Historical Perspectives

Dunkirk movie: WW2 mayhem and miracles.  When your back’s against the wall, and the enemy’s closing in fast, and all hope appears lost, it might be a good time to consider praying.  That’s what faced England in May 1940.  Hitler’s war machine had pinned nearly 400,000 Allied troops by the English Channel.  Surrender or annihilation seemed imminent.  The ensuing drama inspired millions and significantly influenced the war’s outcome.  Warner Bros. brings this epic story to the big screen.  (Short op-ed)

Mark Burnett’s Bible TV Series: Epic Adventure.  The Survivor producer and his wife, actress Roma Downey, have produced an exhilarating take on classic stories about the epic struggle of the centuries between good and evil.  Powerful depictions; gripping scenes.  Well worth seeing by skeptics, searchers, and the faith-filled alike.  (Short op-ed)

Les Misérables film: Mercy Triumphs.  Could receiving a healthy dose of kindness and mercy help transform a person’s life?  Victor Hugo thought so.  The 19th Century French social reformer wove his famous novel Les Misérables around the theme of grace trumping legalism.  A new film based on the successful musical opens Christmas Day.  (Short op-ed)

A Famous Revolutionary’s Surprising Past.  Spiritual roots of a radical leader you’ve heard of.  (Short op-ed)

JFK and Groupthink: Lessons in Decision Making.  Forty years after his tragic death, President John F. Kennedy continues to fascinate.  What can his decision-making methods – involving both great success and colossal failure – teach us today? (Probe radio series transcript.)

JFK and Groupthink: Lessons in Decision Making.  Forty years after his tragic death, President John F. Kennedy continues to fascinate.  What can his decision-making methods – involving both great success and colossal failure – teach us today? (Short op-ed)

Six Months in Paris that Changed the World:  Decisions have consequences.  Our own lives and world history confirm that.  The 1919 post-World War 1 Paris Peace Conference made decisions that echo in today’s headlines.  Fascinating stories about Iraq, Israel, Palestine and China prompt us to consider the impact of our own daily choices.  (Probe radio series transcript.)  Spanish

Iraq Conflict Has Western Roots.  Today’s conflict in Iraq has significant roots in decisions made more than eighty years ago.  The story holds important lessons for today’s decision makers. (Short op-ed)

Iranian Holocaust Denial and Peace Seeking.  Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a “lie.”  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced his claim at the UN, presenting evidence.  Humans have a curious ability to reinterpret the world to fit their biases or personal aims.  Shouldn’t truth be a foundation for seeking peace?   (Short op-ed)

Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust Library Card?  Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the Holocaust is a “lie” based on a “mythical claim.”  He should visit Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.   Can we get him a library card?  (Short op-ed)

Christians Retrace Crusaders’ Steps.  The dramatic story of what happened when believers retraced the eleventh-century Crusaders’ steps, apologizing to Muslims and Jews for the sins of their forebears.  (Magazine article)

Christians to Muslims and Jews: “Crusades were wrong.”  The dramatic story of what happened when believers retraced the eleventh-century Crusaders’ steps, apologizing to Muslims and Jews for the sins of their forebears.  (Short, op-ed)

Why Radical Muslims Hate You.  Many Muslims love peace.  But if you are a Westerner, an American, a non-Muslim, or a Muslim of a different stripe than they, then some radical Muslims hate you.  Would you believe that dancing in American churches helped fuel some of today’s radical Muslim anger?  (Probe radio series transcript.)  German

Why Radical Muslims Hate You.  Many Muslims love peace.  But if you are a Westerner, an American, a non-Muslim, or a Muslim of a different stripe than they, then some radical Muslims hate you.  Would you believe that dancing in American churches helped fuel some of today’s radical Muslim anger? (Short op-ed)

Freudian Slip: When Christians Drop the Ball.   The father of psychoanalysis had some compelling personal reasons for disliking Christianity.  (Short op-ed)

Freudian Slip:  The father of psychoanalysis had some compelling personal reasons for disliking Christianity.  What belief barriers and faith factors might have influenced him? (Probe radio series transcript.)  Italian

1917 movie: Risking all to save a life.  What risks would you take to save a life?  What risks would you want someone else to take to save your life?  This highly acclaimed, Oscar®-winning World War 1 drama vividly portrays the emotions, commitment and struggles facing one who chooses to value another’s life as greater than his/her own.  (Short op-ed)