Author: Todd M. Brenneman
Located in: Montgomery, AL
Submitted: December 10, 2014
Tell us a little about yourself. I am an assistant professor of Christian history at Faulkner University. I have my Ph.D. from Florida State University in American religious history. I have a wonderful wife and daughter who encourage me in everything I do.
What was your motivation behind this project? A lot of the focus on works on evangelicalism focus on beliefs and politics. People who don't fit that dynamic are often ignored. I also saw how successful people like Max Lucado and Rick Warren were but not much attention had been paid to them, outside of a few really good studies.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope people who read the work will step back and consider how much of their personal faith is shaped by culture and how much is shaped by scripture. I think in Christianity we have an uneasy relationship with culture and sometimes we adopt certain practices or approaches that might not fit in with scriptural ideas.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Academically I really enjoy Randall Balmer's work, John Fea's work, and Amanda Porterfield's work. Spiritually, I am a big fan of Philip Yancey and Tim Keller. I think both of those authors really try to encourage the intellectual side of faith.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Too often we think of our faith as either intellectual or emotional when it is to be a balance a both. Especially in our current culture, we need to step back sometimes and make sure we aren't getting those things out of balance.
