Bert de Vries

Bert de Vries is Professor Emeritus of History and Archaeology at Calvin University where he taught Middle Eastern History and Archaeology from 1967 to 2018.

al-Qaeda

Heroic Values: What do radical Islam and militant Christianity have in common? Part II

Bert de Vries

( Christian Courier Canada) – Evangelicals were looking for a protector,” Kristin Du Mez says, to explain their attraction to President Trump in 2016, “an aggressive, heroic, manly man, someone who wasn’t restrained by political correctness or feminine virtues, someone who would break the rules for the right cause” (Jesus and John Wayne, 253). The […]

al-Qaeda

What Do Radical Islam and Militant Christianity Have in Common?

Bert de Vries

Radical Minorities ( Christian Courier Canada) – In both Islam and Christianity, the mainstream has understood the core teachings of their founding prophets as proclamations of the Peace of God on earth. In each, the “way” has been characterized by peaceful interaction in societies that welcomed coexistence with religious minorities. While both have had their […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria from Eden to Ruin: The World may forget, but the Catastrophe hasn’t Gone Away

Bert de Vries

From Eden to Ruin ( Christian Courier) – While living in Jordan, my wife Sally and I fell in love with Syria and its people through many visits stretched over four decades. Our last adventure in 2006 was to Aleppo, when we stayed in a converted khan in the middle of its souq (market), which […]