The Timeline as a Historical Tool
May 12, 2017
The surprising power of the timeline as a tool for history professors. … More The Timeline as a Historical Tool
Tag: Digital History
When There’s Too Much Historical Evidence
December 13, 2016
Over the weekend I continued my Anxious Bench series on the challenges of writing biographies by reflecting on the problem of historical evidence. While the biographer whose book I’m currently reading seems to have enough evidence to narrate his subject’s entire life on a weekly (sometimes daily or even hourly) basis, I know that he actually is deploying … More When There’s Too Much Historical Evidence
That Was The Week That Was
November 5, 2016
Here… • America has changed a lot since the last time the Cubs won the World Series. • As I finished one book project and contemplated others, I found myself asking a big mid-career question: “What comes next?” • Evangelicals — and especially those of us in Christian higher ed — ought to pay attention … More That Was The Week That Was
At Long Last, the Official Debut of Bethel at War, 1914-2014!
November 11, 2015
In recognition of Veterans/Remembrance Day, Fletcher Warren and I are proud today to unveil the final version of Bethel at War, 1914-2014: A Digital History of a Christian College in a Century of Warfare. Whether you’re a Bethel alumnus, student, or employee, a member of its denomination, someone who’s interested in the histories of higher education, Christianity (especially … More At Long Last, the Official Debut of Bethel at War, 1914-2014!
History as Stewardship of the Past
October 5, 2015
Over the weekend I had the honor of being the featured speaker at the 125th anniversary banquet for Salem Covenant Church in Duluth, Minnesota. I didn’t write out my remarks and won’t try to reproduce what I said entirely — but I thought I might share some of the ideas at the core of the address. They form the … More History as Stewardship of the Past
That Was The Week That Was
April 26, 2015
Here… • The Armenian genocide turned 100. (Lots more links below on this topic…) • Whatever it means to be a prophet, Michael Eric Dyson was pretty sure that Cornel West isn’t one. • There are worse ways to spend a Saturday than listening to enthusiastic undergraduates talk about history. (By the way, later this week I’ll share … More That Was The Week That Was
Tracking the Popularity of WWI in Books and Dissertations
August 11, 2014
Coming into this centenary year for World War I, there’s been a predictable resurgence of books written about that conflict. Which got me wondering how the war has ebbed and flowed over time as a subject for historians and other writers. I came up with two highly imperfect ways to satisfy this curiosity: I was challenged earlier this summer … More Tracking the Popularity of WWI in Books and Dissertations
The King of All Media
July 16, 2014
My wife is deeply suspicious of my claims that I “work” in the summer. While the lengthening and warming of Minnesota’s days has no effect on her schedule, I suddenly enter a three-month period when my usual routine evaporates, to be replaced by an ever-shifting mix of quasi-academic activities: blogging on topics far afield from whatever it is that … More The King of All Media
That Was The Week That Was
June 14, 2014
Here… • I could think of worse things than spending two days in Malibu, California talking about how historians use social media or help institutions manage change. • A Pietist model of Christian scholarship: scholarship that transforms scholars, and might not center on the production of knowledge. (Part three in that series will look to the … More That Was The Week That Was
My Summer Plans? A Digital History of a Christian College in Wartime
April 28, 2014
To this point in my career as a history professor, at least a couple of goals have eluded me: first, to engage in collaborative research and writing with a gifted undergraduate; second, to get some firsthand experience learning how digital tools (beyond WordPress, that is) can enrich the practice of history. I’m happy to announce that, thanks … More My Summer Plans? A Digital History of a Christian College in Wartime
The Pietist Schoolman 