Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the City of David

by Frans van Liere. More than any history book, archaeology can create a powerful sense of the past. At the same time, just like history, archaeology can be used and abused for political purposes. It can create a sense of national or ethnic identity, or exclude others from that identity. This past summer, when my …

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Chattel and Prophets: African Americans in Presbyterian Church History

by Eric M. Washington A careful reading of African-American church history reveals that African Americans have a long history in Presbyterianism. Despite the small numbers of African-American Presbyterians relative to the overall numbers of African-American Christians, they must be considered an important population within the broader scope of the African-American church tradition, owing to their …

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The Dreaded Second Question – Or, In Defense of My Major

by Matt Beukema. You’ve likely heard the question or even asked it yourself. After answering “History” to the question of what I studied in college comes that dreaded second question. The question that comes nearly 90% of the time to history (and English, I’m sure) graduates. “Do you want to teach?” I don’t know why …

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Audio: John Fry on the Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder

We had so much interest and enthusiasm for our February colloquium talk, that we are pleased to be able to share it here (with kind permission by the speaker): 'This is What Men Call God': The Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder A lecture by John Fry at Calvin College (February 22, 2017) This year marks …

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Why Your Denomination is Segregated (Podcast)

Podcast on Christianity Today. Whites and blacks worshiped together in colonial America? What happened? Eric Washington joined Christianity Today assistant editor Morgan Lee and editor-in-chief Mark Galli on the podcast "Quick to Listen" to discuss the Great Awakening’s impact on African enslaved and free people, the overlap—if any—between conversion and emancipation, and the history of plantation …

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Lessons from My Grandfather

by Frans van Liere. Last week, I received an e-mail from a former student. “Professor, I'm really struggling with fear, and I've been looking to history in order to understand how it may repeat itself in the very near future. […] I'd love to hear some of your wisdom on what we as citizens can …

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