Within American history the names of Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, and the Rosenbergs live on in infamy. These are people who rather notoriously tried to undermine the well-being of our nation for some kind of personal profit. We look back on such individuals with a...
Students in my Medieval Church History class recently read Augustine’s book, On Christian Teaching. As I was working my way back through this little volume, I was struck by a statement Augustine (354-430) makes which seems to have application to those who would be...
Along with several million others, I watched the widely publicized debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham this past Tuesday evening. Since that time, many people on both sides of the origins issue have produced videos, articles, and blog posts discussing the debate. Here...
According to author Kevin Schultz, in 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt asserted that the United States is “a Protestant country,” and that “Catholics and Jews are here under sufferance” (Tri-Faith America, 10). In this fascinating book, Schultz argues that between...
In recent weeks the city of Damascus has frequently appeared in our headlines. Although it now appears that a U.S.-led strike against the region is not on the immediate horizon, it also looks as if negotiations over the proposed transfer of chemical weapons will...
Some eight years ago now, Zondervan released the first installment of a two-volume church history set. The initial volume was written by Everett Ferguson, the author or editor of numerous works related to early church history. Ferguson is currently Professor of Church...
I’ve written in the past about a few websites that provide access to a wide range of electronic resources. When looking for academic resources sometimes you know exactly what you are looking for, and the most convenient way to find it is to search for a specific...
In early 1776, John Adams travelled the snowy roads from New England back to Philadelphia for another extended session in Congress. Either along the way or shortly after he arrived in Philadelphia, Adams compiled a list of things he wanted to see accomplished. Near...
Over at the Gospel Coalition blog, Joe Carter recently wrote about how four leading church historians responded to the question: “After AD 70, what day most changed the course of Christian history?” The respondents proposed four different answers. Two of the replies...
John Calvin (1509–1564) is remembered for many things—some good, some bad, some real, some imagined. If Calvin’s legacy is misunderstood today, the reason for that misunderstanding generally cannot be traced to lack of access to his thought. Although the exact...
We ended up with 37 comments on our book giveaway post from earlier this week. This morning my four oldest children each picked a number between 1 and 37. Then my 2 year old daughter drew number 17. This means that Matt Tolosa is the winner of Letters to the Church....
We ended up with 43 comments on our book giveaway post from earlier this week. Here’s how we came up with a winner. Late last night my four oldest kids each chose a number between 1 and 43. We wrote those four numbers down on slips of paper. Then we let our fifth...
We ended up with 59 comments on our giveaway post from last week, and so a little after 9 pm last night my four oldest kids each chose a number between 1 and 59. We wrote those four numbers down on slips of paper. Then we mixed the papers up and let our fifth child...
A number of recent DBTS graduates are currently involved in theological education abroad, and several more alumni are in the process of deputation with the goal of teaching overseas. This kind of ministry represents a great opportunity for our graduates to help equip...
In 1916, the Chicago Tribune published a series of articles about Henry Ford, the famous industrialist. One of those articles included a statement from Ford that, with slight variations, has been repeated many times over, often to the chagrin of history teachers. Ford...
During the summer of 2000, my wife and I travelled through Iowa on the way to visit family. Along the way we stopped in Ankeny to attend church and catch up with some old friends. After the evening service, Myron Houghton took us out for pie at Baker’s Square. It was...
God sometimes uses strange instruments to accomplish his gracious purposes. Such was the case in late 1830 when a young man named Alvah Strong (1809–1875) was converted under the ministry of Charles Finney (1792–1875). For roughly six months during the fall and winter...
Each year I look forward to Al Mohler’s summer reading suggestions. His lists contain just the kind of books I enjoy reading for recreation. Unfortunately, although Mohler has introduced me to a number of new authors, I’ve never made it through one of his summer...
During the past few months, a number of helpful resources related to the Protestant Reformation have hit bookstore shelves. This post will highlight two of the more significant volumes. Whitford, David M., ed. T&T Clark Companion to Reformation Theology. London:...
Most seminary students are involved in teaching children in some venue or another. Many are husbands and fathers, and so are responsible for training their own children on a daily basis. Others are not, but are still involved in teaching children within the context of...