History Faculty News

Gehrz Wins Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching

History professor Chris Gehrz has been named the 2009 recipient of Bethel's Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching. Gehrz joined the faculty in 2003 and teaches courses in modern European and international/diplomatic history, as well as one of the department's senior seminars. He is also co-coordinator of the Christianity and Western Culture (CWC) teaching team, with Sam Mulberry.

Recently he and Mulberry were featured in the Bethel Focus magazine, in an article discussing academic podcasting at Bethel. The article discusses Radio Modern Europe, produced by Gehrz for his HIS354 Modern Europe course, and CWC: The Radio Show, which just finished its sixth semester. Both podcasts have been featured on iTunes U's History and European History pages, with individual episodes ranking in the top ten most downloaded.

Gehrz is the fourth History professor to win a faculty excellence award since the awards began in 1987. Previous winners were Neil Lettinga (Service, 1996), G.W. Carlson (Service, 1990), and Jim Johnson (Teaching, 1989).

Congratulations, Ruben Rivera!

VDM has published a manuscript based on Bethel history professor Ruben Rivera's doctoral dissertation, which presented a fresh history and interpretation of Mexican-born Alberto Rembao (1895-1962) and Latin American Protestantism in the first half of the 20th century. Rivera argues that while the ideals of internationalism, pacifism, and renewed social concern in the period between the two world wars became central to mainline Protestant churches, mission agencies and other organizations around the world, those ideals have never been explored for understanding Rembao and his generation. The book is available from Amazon.com and other book sellers.

History Profs Direct Research Conference on Pietism

Bethel History professors G.W. Carlson and Chris Gehrz (with theology professor Christian Collins Winn) were the co-directors of the Lilly Fellows Program Regional Research Conference, "The Pietist Impulse in Christianity." Held at Bethel this past March 19-21, the conference featured five plenary addresses and over forty papers; more than 100 professors, pastors, administrators, and others attended, coming from 20 states, 3 Canadian provinces, England, and Germany.

For more information on the conference and the role of Pietism in Bethel's history, read an interview with Gehrz published in the spring issue of the Bethel Focus. Podcast versions of four of the plenary talks are available on iTunes U, and look for a book based on the proceedings, forthcoming from Cascade Books.