Tag: World War II

Fra Angelico, "The Conversion of Augustine"

That Was The Week That Was

November 21, 2015

Here… • Who’s an evangelical? Do they really support Syrian refugees? Or are they shockingly Islamophobic? • Oh, and remember to vote for our book — a finalist for the InterVarsity Press Readers’ Choice Awards. Congrats to our Academic Readers' Choice Award finalists! Vote now! https://t.co/HjxngGgfOE @mike_reeves @cgehrz pic.twitter.com/lDo4ZtS54s — IVP Academic (@ivpacademic) November 18, 2015 …There and Everywhere … More That Was The Week That Was

Map view of Bethel at War

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!

Class photo of Bethel freshmen in 1943-1944

A Sneak Preview of Our Digital History Project: Nisei at Bethel

October 1, 2015

One reason I haven’t been writing quite as much as usual here at the blog is that I’ve spent the first month of the semester putting the finishing touches on Bethel at War, 1914-2014, a digital history project that I’ve been working on since last summer with Fletcher Warren. It started as part of a special student-faculty research … More A Sneak Preview of Our Digital History Project: Nisei at Bethel

Soda fountain in the Greatest Generation exhibit at the MN History Center

5 Things I’ve Learned about Teaching History to 5-Year Olds

August 4, 2015

While my job is to teach people about history, my vocation as a parent has made me realize that I know next to nothing about how to teach young children about history. But with our five-year old twins entering kindergarten this fall, I decided to spend this summer trying to understand how children might best learn about the past. Please take the … More 5 Things I’ve Learned about Teaching History to 5-Year Olds

Syrian refugees at a clinic in Jordan

World Refugee Day

June 20, 2015

At least among Americans, I think, one of the least known consequences of World War II is that it left in its wake at least 50 million refugees — about one in 45 persons alive at the time. The policies of Hitler and Stalin had dislocated some 30 million persons just between 1939 and 1943, and millions more in … More World Refugee Day

Women working in a bomber factory in 1942

That Was The Week That Was

June 13, 2015

Here… • After the week started with conflicting evidence about evangelical attitudes on human sexuality, I urged more conversation on the topic. • Two questions for historians: Is historical empathy actually possible? Is there a power struggle between historians and their subjects? • And the story of an American atrocity in the middle of WWII reminded me of war’s corrosive effects … More That Was The Week That Was

“The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity

June 11, 2015

If there are better histories of World War II being written than the books in Rick Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy, I haven’t read them. A former reporter and editor for the Washington Post, Atkinson conceived the massive project of writing the history of how the British and Americans fought their way back to Europe. Having read the Pulitzer-winning first book … More “The Dark World Is Not Far From Us”: A WWII Atrocity

Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Memorial Day (For Mike)

May 25, 2015

I originally published this last Veterans Day, but it’s more appropriate to Memorial Day. Peace be to the memory of my cousin Mike, and all others who have died in service to their country. The word veteran derives from a Latin term for “old,” but on this particular Veterans Day, I can only think of youth. Of … More Best of The Pietist Schoolman: Memorial Day (For Mike)