Here • Musing about what it means to say “I believe…” about the Trinity… • Two down, twenty-four to go: an alphabetical sampler of my CD collection started with the Rolling Stones (Aftermath) and Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan Live 1966). • “Moral histories” of the Second World War from novelist Alan Furst and historians Don … More That Was The Week That Was
I’m still eighteen months away from teaching my new World War II history course for the first time, but I’ve been thinking about it this week after reading an interview with master spy novelist Alan Furst (whose new book, Mission to Paris, will surely appear on my summer reading list when it comes out next week). … More Moral Histories of World War II
I don’t have the singing, playing, songwriting, or performing abilities the job requires, but I do know one thing about being a great musician: if in doubt, title your album something starting with the letter B. By my count, I own twenty-five ‘B’ albums. While that’s two behind ‘S’ for the lead (and the fact … More Albums A to Z: Bob Dylan Live 1966
This is a couple weeks old now, but in case, like me, you don’t happen read the L.A. Review of Books religiously but, like me, do happen to be a fan of Sherlock Holmes — and especially if, like me, your favorite pre-J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies are The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered … More Nicholas Meyer on Sherlock Holmes
During Bethel’s commencement exercises last month, our speaker told the soon-to-be graduates the story of the British evangelical politician William Wilberforce, who dedicated his life to the abolition of the slave trade (accomplished in 1807) and then slavery itself (just before his death in 1833). Up on stage among the berobed faculty, my friend Sam … More The Curious Case of the Popularity of Wm. Wilberforce
6/5/12 – I’m not much of a monarchist, but it was hard not to get caught up in Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee celebration. Hearing the gathered crowd sing “God Save The Queen” made me think that (if they missed it last fall) some readers might be curious how my European history students and I judged that … More God Save The Queen
Summer break has finally begun at Bethel University, and while that means that I’ve got all sorts of scholarly projects underway, it also means that I can take time for some decidedly unacademic pursuits. Like, say, listening to some of the hundreds of albums that I accumulated in the years before becoming a parent of … More Albums A to Z: Aftermath
It’s the first full week of June, and that can mean only one thing if you’re a history nerd: time to get working on your summer reading list! I’ll be posting my own suggestions this week or next, but in the interim, here are some histories, biographies, and historical novels suggested by NPR, the L.A. … More It’s Summer Reading List Season!
Yesterday being Holy Trinity Sunday in the liturgical calendar, my mind couldn’t help but take up the question of what it means for Christians to believe in one God who is three persons. Now, I may play one from time to time on this blog, but I’m no theologian. In fact, I’m quite sure I … More I Believe…
Aside from a post occasioned by the convergence of college commencement and a hole in the lectionary for Pentecost and the announcement of the newest issue of Christian History magazine, I was on break from active blogging during the past week. But grading is submitted, summer has officially started, and plenty of other writers were more than … More That Was The Week That Was
The Pietist Schoolman 