May 4, 2005

EO Blog Symposium
Presentation of Awards

Although I’m behind my own self-imposed deadline, I am proud to be able to announce the winners of the EO Blog Symposium (second quarter). I wish I were able to reward the dozens of bloggers who deserved to be recognized for their efforts. Unfortunately, I only have the four items to give away. I consider it a great honor, however, to provide them to these most worthy and intelligent bloggers.

The awards for the second quarter EO Blog Symposium go to:

1. Short Attention Span
2. Through a Glass Darkly
3. PlaidBerry

These blogs were also chosen for honorable mention by the judges:

Honorable Mention

@ Large
A Physicist's Perspective
Pseudo-Polymath
Revenge of Mr. Dumpling
Rocket Science
verbum ipsum

The winner of the random drawing is Curtis Schweitzer from a-sdf.

I’m truly grateful to everyone who took the time to participate and hope that you’ll join me again next quarter. I would especially like to thank the panel of judges who put in the time and effort to choose the best of the outstanding field of posts.

Once again, here is the list of outstanding posts that were entered in the symposium:

Posted by Joe Carter at 1:01 AM | Comments (2)

April 4, 2005

EO Blog Symposium
Phase One -- Entries and Support Links

During the first phase of the EO Blog Symposium, entries and support links will be continuously updated as they come in. If you have any comments on the entries that you’d like the judges to take into consideration, email them to me at jpcarter@evangelicaloutpost.com.

Entries

Support Links

Posted by Joe Carter at 10:50 PM | Comments (2)

The 2005 EO Symposium (2nd Quarter)
Judeo-Christian Morality in an Ethically Pluralistic Society

This past January I hosted the first in a quarterly series of blog symposiums. The topic question -- Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism? – was rather narrow and based on a lengthy article by David Gelernter. During the planning stage I had hoped to receive twenty five entries and was astounded when the total reached sixty-seven. The symposium turned out to be an excellent example of how the analytical skills of faithbloggers in the “long tail” could be harnessed.

For this quarter, I’ve decided to broaden the topic around the theme of Judeo-Christian morality in an ethically pluralistic society. Entries can explore the history of the concept, the applications toward public policy, the best means of arguing for it in the public square, or anything else that you choose.

The three best posts selected from a panel of anonymous judges will receive:

(1) A one year subscription to Books and Culture
(2) A copy of Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life As a Christian Calling by James Sire
(3) A copy of Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig

The first place winner will have their choice of items with the second place deciding between the remaining two. The third place winner will automatically receive the unselected item.

Those who choose only to write a brief comment promoting the Symposium are still eligible to receive a prize for participating. Anyone who includes a link to this post and a brief comment will be entered into a separate drawing for a subscription to either Books and Culture or First Things.

Please send links to jpcarter@evangelicaloutpost.com with “Symposium” as the first word of the subject line. Entries must be submitted before Friday, April 15, 11:59 PM CST in order to be eligible for the prizes. Also, please visit my advertisers. Their generous support provides the funding for this symposium.

Note: I’m hoping that the previous judges will agree to participate once again. If you would be interested in helping judge the entries, though, please send me an email with “Judge” as the first word of the subject line.

Posted by Joe Carter at 12:28 AM | Comments (12)

January 17, 2005

EO Blog Symposium
Phase Three – Presentation of Awards

Eleven days ago I suggested the idea of a “blog symposium” as a means of harnessing the analytic abilities of some of my favorite bloggers to explore an issue while providing an example of the power of the "long tail." I was hoping for at least twenty-five entries and would have been thrilled by forty. Instead, the symposium generated a total of sixty-seven submissions in the course of only a few days.

While I was thrilled by the level of participation, having such an incredibly large pool of quality posts made it exceedingly difficult for the judges to choose only three. I truly wish I had more prizes to award because there are at least a dozen bloggers that deserve to be recognized for their efforts. Unfortunately, I only have the four items to offer. I consider it a great honor, however, to provide them to these most worthy and intelligent bloggers.

The awards for the first quarter EO Blog Symposium go to:

1. The Paragraph Farmer, "Retooling Americanism"
2. Jollyblogger, "Americanism and Puritanism"
3. Gideon Strauss, "The anti-anti-Americanism we need now"

These blogs were also chosen for honorable mention by the judges:

Honorable Mention:
21st Century Reformation
A Physicist's Perspective
Burkean Canuck
Challies.com
Eternal Perspectives
Ex Nihilo
Imago Dei
Letters from Babylon
Media Culpa
Razor Kiss
True Pravda

The winner of the random drawing for Hugh Hewitt’s book “Blog” goes to Sonspot.

I’m truly thankful for everyone who participated and hope that you’ll join me in April for the second quarter symposium. Once again, here is the list of outstanding posts that were entered into the symposium:

  • 21st Century Reformation, "Americanism: The Enemy of the Puritan Hope"

  • a_sdf, "Creedo Americana"

  • all kinds of time..., "Americanism's Bane"
  • anotherthink, "Puritanism Reloaded"

  • Another Man's Meat, "Americanism - A Grand Creed"

  • Anti-Climacus, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Back of the Envelope, "Americanism and Puritanism"

  • Bene Diction Blogs On, A Symposium

  • The Billy Goat Blog, "Living in Israel? …. Or Babylon?"

  • Blogcorner preacher, "American Creed"

  • Brutally Honest, "Americanism--and Its Enemies"

  • Burkean Canuck, "Americanism?" Or, "Christian constitutionalism?"

  • Challies.com, "Puritanism and Americanism"

  • Daddypundit, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Desert Island Boy, "The Spirit of America"

  • DM’s Loose Ends, “Americanism—and Its Enemies: Critique, Analysis, and Commentary”

  • Eternal Perspectives, "Americanism, Puritanism & the People of God"

  • Evangelical Underground, "The New Puritanism?"

  • Every Thought Captive, "Americanism and Maintaining Religious and Political Pluralism"

  • Ex Nihilo, "Our American Question"

  • Exultate Justi

  • Fishkite, "American Puritanism: Fake, but Accurate!"

  • Gideon Strauss, "The anti-anti-Americanism we need now"

  • The Great Separation, "The American Israel"

  • Hill Country Views, "A Review of "Americanism - And Its Enemies"

  • HokieGator, "Americanism and Its Enemies"

  • Hootsbuddy's Place, "Whither Americanism"

  • I Killed Che Guevara, "My Anti-Americanism"

  • Intellectual Defenestration, "Americanism and Puritanism"
  • JivinJehoshaphat, "Evangelical Outpost's First Blogposium"

  • Imago Dei, "On the Puritans and Self-Evident Truths"

  • Jeff the Baptist, "Americanism: Religious Descendant of Puritanism?"

  • Jollyblogger, "Americanism and Puritanism"

  • letters from babylon, "Puritanism and Americanism: The Same Phenomenon?"

  • Liberty Just In Case, “Americanism as Religion: The Puritans Impact on American and Myself”

  • Mark Byron, "Americanism"

  • Media Culpa, "Gelernter's Epistle to the Americans"

  • Matt Crash!

  • MythoPoet's Mirror, "Americanism—and Its Enemies"

  • New Covenant, "Americanism: a Virtual Symposium... "

  • Northern 'burbs blog, "Americanism..."

  • Notes from a Byzantine-Rite Calvinist, "Puritanism and Americanism"

  • Notes in Samsara, "An American Buddhist Response to Americanism"

  • Ogre's Politics & Views, "Americanism vs. Puritanism"

  • On An Azure Field, "How “Americanism” has destroyed Puritanism"

  • The Paragraph Farmer, "Retooling Americanism"

  • The Pessimistic Epistemologist, "Americanism as a Mirror"

  • A Physicist's Perspective, "Americanism is not puritanism"

  • The Political Teen

  • Pseudo-Polymath, "On 'Americanism - and its Enemies'"

  • Proverbs Daily, "Americanism - Will It Survive?"

  • RazorKiss, "Is Americanism a 'New Puritanism'?"

  • The Regulator, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Revenge of Mr Dumpling, "What the Left Has Forgotten (and the Right Better Pray They Don't Remember)"

  • rooftop blog, "Puritanism and America"

  • The Rough Woodsman, "Response to Americanism-and Its Enemies"

  • Scofflaw's Subsidy

  • secundum Christum, "Blog Symposium: .. the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Sidesspot, "Which Mission? Americanism and American Christians"

  • SonspotBlog, "Americanism"

  • Sounding the Trumpet, "Is Americanism the descendent of Puritanism?"

  • Stones Cry Out, "Can an "ism" be a Religion?"

  • Through a Glass Darkly, "Americanism and Its Enemies"

  • True Pravda, "America and Its 'isms'"

  • Viewpoint, "Americanism"

  • Whymrhymer 101, "Ugly Americanism?"

  • XBIP, "Americanism"


    • Posted by Joe Carter at 2:40 AM | Comments (8)

    January 12, 2005

    EO Blog Symposium
    Phase Two – Final Judging

    While planning this symposium I became concerned that the length of the subject article and the breadth of its scope would hinder participation. I decided that if I were fortunate enough to get twenty-five entries I could consider the experiment a success. When the deadline arrived last night the number of contributions – including several that came in at the last minute – totalled sixty-seven.* The level of participation is simply astounding. Everyone who helped out, whether submitting an entry or merely providing a support link, should be proud of their accomplishment.

    Now we move to the next stage of the process. Four judges, who have been reading the posts as they’ve poured in, have been selected to choose the three best entries. To make the process as objective as possible, I’ve selected judges with a diverse range of political and religious views. None of them know who the other judges are but I’ve known all of them a long time. They are all extremely intelligent, veteran bloggers who have considerable writing abilities. I trust that they will have no problems choosing the highest quality posts. I’ve completely turned over the judging process to them; I have no input on the final outcome. The winners should be announced later this week.

    Here is the complete finalized list of entries (in alphabetical order):

  • 21st Century Reformation, "Americanism: The Enemy of the Puritan Hope"

  • a_sdf, "Creedo Americana"

  • all kinds of time..., "Americanism's Bane"
  • anotherthink, "Puritanism Reloaded"

  • Another Man's Meat, "Americanism - A Grand Creed"

  • Anti-Climacus, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Back of the Envelope, "Americanism and Puritanism"

  • Bene Diction Blogs On, A Symposium

  • The Billy Goat Blog, "Living in Israel? …. Or Babylon?"

  • Blogcorner preacher, "American Creed"

  • Brutally Honest, "Americanism--and Its Enemies"

  • Burkean Canuck, "Americanism?" Or, "Christian constitutionalism?"

  • Challies.com, "Puritanism and Americanism"

  • Daddypundit, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Desert Island Boy, "The Spirit of America"

  • DM’s Loose Ends, “Americanism—and Its Enemies: Critique, Analysis, and Commentary”

  • Eternal Perspectives, "Americanism, Puritanism & the People of God"

  • Evangelical Underground, "The New Puritanism?"

  • Every Thought Captive, "Americanism and Maintaining Religious and Political Pluralism"

  • Ex Nihilo, "Our American Question"

  • Exultate Justi

  • Fishkite, "American Puritanism: Fake, but Accurate!"

  • Gideon Strauss, "The anti-anti-Americanism we need now"

  • The Great Separation, "The American Israel"

  • Hill Country Views, "A Review of "Americanism - And Its Enemies"

  • HokieGator, "Americanism and Its Enemies"

  • Hootsbuddy's Place, "Whither Americanism"

  • I Killed Che Guevara, "My Anti-Americanism"

  • Intellectual Defenestration, "Americanism and Puritanism"
  • JivinJehoshaphat, "Evangelical Outpost's First Blogposium"

  • Imago Dei, "On the Puritans and Self-Evident Truths"

  • Jeff the Baptist, "Americanism: Religious Descendant of Puritanism?"

  • Jollyblogger, "Americanism and Puritanism"

  • letters from babylon, "Puritanism and Americanism: The Same Phenomenon?"

  • Liberty Just In Case, “Americanism as Religion: The Puritans Impact on American and Myself”

  • Mark Byron, "Americanism"

  • Media Culpa, "Gelernter's Epistle to the Americans"

  • Matt Crash!

  • MythoPoet's Mirror, "Americanism—and Its Enemies"

  • New Covenant, "Americanism: a Virtual Symposium... "

  • Northern 'burbs blog, "Americanism..."

  • Notes from a Byzantine-Rite Calvinist, "Puritanism and Americanism"

  • Notes in Samsara, "An American Buddhist Response to Americanism"

  • Ogre's Politics & Views, "Americanism vs. Puritanism"

  • On An Azure Field, "How “Americanism” has destroyed Puritanism"

  • The Paragraph Farmer, "Retooling Americanism"

  • The Pessimistic Epistemologist, "Americanism as a Mirror"

  • A Physicist's Perspective, "Americanism is not puritanism"

  • The Political Teen

  • Pseudo-Polymath, "On 'Americanism - and its Enemies'"

  • Proverbs Daily, "Americanism - Will It Survive?"

  • RazorKiss, "Is Americanism a 'New Puritanism'?"

  • The Regulator, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Revenge of Mr Dumpling, "What the Left Has Forgotten (and the Right Better Pray They Don't Remember)"

  • rooftop blog, "Puritanism and America"

  • The Rough Woodsman, "Response to Americanism-and Its Enemies"

  • Scofflaw's Subsidy

  • secundum Christum, "Blog Symposium: .. the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Sidesspot, "Which Mission? Americanism and American Christians"

  • SonspotBlog, "Americanism"

  • Sounding the Trumpet, "Is Americanism the descendent of Puritanism?"

  • Stones Cry Out, "Can an "ism" be a Religion?"

  • Through a Glass Darkly, "Americanism and Its Enemies"

  • True Pravda, "America and Its 'isms'"

  • Viewpoint, "Americanism"

  • Whymrhymer 101, "Ugly Americanism?"

  • XBIP, "Americanism"

    • *Originally I had posted 66, but I was missing an entry that made it in before the deadline. If you posted a submission but its not linked on this page please let me know.

    Posted by Joe Carter at 12:01 AM | Comments (8)

    January 7, 2005

    EO Blog Symposium
    Phase One -- Entries and Support Links

    During the first phase of the 2005 EO Blog Symposium, entries and support links will be continuously updated as they come in. If you have any comments on the entries that you’d like the judges to take into consideration, email them to me at jpcarter@evangelicaloutpost.com.

    ***UPDATE: The entry deadline has been extended to Tuesday, 11:59 PM CST ***

    Entries

  • Notes in Samsara, "An American Buddhist Response to Americanism"

  • SonspotBlog, "Americanism"

  • Scofflaw's Subsidy

  • Mark Byron, "Americanism"

  • Evangelical Underground, "The New Puritanism?"

  • The Billy Goat Blog, "Living in Israel? …. Or Babylon?"

  • a_sdf, "Creedo Americana"

  • Back of the Envelope, "Americanism and Puritanism"

  • MythoPoet's Mirror, "Americanism—and Its Enemies"

  • Blogcorner preacher, "American Creed"

  • RazorKiss, "Is Americanism a 'New Puritanism'?"

  • The Political Teen

  • Gideon Strauss, "The anti-anti-Americanism we need now"

  • On An Azure Field, "How “Americanism” has destroyed Puritanism"

  • Brutally Honest, "Americanism--and Its Enemies"

  • Viewpoint, "Americanism"

  • Proverbs Daily, "Americanism - Will It Survive?"

  • Desert Island Boy, "The Spirit of America"

  • Notes from a Byzantine-Rite Calvinist, "Puritanism and Americanism"

  • New Covenant, "Americanism: a Virtual Symposium... "

  • Ogre's Politics & Views, "Americanism vs. Puritanism"

  • all kinds of time..., "Americanism's Bane"

  • Liberty Just In Case, “Americanism as Religion: The Puritans Impact on American and Myself”

  • Bene Diction Blogs On, A Symposium

  • Whymrhymer 101, "Ugly Americanism?"

  • The Paragraph Farmer, "Retooling Americanism"

  • anotherthink, "Puritanism Reloaded"

  • 21st Century Reformation, "Americanism: The Enemy of the Puritan Hope"

  • Exultate Justi

  • Challies.com, "Puritanism and Americanism"

  • Pseudo-Polymath, "On 'Americanism - and its Enemies'"

  • rooftop blog, "Puritanism and America"

  • The Non-Prophet Church, "Americanism, Puritanism & the People of God"

  • secundum Christum, "Blog Symposium: .. the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Another Man's Meat, "Americanism - A Grand Creed"

  • HokieGator, "Americanism and Its Enemies"

  • Imago Dei, "On the Puritans and Self-Evident Truths"

  • JivinJehoshaphat, "Evangelical Outpost's First Blogposium"

  • A Physicist's Perspective, "Americanism is not puritanism"

  • Media Culpa, "Gelernter's Epistle to the Americans"

  • Anti-Climacus, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Through a Glass Darkly, "Americanism and Its Enemies"

  • The Rough Woodsman, "Response to Americanism-and Its Enemies"

  • The Pessimistic Epistemologist, "Americanism as a Mirror"

  • letters from babylon, "Puritanism and Americanism: The Same Phenomenon?"

  • Burkean Canuck, "Americanism?" Or, "Christian constitutionalism?"

  • Fishkite, "American Puritanism: Fake, but Accurate!"

  • I Killed Che Guevara, "My Anti-Americanism"

  • Every Thought Captive, "Americanism and Maintaining Religious and Political Pluralism"

  • Hootsbuddy's Place, "Whither Americanism"

  • Stones Cry Out, "Can an "ism" be a Religion?"

  • Sidesspot, "Which Mission? Americanism and American Christians"

  • XBIP, "Americanism"

  • Daddypundit, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • True Pravda, "America and Its 'isms'"

  • Eternal Perspectives, "Americanism, Puritanism & the People of God"

  • Northern 'burbs blog, "Americanism..."

  • Hill Country Views, "A Review of "Americanism - And Its Enemies"

  • Ex Nihilo, "Our American Question"

  • The Regulator, "Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?"

  • Jeff the Baptist, "Americanism: Religious Descendant of Puritanism?"

  • Sounding the Trumpet, "Is Americanism the descendent of Puritanism?"

  • Revenge of Mr Dumpling, "What the Left Has Forgotten (and the Right Better Pray They Don't Remember)"

  • The Great Seperation, "The American Israel"

  • Matt Crash!


    • Support Links

  • Hugh Hewitt

  • Ex Nihilo

  • Witting Shire

  • Lex Rex

  • Liberty Just In Case

  • a_sdf

  • Christ Web

  • Revenge of Mr Dumpling

  • 1,000 Points of Wright

  • Lean Left

  • Sidesspot

  • A Physicist's Perspective

  • Stone's Cry Out

  • Jollyblogger

  • Proverbs Daily

  • Another Man's Meat

  • prosthesis

  • Northern 'burbs blog

  • YOUNGPUNDIT.COM

  • Burkean Canuck

  • Rooftop Blog

  • Gideon Strauss

  • Patriot Paradox

  • bloggegem review

  • Andrew Whofer

  • personal trainer

  • HobbsOnline

  • Imago Dei

  • Another Man's Meat

  • Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet

  • The Great Seperation

  • connexions

  • Mere Comments

  • έχω ζωη

    • Posted by Joe Carter at 8:52 AM | Comments (7)

    January 6, 2005

    Is Americanism the Successor of Puritanism?
    The 2005 EO Symposium (1st Quarter)

    Americanism is a religion, claims David Gelernter in a provocative and compelling new essay in Commentary magazine. Gelernter argues that America's essence is religious, and the elements of its democratic creed can be traced to surprising sources:

    "Many thinkers have noted that Americanism is inspired by or close to or intertwined with Puritanism. But my thesis is that Puritanism did not merely inspire or influence Americanism; it turned into Americanism. Puritanism and Americanism are not just parallel or related developments; they are two stages of a single phenomenon."
    Gelernter also looks at the pseudo-religious nature of that most popular of international phenomena: Anti-Americanism. Gelernter writes that the fact that "Americanism is the successor of Puritanism is crucial to anti-Americanism. In the 19th century, European elites became increasingly hostile to Christianity—which inevitably entailed hostility to America. In modern times, anti-Americanism is closely associated with anti Christianism and anti-Semitism. Anti-Americans are still fascinated and enraged by Americans’ bizarre tendency to believe in God."

    The conclusions of the article are so intriguing – and controversial – that I thought it would make an excellent topic for my first, soon-to-become quarterly, blog symposium. All bloggers that post a review or an opinion on the article will receive links to their posts and be eligible to win one of three prizes. The three best posts selected from a panel of anonymous judges will receive:

    (1) A one year subscription to Commentary magazine, either digital or print version.
    (2) A autographed copy of Hugh Hewitt’s “Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation”
    (3) A copy of James Emery White's "Serious Times: Making Your Life Matter In an Urgent Day"

    The first place winner will have their choice of items with the second place deciding between the remaining two. The third place winner will automatically receive the unselected item.

    Those who choose only to write a brief comment about the article, however, are still eligible to receive a prize for participating. Anyone who includes a link to the article, a link to the symposium, and a brief comment will be entered into a seperate drawing for a signed copy of Hugh Hewitt’s book.

    UPDATE: Entries must be submitted before Tuesday, 11:59 PM CST.

    Although the link to the article was only available to subscribers, Mr. Davi Bernstein of Commentary magazine kindly offered to provide it for free as a means of testing the interest within the blogosphere. Commentary has a circulation of about 27,000. Let’s show the power of the Long Tail by quadrupling the number of people who would normally be exposed to this article.

    [Note: Neither the magazine or the authors have provided these items or asked me to include them. I’m paying for them out of my own pocket simply because I think this is a topic worthy of discussion and I wanted to show my appreciation to my fellow bloggers.]

    Posted by Joe Carter at 8:42 PM | Comments (61)