Archive of posts tagged history
Pastoring in Hiroshima
One of the great things about reading history is that you stumble upon powerful examples. I am currently reading David Roll’s Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt’s Shadow and Remade the World. After describing the events leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima and the devastating effects of the atomic bomb, Roll related …
Ready to Die for Souls
Desiring God this week published a brief essay I wrote on the missionary zeal of the Reformers. This is a popular introduction to what I have written on more extensively elsewhere. The misconception that the Reformers had little interest in missions and evangelism lingers despite the evidence, so I hope this little article can be …
Best Reads of 2021
Each year I keep a list of the books I read all the way through, typically with brief notes, as a way of tracking my thoughts and a way to look back on each year and see some of what influenced me. So, in this post I have drawn from that list some of the …
Resources for Luther Sites in Germany
Those with whom I am connected on Facebook saw my photos and updates from my recent Luther and Bach Germany tour with the Union University Singers. It was great to visit these key places about which I have read and thought so much. I was surprised that so many places were not yet completely ready …
Best Reads of 2016
Each year I keep a list of the books I read all the way through, typically with brief notes, as a way of tracking my thoughts and a way to look back on each year and see some of what influenced me. So, in this post I have drawn from that list some of the …
The Man Who Was Greenmantle
The Man Who Was Greenmantle: A Biography of Aubrey Herbert, Margaret Fitzherbert (John Murray, 1983) This was my first “just for fun” read of the summer, and it was worthwhile. I purchased this book because I have so enjoyed the novels of John Buchan, especially his Richard Hannay series which I discovered while we lived …
Church Plays in the 14th Century
Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century is an impressive, compelling work with amazing breadth and detail. Though this is not its intended aim, it is very valuable for anyone studying the Reformation because it tells so well the story of life in Europe leading up to the Reformation. Tuchman tells of the …
The Travels of Marco Polo
I just finished reading The Travels of Marco Polo with my older sons for school. The historical value of the breadth of information it contains about the eastern lands where Polo travelled is undeniable, but the telling itself is not very compelling. I expected a bit more narrative. While some stories are told, it is …
Stephen Ambrose on Men & Friendship
I recently read Stephen Ambrose’s little book, Comrades Brothers, Fathers, Heroes, Sons, Pals, (Simon & Schuster, 1999) and thoroughly enjoyed his celebration of male friendships. He pursues the theme of friendship by examining his own life (brothers, father, and other friends) and friendships of men he’s already written significant volumes about (Eisenhower, Custer, Crazy Horse, …