My plans after graduation are nearly finalized. Starting in May I will be working as a graduate assistant in the editorial department of BJU Press. Starting in September I will begin studying for an M.A. in History with a minor in Church History. The graduate assistantship contract lasts for two years; the M.A. program should take four semesters to complete. I still have to sign some papers, but those are the plans, Lord willing.
This semester I saw a Classic Players’ performance of Shakespeare’s King Lear. In addition to the performance, there was a fascinating documentary entitled The Making of King Lear. If you’d like to see it, the documentary has been released on BJU’s website. Just follow that link and look for the videos.
Thomas Cranmer is the type of hero that no one ever wants to be. Cranmer can be judged harshly. He burned people who denied the miracle of transubstantiation, and later denied the doctrine himself. He swore oaths intending to break them. He was the puppet of an absolute dictator and used his ecclesiastical office to justify the king’s sins. But despite his faults (one might almost say, because of his faults), he was God’s man to bring about the doctrinal reformation in England. Perhaps he himself was wrong on many points, but God used his absolute sincerity, his hard labor, and his seeking after the gospel to lay the foundation for the reformation in England. Perhaps no one would ever want to be Thomas Cranmer, but I suspect that is because almost no one has the fortitude to be a Cranmer.
But before this post should be filed under the category “My Two Cents” instead of “History” . . . For the class History of England (another Dr. Hayner class), I wrote an essay that is, more or less, about the theology of Thomas Cranmer.
“Influences on and Products of the Theology of Thomas Cranmer”
Parents: are you having difficulty finding something to get your kids for Christmas that actually has value? Are the stores sold out of Timmy the Techno-Geek action figures? Do you want to avoid buying your children candy to rot their teeth and movies to rot their minds? Then I have some suggestions for you.
Try buying one of these historical novels from BJU Press:
Both books were written by Dr. Linda Hayner, the head of the Department of History at Bob Jones University. I haven’t read either, but I’ve heard that they’re quite good.
Disclaimer: This suggestion was not posted for pecuniary or academic gain of any kind. Dr. Hayner is unaware of its existence. Since this site consists primarily of papers written for Dr. Hayner anyway, you don’t need to tell her I mentioned her books here.
Our two heroes Kellen and Scott go on what may be their last adventure of semester, involving a little bit of sitting and a lot of laughing, as they participate in The Continuing Adventures of Scott and Lincoln [and Kellen].
For my final précises for Ancient through Contemporary Rhetoric I have written about three rather diverse rhetoricians.
Christianity Today has a recent editorial about separation: “Intelligent Church Redesign.”
For my third book review for Puritanism, I read another of Christopher Hill’s books: Puritanism and Revolution: Studies in Interpretation of the English Revolution of the Seventeenth Century. Hill is a Marxist, and his worldview shows in all of books. He is, however, the recognized expert on the English Revolution, and as Dr. Hayner wrote on the last page of my paper, “Regardless of what one thinks of his world view, Hill always catches the readers attention.” My review is posted below.
“A Review of Hill’s Puritanism and Revolution”
Dr. Hayner’s classes all share at least one characteristic (besides essay tests): one can’t help leaving the class without being convinced that he has learned something.
The Backward Glance is the blog of Lincoln and Abby Mullen. Lincoln Mullen is a reference librarian at Bob Jones University's Mack Library and a student of history. Abby Mullen is a master's student in English at Bob Jones University. She teaches freshman English at BJU. [Read more »]
