Category: History

Bethel freshmen in the fall of 1943

When a Christian College Sheltered Japanese Americans During WWII

December 7, 2016

Seventy-five years ago today, Japanese forces attacked the American military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leading to U.S. involvement in World War II. That evening Pres. Franklin Roosevelt issued an emergency proclamation authorizing the arrest of “Alien enemies deemed dangerous to the public peace or safety of the United States.” Within three months, FDR had authorized the War Department … More When a Christian College Sheltered Japanese Americans During WWII

Nyvall Hall at North Park University

Covenant Visions of Christian Higher Education

December 1, 2016

Even as I await the publication of my new book on Pietism, it’s gratifying to see people continuing to engage with its 2015 predecessor, The Pietist Vision of Christian Higher Education. At the end of a generous review in The Covenant Quarterly, Mark Safstrom puts that book in the context of work that Christian Collins Winn and I have been doing … More Covenant Visions of Christian Higher Education

Branscombe, "The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth"

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2016

I’ve got a new post up today at The Anxious Bench, on the presence of three virtues in Abraham Lincoln’s original 1863 proclamation of a national day of thanksgiving. But that’s all the blogging I plan to do this week. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and we’ll hope to see you back here next week, when I plan posts on teaching, academic … More Happy Thanksgiving!

McPherson, Embattled Rebel

My New Series on Writing Biography

November 17, 2016

Earlier this week I started a three-part series at The Anxious Bench on the challenges of writing biographies. I’m writing these posts without any real knowledge of what biographers go through, having never written a book of that sort. But like many historians who have reached mid-career, I’m contemplating such a project, reading more examples of it than usual, and starting … More My New Series on Writing Biography

Tree roots

Parables: Roots

November 9, 2016

One more parable, also from Mark 4: Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. … More Parables: Roots

Polish graves lit with candles for All Saints' Day

All Saints’ Day and the Stewardship of the Past

November 1, 2016

Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and … More All Saints’ Day and the Stewardship of the Past

Carter & Porter (eds.), Turning Points in the History of Evangelicalism

Should Evangelical Historians Contend for Evangelical Identity?

October 27, 2016

One of the highlights of the 2016 meeting of the Conference on Faith and History was Jay Green’s presidential address, “Evangelical Historiography, Evangelical Identity, and the Spiritual Vision of History.” Like many of his predecessors, Jay offered an erudite, thought-provoking reflection on the past, present, and future of a professional society whose “primary goal is … More Should Evangelical Historians Contend for Evangelical Identity?

Bethel University: Community Life Center and Benson Great Hall

Register for the 2016 Bethel Colloquium on Pietism

October 26, 2016

On the very short list of reasons that I wish I weren’t spending my fall on sabbatical in the Blue Ridge mountains is the fact that I won’t be at Bethel University on Tuesday, December 13th for the 2016 Bethel Colloquium on Pietism. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be there! For a mere $5 (to … More Register for the 2016 Bethel Colloquium on Pietism