I’m busy this morning helping our department host the 2016 Minnesota Undergraduate History Symposium, but let me toss off a relatively short TWTWTW… Here… • My post on the “indefensible hope” of baseball’s Opening Day cursed two of the teams I mentioned. The Cubs lost one of their bright young stars for the season, and my own home team has yet to … More That Was The Week That Was
Here… • What qualities should Christian voters seek in political candidates? (Thanks to Mennonite World Review for picking up this post.) • We’ll be asking what’s wrong with Christianity when we record next week’s newest episode of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast, but I suggested that I shouldn’t really try to answer that question until I’m ready to answer a … More That Was The Week That Was
Here… • This isn’t going to be anyone’s go-to source for Campaign ’16 coverage, but I did suggest that the Trump candidacy presents an opportunity and challenge for pastors. • Is mercy making a comeback? • If so, Pope Francis is playing a big role… He played a smaller role in the newest episode of The Pietist Schoolman Podcast, … More That Was The Week That Was
Regular readers know both that World War I is one of my favorite topics and Books & Culture one of my favorite publications. So it was a joy to write the essay that went up on the B&C website this morning, “We Will Remember Them.” The title comes from one of the war’s most-quoted poems, and refers back to the … More My Essay on WWI Commemoration in Books and Culture
One advantage of having this J-term off is that I’ve been able to accept and prepare for a few more speaking engagements than usual for this time of year. Remarkably, they all cover different topics: • This Sunday morning (Jan. 17, 10am), I’ll be at Presbyterian Church of the Way (Shoreview, MN) to address their “Third Sunday … More Where You Can Hear Me Speak This Winter
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!
On Sunday I’ll be back at Calvary Church in Roseville, MN, teaching the second of six classes in an adult Sunday School series entitled “Turning Points: Global Christianity in the 20th Century.” As I explained to everyone last Sunday, I’m borrowing a concept from Mark Noll, who suggests that “One of the most interesting ways to grasp … More What Are Turning Points in the Global History of Christianity in the 20th Century?
Last Friday I got to give a presentation to Bethel alumni and students — a “class without a quiz” for Homecoming — entitled “Remembering the Great War: Christian Perspectives on the Commemoration of World War I.” It’s a theme that I’ve explored often on this blog, and I’ve written an article about it that hopefully will come … More The American WWI Centennial (Don’t Wait for 2017)
While I’ve produced dozens of hours of podcasts, I don’t actually listen to them all that often. So I thought I’d use this blog to crowdsource a response to a question from a former student of mine. He had just finished listening to the Hardcore History podcast on World War I and was “Curious as to your thoughts … More What Are the Best History Podcasts?
Offered as a daydream, as by one who trusts rather than knows that the grading will get done and this impossibly busy academic year will reach its end… John Turner, Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet (Harvard UP, 2012) A big part of my summer reading is simply playing catch up, and I’ve already got a head start on that … More Is It Too Early For a Summer Reading List?
The Pietist Schoolman 