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 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
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
Educational Convening at Equal Justice Initiative
On November 17-18, 2022 I had the privilege of attending an Educational Convening in Montgomery, Alabama, sponsored by and located at the headquarters of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) – an organization committed to “ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.” Bryan Stevenson, the founder and author of the book “Just Mercy” was our main presenter. (A movie with the same title featuring Bryan and the work of EJI was released in 2019.) The two day event
Human Dignity: Invented or Discovered (reprised)
(Talk delivered to AUHP students at Nov, 2022 orientation meeting.) As you know, the honors experience here at Asbury is a themed enrichment program – “Studies in Virtue and Human Value.” This evening, I want to invite you to walk along with me as we explore our theme for a few moments. Our program’s two guiding questions are, “What gives humans value or dignity?” and “What are the implications of finding value in ourselves and others?” We can start by recognizing that most everyone feels like they have value, it’s instinctive – I am somebody, and my life is
Premier of “Don’t Forget Us,” Documentary
On Wednesday evening, October 26th, nearly 350 students and community members crowded into the new CLC auditorium to view the first Asbury-student directed and shot documentary, Don’t Forget Us. The evening featured the 42 minute film followed by two panel discussions. The film project was the idea of Journalism professor, Rich Manieri, who traveled with his team of students to Germany and Poland to provide oversight for the project, also helping to write of the script. Here is a link to most of the events of the evening, including the documentary and the panel discussions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Z9ZthcOao. Prof. Manieri plans to
Documentary Filmmaker Pierre Sauvage Displays the Power of Story through “Weapons of the Spirit”
October 24, 2022 (Reprinted with permission from www.asbury.edu) This week, Asbury welcomed the last Honors Program speaker for fall 2022 to the Miller screening room for a chance to watch a newly remastered version of his 1989 feature documentary, Weapons of the Spirit. Emmy-winning French-American documentary filmmaker and child survivor of the Holocaust, Pierre Sauvage, discussed the inspiration behind his film, as well as some of the key themes and messages that flow through the experience. Sauvage did not grow up religiously Jewish and did not find out about his ethnicity until the age of 18 because of his parents