Archive for the ‘History’ Category
Grade School Mythbusters: Christopher Columbus Edition
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” but not because he wanted to defy any maniacally tyrannical flat earthers. That this falsehood still endures in countless textbooks is both remarkable and (if you’re like me) completely maddening.
You see, there were no serious flat earthers in Columbus’...
October 10th, 2011 | Book Reviews, Culture, Education, Featured, History, Media, Religion, The Gospel | Read More
Irish Impressions: An Old Book Dealing with Racism, Politics, and Ireland
In 1919, G. K. Chesterton published the book Irish Impressions, a book examining the conflict between England and Ireland. That same year marked the beginning of the Irish War of Independence, which ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and Ireland’s rise to dominion status within the British Empire....
September 29th, 2011 | Book Reviews, Culture, Featured, History, Media, Other, Social Experiments | Read More
A Complicated Remembrance
The tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks snuck up on me. For one thing, we’re still calling them the September 11th attacks, as if it happened within the calendar year and all we need is the day and month for reference. Like many far more eloquent writers have said this week, the attacks...
September 12th, 2011 | Culture, Education, Global War on Terrorism, History, Politics | Read More
An Affair to Remember in Words Soon Forgotten
An entire year of planning goes into the brief, televised announcement. A network of hundreds of experts vet every point. Presentation is everything. The words, carefully chosen, have the power to define the successes of the last year and set expectations for the next. But after countless hours of...
January 27th, 2011 | Conservative/Liberal, Democrats, Film, History, Libertarians, Other, Politics, Republicans, Television | Read More
We Need a Darker Christmas
Tis the season to be trite: twinkling lights, evergreen branches, sentimental images of multigenerational gatherings, and the ever-present stars. Everywhere you look it is happy, gleeful, giggly, cinnamon-sugary. All is bathed in warmth and light, with no room for darkness. And few of us think...
December 22nd, 2010 | Culture, History, Religion, The Gospel, Worldviews | Read More
The Wonder of Advent
An unfortunate consequence of having so many great predecessors in the Christian faith is that Christians today often take incredible things for granted. After all, incredible things take some explaining, and once they’ve been explained, they often lose their sparkle: “A talking donkey? Oh, I’ve...
December 21st, 2010 | Culture, History, Media, Religion | Read More
I Think I Can
The motto of The Little Engine That Could could be the tagline for Hermas of Rome, an author from the first century.
November 29th, 2010 | Book Reviews, History, Media, Religion | Read More
Listen! Ancient Stories and Modern Hearers
“Listen!”
It’s almost impossible not to sit up and pay attention when that word is shouted, spoken, or even whispered. It reminds us that what is coming is important, and worth heeding.
The great epic poem Beowulf begins with that phrase: “Listen!” While obviously a call to attention, to...
September 14th, 2010 | Art & Literature, Culture, History, Media, Music | Read More
The Problem of Our Past
Self-reflection is a tricky thing. When we feel we’ve moved on from some idea, passion, or stage of our life, we tend to distance ourselves from it, like the college student who denies he was ever a Trekkie once he realizes Star Wars is truly superior. We harbor contempt (or at least embarrassment)...
July 26th, 2010 | Book Reviews, Culture, History, Media | Read More
History Matters
This is an apologetic for the importance of paying attention in history class.
I teach high school history, and I fully understand the boredom history class usually breeds in students. While I’m happy to spend 85 minutes discussing the variations of Christian doctrine among the peasant classes of...
June 2nd, 2010 | Culture, Education, Film, History, Media | Read More
