I don’t know if the county fair is still the indispensable element of American democracy that an early 20th century editorial claimed it to be, but I sure do enjoy my annual visit to the Washington County Fair in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. My kids and I love seeing everything from blue ribbon-winning woodwork and photography … More The Future of Farming in America
In spare moments between grading, I passed along the story of Bethel’s soon-to-be first Digital Humanities graduate and took note of a proposed culture war compromise involving evangelical colleges. Then over at The Anxious Bench, I suggested that no historian writes about the past “as it actually happened” without imagining the past as they think … More That Was The Week That Was
After a break for Thanksgiving, this week I looked at the numerical decline of the history major and shared some of my favorite meals and museums in my favorite world capital. A few other things I was reading this week: • As a Protestant prone to lamenting what was lost in the Reformation, I was … More That Was The Week That Was
It happened again this summer. I was faced with further evidence of declining enrollment in history, English, philosophy, theology, and other humanities disciplines at our institution. So after making a few other arguments, I arrived at my typical last line of defense: “Anyway, these things are cyclical. The humanities will come back. Just look at … More A Counterintuitive Economic Argument for Majoring in the Humanities
So here’s something I’ve been contemplating for about two months now: Do their studies equip historians to predict the future? Back in early September, labor historian Jefferson Cowie reflected on recent political events for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Mostly, his piece was a critique of how scholars in his field fail to understand the working … More Do Historians Predict the Future… or “Remember” It?
Like many Americans, I’ve temporarily turned into a fervent soccerfootball fan this month, suddenly capable of savoring the thrills of a 0-0 draw like the one played yesterday between underdog Mexico and host Brazil. (And yawning at the relative artlessness of the 1-1 draw between Russia and South Korea.) But I can’t entirely suspend my eggheadedness. Even … More What Does the World Cup Reveal about Global Trade?
1/22/14 – The newest channel over at Patheos is Mission:Work, “a place where conversation happens about work and faith.” Guided by senior editor Chris Armstrong, it encompasses multiple blogs offering Christian reflections on work and workplaces, calling, economics, and other topics that evangelicals — in my experience — have tended to neglect. Check it out!
Here • Hi, my name’s Chris, and I’m an eclectic. • I managed to get in one more post about museums (two good ones in London)… • …but instead of finishing that series (as I keep promising), I got curious about the history of presidential memorials in Washington, DC — and the controversies attending them. … More That Was The Week That Was
