Author: Paul Nesselroade

Germany/Poland ’23, Day 4

Wittenberg, the Reformation, and a bit of Rail Confusion Day 4 was a break from the Holocaust and National Socialism, although there were contextual connections that were made – namely, a brief look at a pre-enlightenment, pre-biological expression of antisemitism. Challenges on the rails on the way home did not damper what was a wonderful day spent in the city of reformation. The Asisi Panorama, City Church, and Castle Church were the most significant locations visited. Below are a few pics. Tomorrow we venture just north of the city to the concentration camp most proximal to Berlin – Sachsenhausen.

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Germany/Poland ’23, Day 3

Of Beginnings and Endings Today was our hardest day thus far. Not as many steps taken nor as many locations visited, but the content was tremendously heavy. Before places like Auschwitz were even imagined, Brandenburg was. It was the location where what had previously only been imagined was first put into practice – the medicalized and state-sanctioned killing of other people. The critical first step taken at this facility and the practical, methodological, and contextual lessons that were learned by the perpetrators here in Brandenburg would form the procedural foundation for the millions of deaths that would follow. Our day

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Germany/Poland ’23, Day 2

Whole Lotta Walkin’ and Talkin’ Goin’ On Our first full day as a team in Berlin brought with it renewed strength, renewed hope for the return of some lost luggage, and over 20,000 steps of exploration. Among the places visited include Checkpoint Charlie, The Topography of Terror Museum, Potsdamer Platz, the Aktion T-4 Memorial, Hitler’s Bunker, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Soviet War Memorial, and the Reichstag. In addition to taking in these sights, wonderful discussions are being had about the nature of memorials, the absorbing power of a desired narrative, the concept of self-deception, the

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Germany/Poland ’23, Day 1

Arrivals and First Things It took most of the day, but we got everyone here safe and sound (minus one piece of luggage, sadly). Despite jet-lag, dispersed landing times, and rail construction complicating our movements, we were able to find about 4 hours in the evening to do some exploring downtown. Among other sites, we checked out Alexanderplatz, Rosenstrasse Protest Memorial, Hackescher Markt, Museum Island, Humboldt University, Bebelplatz, and the Brandenburg Gate. Below are some pics. Everyone is exhausted and needing rest. Tomorrow we will further explore by local rail and foot the sites of Berlin.

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Germany/Poland ’23, Day minus 1

(The students arrive tomorrow.) Day minus 1 allowed me to gain virtually all of the rail tickets we need (took nearly 2 hours, whew!), find our hotel for this year (conveniently located near Alexanderplatz), and do a little exploring on my own. What I set out to find was the Berlin Wall Park and Memorial which is located in the north-central part of the city. This particular venue features several memorials, large stretches of the outer wall peppered across the park’s western edge (a bit of the inner wall is there as well), and many markings on the ground where

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Book Review: Of Popes and Unicorns

By David Hutchings & James Ungureanu; Oxford University Press, 2022 (263 pages) Accessibility rating 4 (out of 5) Recommendation rating 5 (out of 5) Of Popes and Unicorns, a 2022 offering written by science educator David Hutchings and Humanities Professor James Ungureanu, takes the reader on a brief yet impressively comprehensive tour of the history of the so-called “conflict thesis,” the widely accepted claim that there exists a long-standing and fundamental antagonism between religious thought, notably Christian thought, and the goals and efforts of modern science. In the book, the authors tackle two issues. The first is a careful exploration

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KET covers “Don’t Forget Us”

On January 27th, International Holocaust Memorial Day, Kentucky Educational Television (KET) aired a story on the documentary that Asbury University Journalism Professor, Rich Manieri, and his students wrote, shot, and produced. I was grateful to be a part of both the tour that inspired the documentary as well as this KET news story. Here is a link to the story. [The piece on the Asbury documentary starts at the 19:15 mark.] And for more information about the documentary, immediately below is the trailer, and to the right (or just below the first video) is the documentary itself (after a three

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Interview with John Lennox, Part 3 – Spiritual Journey

In September of 2022, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Dr. John Lennox, sat down to talk with me about his spiritual journey. The exchange lasts about 20 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3Se7iyIcE.

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The 2022 AUHP Christmas Cookie Decorating Party!

The success of last years’ Christmas Cookie decorating party (and contest) spurred on another similar event this year. On the last day of regular classes, Friday, Dec 2nd, the AUHP opened up our conference room to a cookie decoration party – and just like last year, no more had the decorating started than the urge to compete overcame nearly everyone. Categories were quickly identified, a scale of measurement was established, and two of Asbury’s librarians were recruited to be neutral judges. (Thanks Beth Groves and Ashley Wahlert!) With a second cohort of students on campus this year, the number of

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Interview with John Lennox, Part 2 – Human Flourishing

In September of 2022, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Dr. John Lennox, sat down to talk with me about the relationship between Christianity and human flourishing and well-being. The exchange lasts about 30 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4St_G-_FtcA

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