Several of these blog entries are reflections of various aspects of the holocaust-studies tour. These essays are designed to provide the reader with specific information about various memorials and locations as well as a personal reflection of meaning associated with a location or feature of a memorial. Some blog entries will not be animated by the holocaust-studies tour.
Additionally, I recently completed a writing project overhauling a behavior and social sciences statistics textbook. Some selected sidebar essays that may be of interest to a more general audience have been extracted and placed in this section of the website.
The Courage of My Students
Over the past 10 years I’ve had the privilege of leading a Holocaust-themed study abroad experience for undergraduates at Asbury University. After taking nearly 200 students to euthanasia memorials, concentration camps, and extermination centers, I have come to realize just how much courage it takes to say “yes” to a trip like this. To make my case, here is a brief description of what a tour typically involves. The itinerary centers on two European cities – Berlin, Germany and Kraków, Poland. In Berlin (and the surrounding areas) students typically experience the following: an interaction with diplomats at the U.S. Embassy,
Dr. John Dickson comes to Asbury
On Wednesday evening, January 31st, church historian, professor, and podcaster, Dr. John Dickson, will be coming to Asbury University to offer a talk entitled, “Bullies and Saints: Lessons from 2000 Years of Church History.” His presentation will draw significantly from both his most recent book (Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History) and a recent film project, For the Love of God. His podcast, Undeceptions, is Australia’s no.1 religion podcast with over 2 million downloads. Dr. Dickson, founder of Australia’s Centre for Public Christianity, currently serves as the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of
A Stream-of-Consciousness about the Holocaust Studies Tour
Recently, I was given an opportunity at an Asbury University chapel to briefly talk about the tour I lead each May. Given the super-tight time restriction, I thought it might be helpful to create a “stream-of-consciousness” description. I’ve copied it below. Pretzels, pastries, German chocolate, perogies, the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, the Wawel Castle, Wittenberg and all things Luther, perogies, train rides through the countryside, walking through splendid little German towns, but what is that behind those dark walls…it looks foreboding. ____ Churches, stunningly beautiful churches, St. Mary’s Basilica – have I ever been inside anything more magnificent? Did
Interviewed for “This is Asbury” podcast
I haven’t been posting much recently due to a heavy teaching schedule. However, here is a recent interview by the “This is Asbury” podcast. We touch on the Asbury Honors Program and its’ theme, but most of the time is spent talking about the Holocaust Studies Tour. It’s about 19 minutes long. n If you are interested in the tour I’m leading this May (6th – 20th), please let me know. I have limited spots available due to a film crew that will be accompanying the group again this year. Here is a page with more information: https://www.asbury.edu/academics/global-initiatives-programs/travel-courses/germany-poland/ Here is
Karen Swallow Prior speaks at Asbury
The Asbury University Honors Program invited speaker for Spring ’23 was author and educator, Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. Click here to watch her talk entitled, “Christians, Imagination, and Social Imaginaries.” (Note: the videographer missed the first few seconds.) Our next invited speaker (September 19, 2023) will be theologian, author, and speaker Kaitlyn Schiess who will be talking about ideas from her new book, The Ballot and the Bible. Stay tuned for more info about AUHP speakers coming during the 2023/24 academic year.
Germany/Poland ’23, Day 13
So Long, Kraków Today was our last day in Kraków, and indeed our last day of the tour. It was basically “Free Kraków” – however, we did have a final meal together and we did meet as a group to discuss Pierre Sauvage’s compelling documentary, Weapons of the Spirit, which chronicles the actions of the people of Le Chambon, a small community tucked away in the hills of south central France who managed to harbor about 5000 Jews during the war. In discussion, the students drew out several great observations – and a story like this was something we all