What “Of One Blood” Really Means for Our Shared History When people look back at the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade, it can be hard to truly understand how something so huge and so cruel happened. One way to make sense of it is to consider what the Bible says in Acts 17:26: that God “made from one blood…
History, Faith, and What We Can Learn in Simple Terms When we look back at the European conquest of America, it’s a story that mixes excitement and tragedy. Europeans crossed the ocean, searching for new lands and opportunities. But in doing so, they often took land from Indigenous peoples who had lived there for countless generations, leading to suffering, loss,…
Why Columbus’s Journey Changed the World—for Better and for Worse When Christopher Columbus set sail in the late 1400s, he was trying to find a shortcut to Asia for trade. Back then, spices and other goods from Asia were incredibly valuable, and Europe wanted more direct access to them. Columbus got support (and money) from Spanish rulers to go on…
How History Repeats Itself in Beliefs and Politics Sometimes, to really understand what’s happening in today’s world, it helps to look back at history and see the patterns that repeat themselves. By comparing the Spanish conquest of the Americas centuries ago to certain modern political movements—like conservative rights beliefs and Christian nationalism—we can learn a lot about how people justify…
How Awareness and Communication Shape Encounters Between Civilizations When two vastly different cultures come into contact for the first time, the encounter is rarely smooth. Misunderstandings, confusion, and sometimes outright conflict are common. These “clashes of cultures” have played a huge role in human history, shaping nations and changing millions of lives. One of the most profound analyses of such…
Breaking Down the Religious and Moral Reasons Behind the Spanish Conquest — In Everyday Language Have you ever wondered why the Spanish, when they landed in the Americas centuries ago, thought it was okay to take over entire societies? It turns out, the answer isn’t just about gold or glory. According to the historian and philosopher Tzvetan Todorov, the Spanish…
How the European Conquest Changed the Modern World Forever Introduction: Why the Conquest of the Americas Still Matters When we look at the world today—its languages, cultures, religions, and even some of its inequalities—a huge part of what we see started over 500 years ago with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. You might think of Columbus, the Spanish…
Why the Merging of Faith and National Identity Demands Honest Conversation in the Church As a Christian minister, a writer, and a blogger, I have devoted my life to exploring what it truly means to follow Jesus—digging into the riches of faith, grace, mercy, justice, and the ongoing journey of living as a believer in an ever-changing world. In these…
Understanding the Past Through New Eyes Introduction History isn’t just a collection of dates and old stories—it’s the way we make sense of how the world became what it is today. The way we tell those stories matters. For centuries, the story of the conquest of America has been taught and remembered from a single perspective: that of the European…
