The publicity push for Why Study History: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past is just beginning.Though I think a lot of the book appeals to all students and teachers of history, since there are chapters on the relationship between Christian faith and history we have decided to do most of our promotional work in the Christian market. This is largely because of my commitment to reaching the church with the importance of historical thinking.
Last week I was a guest on the Bob Dutko Show in Detroit. Bob is a history buff and seemed interested in the book, but most of his questions focused on the historicity of the Bible and the resurrection. My interview yesterday with Chris Fabry on the nationally syndicated “Chris Fabry Live” program was much better.
I must admit that I was a bit skeptical when I started listening to Chris’s show online about forty minutes before I was scheduled to be interviewed and heard him interviewing his wife about healthy alternatives to Halloween candy. (To be fair, his wife is somewhat of an expert on healthy living and, believe it or not, I found much of the conversation to be interesting). But when the second hour rolled around, and I joined the show, things got a bit more serious. Fabry was well-prepared. I could not help but be impressed with his love of history and his interviewing skills. (During the breaks he would ask me if there was anything else I wanted to talk about. He really set me up with questions that played to my strengths).
The forty or so minutes I was on the air went by very quickly and I really had a good time chatting with Chris. Perhaps my favorite part of the entire experience came before the interview started. I asked Chris if he would be taking calls from his listeners during my segment. He said “Yes, and the first caller will be David Barton!” We both got a big chuckle out of this (Barton was not really on the program), but to his credit Chris did want me to talk about “certain Christian historians” who like to play and fast and loose with the historical record in order to promote their political agendas.
You can listen to the interview here. It took place in the second hour of the October 15, 2013 show.
Stay tuned. I think there are some more radio interviews to come. Follow along at this blog’s “Speaking” page or follow me on Facebook or Twitter (@johnfea1) to get updates.
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