregory, and Roger Lundin. Furthermore, John Wilson has warmly welcomed the next generation including Winner, Crouch, David Taylor, Matthew Milliner, Elesha Coffman, Alissa Wilkinson, and Jason Byassee. Eventually you might notice that a number of the contributors have connections to Wheaton College, Calvin College, Baylor University, Duke University, or Notre Dame–what these schools have in common is their fine academic Christian scholarship but have differing evangelical, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, and Roman Catholic roots respectively. If it does fold, some of this emphasis will surely be picked up by Christianity Today with Andy Crouch now as executive editor, but it will be difficult to combine the unique thoughtful openness of Books & Culture with the shorter attention span and lower tolerance for nuance of the average Christianity Today reader. Books & Culture helps scholarly Christians stay Christian and stay scholarly. Let's keep Books & Culture around for awhile. We still need it.

     

    Update: September 9, 2013

    http://www.booksandculture.com/donate/pledge.html

    Donate to B&C
    Harold Smtih

    Dear Friends,

    Never in my 30 years at Christianity Today have I witnessed such an outpouring of generosity and support as I have experienced over these past five days! Your passion and commitment to the ministry of Books & Culture have translated to pledges which, when added to those secured during the "quiet" phase of our campaign, have brought the total amount of 2014 pledges to just over $250K—the amount needed to secure Books & Culture's financial viability in the year ahead.

    In addition, annual amounts of $110K have also been committed by colleges, universities, seminaries, and other individuals for each of the four years following 2014, thus providing our publication with a firmer fiscal foundation for the longer-term.

    Needless to say, it has all been quite overwhelming. And we praise God for his hand of blessing!

    Having met our pledge objectives for 2014, we now focus on the remaining months of 2013. If you missed your opportunity to be a part of this historic push, please know that your tax-deductible gifts this year will further strengthen Books & Culture's bottom line going into 2014.

    In closing, and on behalf of publisher Terumi Echols, editor John Wilson, and myself, I want to extend our sincerest thanks to all of you for achieving this milestone. And would our very surprising God continue to declare his "Yes" over this needed ministry for years to come!

    Harold Smith
    President and CEO
    CHRISTIANITY TODAY

    Give a One-Time GiftGive a Recurring Gift

     

  • 10 reasons to come to Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota

    Bethel Seminary:

    1. Has a superbly-trained faculty from places like Cambridge, Duke, and Harvard who present at Society of Biblical Literature, American Academy of Religion, and Evangelical Theological Society, and publish widely in both popular settings and academic journals. 

    2. Emphasizes developing the Christian character and spiritual formation of the student. 

    3. Trains students in uniquely practical and academically rigorous ways in the areas of leadership, marriage and family therapy, and children's ministry.  

    4. Is located close to a marvelous variety of urban, hipster, edgy churches and ministries as well as megachurches in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

    5. Is less than 20 minutes from the centers of both Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis-St. Paul is rated among the highest places to live in terms of physical health, parks, sports, arts, family life, economic growth, and affordability. See Infographic: 2013 Chart Topping American City: Minneapolis/Saint Paul (Aug 2, 2013).

    6. Has a medium-sized faculty which facilitates personal interaction between students and faculty. The faculty is also warmly supportive of women in ministry and encouraging to people from diverse backgrounds.  

    7. Is part of and shares the facilities of Bethel University–one of the largest of the Christian colleges. The seminary is located just a hundred yards along Valentine Lake from the gorgeous multi-million dollar student center–complete with leather chairs, coffee shop, dining center, and wireless internet. With permission, one might even take an elective or guided study with the excellent undergraduate faculty in biblical and theological studies or even integrate theological reflection with an art, history, science, or literature course. 

    8. Hits the liberal to conservative spectrum in a way that will resonate with many young evangelicals. 

    9. Is one of the most experienced schools in having their full-time faculty teach quality online and hybrid courses. It is at the forefront of schools offering seminary education to those already in ministry who want to take courses online and in 1-week intensives. 

    10. Offers many of these strengths through its East and West coast campuses: Seminary of the East in New England (Auburn, MA) and Washington, DC (Landover, MD) and Bethel Seminary San Diego.

    Of all the seminaries and divinity schools out there, Bethel is truly one of the top schools I would encourage people to consider. The graduates end up being very fine ministry practitioners–biblically and theologically-grounded, innovative, emotionally healthy, intellectually-serious, and well-rounded. So, crank through that application, register for a class online, and get started. Or stop by and sit in on a class and meet some students and faculty–say hello to me when you're here. We'd love to have you join us.

  • New Bethel Seminary Contact Information

    I have an office, phone, and email address at Bethel so thought I would post it.

    Andrew D. Rowell
    Instructor of Ministry Leadership
    Bethel Seminary 
    Mail Service Center box #7006
    3949 Bethel Dr
    Saint Paul, MN 55112
    Office phone: 651.638.6226
    Office: A207
    Email: a-rowell@bethel.edu
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyRowell
    Blog: http://www.andyrowell.net/

     

    http://seminary.bethel.edu/academics/faculty/st-paul/

    Name Andrew D. Rowell
    Email a-rowell@bethel.edu
    Department Ministry Leadership
    School SEM
    Title Instructor of Ministry Leadership
    Year started at Bethel 2013
    Education B.A., Taylor University; M.Div., Regent College; Th.D. (in progress), Duke Divinity School
    Bio Rowell is a new full-time tenure-track faculty member beginning in the fall of 2013. He brings pastoral experience in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and experience teaching Christian educational ministries at Taylor University. Most recently, he has been at Duke Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, NC the last six years doing his doctorate in theology. He is presently finishing his dissertation on Karl Barth's theology of the church. He has also written about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lesslie Newbigin, John Howard Yoder, church planting, church consulting, megachurches, trends in theological education, leadership literature, the quantitative study of congregations in sociology, university ministry, models of practical theology, and 1 Corinthians. He teaches evangelism, discipleship, and leadership at Bethel Seminary.
    URL http://www.andyrowell.net/