Normally, I’m pretty bad about recognizing Hallmark holidays, but today is no ordinary Mothers’ Day: it was 100 years ago this year that Pres. Woodrow Wilson first declared it a honorary holiday. (Annoying historian intrusion: Just days later, the U.S. Senate failed again to approve a constitutional amendment giving mothers and other women the right to … More Happy Mothers’ Day
Here… • While her talk at Bethel last week was about faith and science, I’ll happily credit journalist Krista Tippett with inspiring two posts about the practice of history: first, what do historians mean when they ask “Why?”; and second, how is history a “ministry of listening“? • Thanks to Paul Putz for teaching us about the … More That Was The Week That Was
Before the final bell rings on National Teacher Appreciation Week, let me rerun the part of a May 2013 post in which I talked about the one teacher who had the greatest impact on my life: Maureen Conway of Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. Not surprisingly, I’m far from the only person who feels … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Ms. Conway
For a while earlier this year, whenever I signed out of my Facebook account, I would see a full-screen ad for a Christian dating service. Now, this was troubling if only because my Facebook relationship status is very clearly Married; I hate to think what Facebook thinks it’s learned about me that makes me a good target for … More Christian Matchmaking: Past and Present
I’ve got a folder on Chrome where I keep bookmarks for posts and articles that I either plan to blog about myself or at least pass along via my Saturday That Was The Week That Was posts. But every month at least one link seems to slip through the cracks and sits there, gathering virtual dust… So in … More Spring Cleaning: Some Great Links I Forgot to Share
As I mentioned yesterday, public radio journalist Krista Tippett recently appeared at Bethel University to speak about her book Einstein’s God: Conversations about Science and the Human Spirit. One of those conversations inspired yesterday’s post on what historians mean when they ask the question “Why?” of the past. Today I want to reflect on Tippett’s larger purpose, as the … More History as a “Ministry of Listening”
I’m afraid this post started off taking me in directions I hadn’t expected. Part of me would like to polish it further, but in the spirit of blogging as “thinking aloud,” I’ll hope that it hangs together enough to make some sense… Last Friday I enjoyed hearing a convocation talk at Bethel by journalist Krista Tippett, host … More The Two (or Three) Why’s of History
Here… • I’m lousy at predicting which blog posts will generate the most interest. But I had an inkling that one titled “When I’m a ‘Functional Atheist’” would grab attention… • How did you spend your “Loyalty Day“? • Over nine million soldiers died in World War I. Why do some historians think that their sacrifice … More That Was The Week That Was
Among other projects, I’m currently helping spearhead a discussion of digital humanities at Bethel. Initially, I was most interested by the notion of helping history, philosophy, literature, and theology majors become proficient enough with computer programming that they could use digital tools to enhance the skills traditionally associated with the humanities: reading, research, critical thinking, writing, etc. That’s still a … More Why Do I Blog with a Sans Serif Font?
Earlier today I walked into my office and found a lovely little gift basket of chocolates, courtesy of our department’s wonderful undergraduate teaching assistants. “Happy May Day!” read the card. Of course, given the way that May Day is celebrated in most of the world, this should prompt me not only to endorphin- and Toblerone-fueled good … More Happy Loyalty Day
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