Yesterday, historian James McPherson was interviewed on NPR’s “Weekend Edition, Sunday” program about why soldiers fight. His book, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, is a classic model of using primary sources to revisit historical questions. In the interview, McPherson, a history professor at Princeton University, made the interesting point that his work, along with that of other historians, is largely based in the reading and analysis of letters. Viewers of Ken Burns’ classic series on the Civil War will instantly recall the power of those letters to and from soldiers read as part of the narrative. McPherson wondered aloud if future historians will be able to document our own times, now that personal letters have largely been replaced by e-mails and telephone calls.
James M. McPherson served as president of the American Historical Assocation in 2003. The association provides a helpful bibliography of McPherson’s voluminous writings.
James McPherson Worries About History Without Letters
May 30, 2005
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Words From the Fire: Hearing the Voice of God in the 10 Commandments
If God has spoken, then the highest human aspiration must be to hear what the Creator has said. God has indeed spoken, through the Ten Commandments, and Al Mohler explores this revelation of God and the implications for His people. The promise is to hear, to obey, and to live. These “Ten Words” tell us who God is and what His people should look like.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., serves as president of 
