History as “An Aggressive Act”

The few times I’ve daydreamed about having another career, I’ve almost always imagined myself a journalist. It’s maybe not much of a stretch for a historian. Journalists, after all, are writing the “first draft of history.” But if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m really only interested in a particular sort of journalism, one that may seem less than serious and … More History as “An Aggressive Act”

That Was The Week That Was

Here… Thanks to everyone who responded to our “comment drive” questions: • Which movies are most historically accurate? (And how important is that?) • What’s your favorite biography? • Why is the Civil War so fascinating, 150 years later? …There and Everywhere • One source sustaining my fascination with that conflict is the New York Times‘ Disunion blog, which recently pointed … More That Was The Week That Was

March Madness: The Best Christian Book of All Time?

When Marquette pulled out a last-second win over Davidson and Butler turned back a late Bucknell rally, I lost two of the upsets I’d predicted in my NCAA men’s basketball bracket. (And I clearly should have had more faith in my graduate alma mater’s conference!) Adding more evidence to counter the notion that human beings … More March Madness: The Best Christian Book of All Time?

Replacing the NFL: A Thought Experiment (with Chris Moore and Sam Mulberry)

By almost any measure, the National Football League is the most popular and profitable professional sports league in the United States, and likely in the world. Popular? In 2011 all but two of the top 25 most watched telecasts in this country were NFL games, and a Harris poll earlier this year found that 36% … More Replacing the NFL: A Thought Experiment (with Chris Moore and Sam Mulberry)

“J Lin”

2/12/12 – Last night marked the first time since their playoff run in 2004 that I actually wanted to go to a Minnesota Timberwolves game. The New York Knicks were in town, which meant that Rubio-mania ran headlong into Lin-sanity. (Final score: Lin-sanity 100, Rubio-mania 98, alas.) For more on Knicks’ point guard Jeremy Lin, … More “J Lin”

This Week in History

Brainstorming possible August holidays last week made me think that some of my readers might appreciate the occasional excuse to declare their own personal celebration and take a day off. So let us commence a new, recurring feature here at The Pietist Schoolman, with the rarely-before-used title, “This Week in History”! August 8, 1988 – … More This Week in History