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My blog posts revolve around my interests and vocation as a historian: the intersection of history and contemporary church life, the intersection of history and contemporary politics, serendipitous discoveries in archives or on research trips, publications and research projects, upcoming conferences, and speaking engagements.
The views expressed in these blogs represent the views of the authors, and not necessarily those of any organizations with which they are associated. |
 Here is part two of my Spring and Summer 2024 readings. As in previous years, many of these works were read in our internet-and-data-plan-free cottage. You will see that the range of books reflects my interest in church history, politics and war, and science fiction.
An interesting narrative of the advance in 1898 of General Kitchener up the Nile to Khartoum to – among other things – avenge the death of General Gordon (d. 1885). It provides a brief but helpful portrayal of the political and military issues of the day (from a British perspective), with enough personal accounts of heroism or folly to bring the narrative to life. This novel is set in the period of much of my professional historical research, so naturally I was interested in the events that were told and retold and eventually mythologized throughout the British Empire. Memorable Quote: “The rustle of anticipation ran down the line. Still nothing could be seen. The Methodist chaplain walked down behind the zariba, shaking hands here and there. ‘Four-nine-four,’ called out two or three of the men. ‘Four-nine-four!’ ‘Four-nine-four,’ repeated Mr. Walkins. Hymn number 494 in Sacred Songs and Solos was ‘God be with you till we meet again.’” (117)
I found this little gem of a book in the process of preparing for my Fall semester “Women in Christian History” course. It contains brief commentary on a host of early church women, along with some original writings from the early centuries from or on each woman. A treat to read, and I recommend it for academic or devotional reading. Memorable Quote: “The variety if women here is striking. We have consecrated virgins, heroic martyrs, and poor widows, but also worldly businesswomen, rich ladies from the upper crust of society, and an indomitable adventurer on a world tour. There are old women at the end of their lives, as well as children who gave up their lives for a greater life in Christ. Once again, in itself the variety teaches us something about the Christian difference [from ancient Rome]. Christian women didn’t have one set role in life: they were individuals, and the men around them had to learn to accept them that way.” (25)
The big bang was not so long ago! In the nineteenth century the massive and catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa in Southeast Asia was heard thousands of miles away. As can be imagined, the damage was widespread and deadly. The quotes below provide a better sense of events than I can provide. “This was not the roar of heavy guns, however. It was the sound of Krakatoa – busily destroying itself fully 2.968 miles away to the east….And the 2,968 mile span that separates Krakatoa and Rodriguez [Island] remains to this day the most prodigious distance recorded between the place where an unamplified and electrically unenhanced natural sound was heard and the place where that same sound originated.” (260) “The tsunamis that killed so many on the shores of Java and Sumatra crossed the world as well. It could be seen from the beginning that up close to the volcano the waves were enormous, and killed thousands. That they then became ever smaller in proportion to their distance from Krakatoa was to be expected. But the discovery that they were in fact so deeply powerful, and radiated away from the volcano so aggressively that they could still be detected in the sea as far away as the English Channel, was the cause of general astonishment.” (273)
This is one of my $1.00 book purchases at the local country store. The story is set in a counter-factual history where Britian surrendered after the fall of France and its government subsequently became pro-Nazi. It is a grim and depressing read that follows the efforts of the resistance to help a scientist escape the clutches of the gestapo. Perhaps the most valuable element of the book is how it portrays the crushing psychological, emotional, and physical pressure of never-ending state oppression, and the moral compromises (necessary?) to survive in such times. Memorable Quote: “I am sorry for your friend. I knew someone who was ill in that way. Lived in great pain. David sighed. Frank wasn’t always unhappy. He just didn’t – Quite belong in this world? Yes. But he has a right to be in it. All of us do. That’s what we’re fighting for.” (122)
While I was training to be a Baptist minister (many years ago!) I read about Roger Williams and how he was one of the first Baptists in America. It was often noted how he contributed to the establishment of religious liberty, but I have no memory of reading about the vital role Williams played in partnering with native American Indians and coming to their defence against Puritan antagonism and aggression. The story of the church and indigenous peoples in the seventeenth century has many lows, but this account shows that some church figures had a vision of partnership and protection for those who were not part of the dominant cultural power – even at great cost to themselves. Memorable Quote: “More than four thousand Indians, perhaps a third of them Narragansett, and a thousand English settlers would die in this brutal conflict. At the time there were some twenty thousand Indians and fifty thousand English settlers in New England, which makes King Philip’s War one of the costliest military conflicts in all of American history in proportion to the size of the population. Many burned-out English towns weren’t rebuilt for more than a decade, and the economy was in ruins. But the war’s most significant outcome was the complete eradication of Indian political power and cultural autonomy throughout the region.” (3)
Much is right with western civilization – and much is wrong with western civilization. I have no interest in this brief blog to detail my views on such matters, especially as they relate to universities. What I will say is that Lukianoff and Haidt are on to something worth reading about – so my advice is to read and ponder. Memorable Quote: “Students were beginning to demand protection from speech because they had unwittingly learned to employ the very cognitive distortions that CBT [cognitive behaviour therapy] tries to correct. Stated simply: Many university students are learning to think in distorted ways, and this increases their likelihood of becoming fragile, anxious, and easily hurt.” (9)
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