Daniel G. Hummel

@bobonbooks @upperhouseUW Thanks so much Bob!

A history of organized religious activity at the University of Wisconsin. @upperhouseUW @danielghummel bobonbooks.com/2026/03/27/rev…

We're hoping to convene a more methodological and disciplinary conversation in November--each and every historian has methods, theories, practices that drive their work. We want to discuss and learn together about them. Consider joining and please share widely.

I'm excited to be co-chairing the next Society for U.S. Intellectual History (S-USIH) conference in Madison, Nov 12-14, 2026. The Call for Papers just went out this morning. s-usih.org/2026/02/s-usih…

@p_emory Good stuff--worth a future panel at a conference maybe? I'm making the argument in my next book that evangelicals were also driving it. Some of that is highlighting understudied aspects of their history, other is reiterpreting the founding of AA, spiritual but not religious, etc.

All great points. I think you're right that the "personal relationship with Jesus" idea is more distinct to evangelicals, although there were some New Thought people like Glenn Clark who moved in that direction. But I see the order of influence you present in a different way, or at least with another possible story going on. I think liberal/middlebrow Prots were more influential in popularizing the "subjective spiritual experience" idea in a way that became unmoored from Christianity (the "spiritual but not religious" and so on). Evangelicals weren't driving that development as much as they benefitted from it, channeling a popular impulse (the desire for subjective spiritual experience) into what they presented as the true Christian approach to spirituality. And with fewer liberal/middlebrow folks waiving the Christian banner after the 1960s, it left evangelicals with an opening to claim that label and that cultural space.

An excellent long read from @danielghummel on the transformation and decline of American Protestantism over the past century. He looks at the "two party" contest between the liberal/mainline and conservative/evangelical camps and suggests that each side both won and lost in significant ways. He asks: "What if each side won in such a way that the arguments they made about the essence of Christian belief were so successful that they took on a life of their own, becoming entirely unloosed from Christianity but woven into the fabric of contemporary American religion and culture?" mereorthodoxy.com/secular-protes…

@p_emory That seems more evangelical to me. I'm thinking of the work by Tanya Luhrmann, among others, on the evangelical sense of intimacy with Jesus.

@p_emory Of course, Hedtstrom, Leigh Eric Schmidt, etc. are right but I don't think that's the only way you can tell the story. I also think the "personal relationship" aspect is not exactly what liberal religion (from Transcendentalism to New Thought, etc.) emphasizes.

Thanks to @mereorthodoxy for letting me make this argument. Each side of the Protestant "two parties" (fundamentalist/evangelical and modernist/mainline) enjoyed vast if partial cultural victories in the 20th century. A recounting of that story helps explain our landscape today.

Just followed @TheKingsBiz (really @FredFredSanders), reading through old issues of The King's Business (Biola University's magazine from 1910-1970) and highlighting spots of interest. Historians of US religion should follow.

Helping spread the word about a theology position in Madison, WI:

Come work with us at the Lumen Center in Madison, WI! Our newest full-time position is for a Resident Fellow in Theology. Share or apply as you see fit, and feel free to ask questions. See listing: slbf.org/work-with-us

This was a great conversation about the prospect of AI in the classroom and unique perspectives, rooted in humanistic values, for appreciating what human educators can uniquely offer and lean into in the coming years. Listen here: theraisedhand.substack.com/p/trh-audio-ed…

NEW: For decade or more, the the majority of U.S. political support for Israel has come from the right. Now there are serious signs that support may be crumbling. Featuring @CurtMills, @JacksonLahmeyer, @danielghummel, @ShibleyTelhami and more. npr.org/2025/11/07/nx-…

@p_emory Also I learned recently that Paul Tournier, the Christian psychologist, was profoundly influenced by the Oxford Group.

@p_emory Agreed. I have a short chapter on Frank Buchmann in my current manuscript, as well as tracings here and there of the official daily devotional, 24 Hours a Day, and later mentions of AA like Dallas Willard comparing spiritual formation to the 12-step program.

Since we've got Lane Kiffin quoting from the Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book," a fun history fact: One of the first people to bring public attention to AA was an athlete, a pro baseball player named Rollie Hemsley who, in 1940, credited AA with helping him turn his life around

What does it mean when the teacher isn't a person? At the Raised Hand today, I share about homeschooling and AI and how this may affect higher ed classrooms. Thanks to @danielghummel for the opportunity!

@jwilson1812two @cmnelson71 @NadyaWilliams81 My pitch: if we're talking about what evangelicals consume as an insight into who they are, it's in the devotional/Christian living section of the book store/video library more than in politics, theology, or any other. The numbers are clear. That said, I think it all connects.

The world didn't ask for an Instagram reel about Pseudo-Dionysius, but @lumencenter_slbf did so voila, an introduction to hierarchies celestial and ecclesial in 30 seconds or less: instagram.com/reel/DQKrH15DQ…

New essay out on the role of human educators in the age of AI (spoiler alert: it's the same as their role before AI, except even more urgent and important now). With cameos by Christopher Ricks, @SchleicherOECD, my beloved kiddo, and my 10th-grade chemistry teacher