Category: History

Billy Graham with Ronald and Nancy Reagan, 1981

Mind the Gap: The Histories of Christianity and of International Relations

November 1, 2013

The modern distinction between sacred and secular has allowed the studies of religion and politics to go their separate ways in virtual isolation. (Nathan O. Hatch) By training, I’m a historian of international relations. More recently, I’ve become interested in the history of Christianity. That wouldn’t seem like an unlikely pairing, given the global reach … More Mind the Gap: The Histories of Christianity and of International Relations

Jyväskylä University

A Constitutional Right to Education?

October 17, 2013

When I teach my Human Rights in International History course next spring, we’ll quickly come to the distinction between the “first generation” of political, legal, and civil rights and the “second generation” of social and economic rights. While the United States was an early adopter of the first, this country has had a more complicated … More A Constitutional Right to Education?

Devin Manzullo-Thomas

An Interview with Sider Institute Director Devin Manzullo-Thomas

October 16, 2013

Today I’m happy to introduce readers to Devin Manzullo-Thomas, the new director of the Sider Institute for Anabaptist, Pietist, and Wesleyan Studies at Messiah College. Actually, frequent readers may already recognize Devin’s name, as I’ve mentioned his work from time to time — including his contribution to the Covenant Quarterly issue on Pietism that I … More An Interview with Sider Institute Director Devin Manzullo-Thomas

French POWs in 1940

The Second World War Before Pearl Harbor: France, 1940

October 8, 2013

Too much about higher education of late… Let’s cleanse the palate with a dose of military history! It was during my first year of college, when I had decided to forego my planned career in international law and instead devote myself to the study of European history, that I first realized how little of the … More The Second World War Before Pearl Harbor: France, 1940

Moody Bible Institute

On Alcohol Bans at Christian Colleges

October 3, 2013

I’d rather it run a feature on the Bethel physics professors and alumni who have recently received National Science Foundation grants and fellowships, but The New York Times covers Christian higher education rarely enough that I suppose any press is good press. Re: Moody Bible Institute’s decision (reported here earlier) to lift its longstanding alcohol … More On Alcohol Bans at Christian Colleges

"In Flanders FIelds" quotation on Melrose (MN) Memorial

Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Forgotten War Poetry

September 24, 2013

A couple more posts you might have missed during the quiet summer months, both having to do with 20th century war poetry that’s less familiar to most of us. Just over 6000 American soldiers are buried outside the French village of Fère-en-Tardenois, at Oise-Aisne Cemetery. The most famous was killed by a German sniper ninety-five … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Forgotten War Poetry