“On the Love of Learning and the Pursuit of Virtue” – Ambrose University Convocation Chapel, January 3, 2019

Having been appointed as Chair of the new Department of Humanities at Ambrose in summer 2018, I was asked to speak at the convocation chapel to open the winter 2019 semester at Ambrose (January 3). Here is the text of my talk. Scriptures: Col. 1:15-20; Eph. 1:3-10 My goals this morning are to inspire you […]

U2 as a Soundscape of Memory

This past week my family bought me a turntable for my birthday present–better than that, a turntable and U2’s 30th Anniversary Joshua Tree 7 LP Super Deluxe Box Set! Along with the original Joshua Tree as a double album, the set includes a double-album from a 1987 concert at Madison Square Garden, another three albums of […]

Ambivalence, Association, and Avoidance as Christian Responses to Nazi Antisemitism and Racial Policy

On November 9, 2017, I had the honour of participating in the annual Kristallnacht Pogrom remembrance sponsored by the Calgary Jewish Federation and the Calgary Council of Christians and Jews, at the Riddell Library, Mount Royal University, Calgary. I presented the following lecture, entitled, “Ambivalence, Association, and Avoidance as Christian Responses to Nazi Antisemitism and Racial […]

Remembering the Reformation: Martin Luther’s Anxious Heart

I was given the honour of speaking at our 2017 Reformation Day chapel at Ambrose University. Here’s the text of my reflection. You can view the video here (my talk begins around the 22:00 mark). My wife Colleen has been urging me to dress up like Martin Luther today for Halloween, so I finally agreed. […]

The Historical Context and Nature of Luther’s Protest

In the spring of 2017, I was invited to give a lecture about the historical context and nature of Luther’s protest. The video of my “Taste of Reformation” lecture from April 3, 2017, can be seen here. This printed version includes the images adds a little more detail on the Cranach painting “The Vineyard of the Lord.” […]

Yes, You Can: Studying History and Finding a Career

Twice each year, at our Ambrose University Open House days for prospective students and their parents, I know I will have several conversations about the economic value of a history degree. Almost without fail, parents ask this question–and quite rightly, since they are usually the ones investing tens of thousands of dollars into their children’s […]

Life Interrupted: History and the Possibility of Life Lessons

The other day, I was working with students to analyze a series of primary historical documents. It’s something we do often in history classes, but as we were discussing Jewish responses to the Holocaust at the end of the war, a different conversation started up inside my head. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the […]