Vigilante Justice: From the Old West to Washington DC (Video Recording)

Video panel discussion: Videos of rioters storming the Capitol building on January 6, 2021 to prevent Congress from certifying Joseph Biden as the 46th president stunned people across the United States and around the world. But vigilante violence in the name of justice or law and order has a long history in the United States. This panel discussion will explore how the mythology and culture of the American West, from the deep past to recent history, play into the “current weirdness” in American politics.

I Rise to Speak in Favor of the Discipline I Taught

by Bob Schoone-Jongen In the wake of President Trump’s embrace of “patriotic history” at the National Archives on Thursday, I rise to speak in favor of the discipline I taught, studied, researched, and wrote about for decades. I also rise to oppose categorically the debauched definition of history he espoused in that hallowed national space …

Continue reading I Rise to Speak in Favor of the Discipline I Taught

Our Fathers’ Freedom: The American Revolution and the COVID Crisis

by Will C. De Man In the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are filled with a general feeling of anxiety and worry. For some, it’s anxiety over how they’ll keep up their rent or pay their bills. Others worry for their sick or elderly loved ones, who are particularly at risk. Still others have …

Continue reading Our Fathers’ Freedom: The American Revolution and the COVID Crisis

April 4, 50 Years Out

by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Fifty years. Fifty years since the shot rang out. Since Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Over the years there has been a lot of reflection on the legacy of King, our “inconvenient hero.” But 50 years out, how do we confront …

Continue reading April 4, 50 Years Out

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 …

Continue reading Audio: John Fry on the Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Hillary Clinton and Christian America

by Kristin Du Mez. This post originally appeared in The Twelve: Reformed Done Daily on March 4, 2016. Let’s start with a disclaimer. I’m a historian, and as such I have no particular skills when it comes to prognostication. Case in point: At the start of this election season, I would have placed my money on …

Continue reading Hillary Clinton and Christian America