16 Nov 2021
things God has done throughout history; let us sacrifice our own feeble attempts to maintain our independence and sense of control, and let us make that sacrifice active in the way we serve and love those around us.
"The year was 270. The Roman Empire was engaged in a desperate attempt to retain the Pax Romana that had endured for centuries . . ." Read
5 Jul 2016
Today is the 5th of July. I hope your celebration of the 4th included ice cream, hot dogs, swimming pools, fireworks and many other common ways we celebrate “Independence Day.” But as we celebrated yesterday, I also noticed that our culture seems far more focused on the three-day weekend celebration than on the liberties we often take for granted. If Rip Van Winkle were to awake again two centuries after his “brief” two-decade nap, what
"You teach history? How do you make that interesting?" Every history or social science teacher hears that question at least once, and likely many times. But even a quick look at a typical "social studies" textbook, leaving aside the endless monotony of charts, diagrams, textboxes and the like, is enough to make one wonder the very apt question: How do you make that interesting? Perhaps the most direct answer to the question is that "making
Why would we spend an entire year on the War for Independence (or what many call the "American Revolution")? Wouldn't that simply be overkill? Good question. I suspect the line of thought implied in this question results from habit — a certain kind of academic habit in which we are used to thinking that the goal of a history (or, more commonly today, "social science") class is coverage. A very quick look at any typical
25 Nov 2015
Earlier this semester in a Great Conversation 3 class, we discussed the common assumption that the Pilgrims founded America so that everyone could worship as they please. Something of this assumed religious pluralism seems even to color how many understand the first Thanksgiving. Natives and British settlers side by side, setting aside religious and cultural differences, simply to "be thankful." However, when we read William Bradford's journal, now known as Of Plymouth Plantation, we find