Since about sixty lectures total were given over the course of the History of the World Mega-Conference, there was no way to hear them all, although they were recorded and made available in CD and MP3 format (I suspect I'll be listening to plenty more lectures over the coming months).  I'll continue recapping some of those I heard.

Thursday morning Dr. Whitcomb spoke about the Tower of Babel and the dispersion of the nations.  He mentioned Peleg, a man who is mentioned in Genesis 10:25.  "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan." (KJV)  Probably most Bible scholars, and certainly Dr. Whitcomb, interpret this to mean the tribes and nations, distinguished by their own languages, were dispersed over the earth during Peleg's time.  Some have interpreted the verse to mean the continents were divided during Peleg's life (creationists are more friendly to the idea of Pangaea--all the continents in one land mass--than you might think), but it is much more likely that any continental division happened during the Flood.  Both would have been cataclysmic events, and if the rapid division of a hypothetical Pangaea occurred some time after the Flood, it seems unlikely that Peleg and all his buddies would have survived it.  There is a third possible interpretation of Genesis 10:25.  While Peleg is normally translated to mean division, there is a possibility that it means surveying, which would suggest that the earth was, to some extent, explored and mapped at this time.  Just a hypothesis.

Another interesting point Whitcomb brought up was how the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel inhibited Satan's ability to lead the people against God.  When a large territory is unified under one language (or one technology, say radio, TV, or the web), Satan can easily permeate and influence many.

Next I sat in on two lectures by George Grant, who talked about Rome and Byzantium.  Grant did an excellent job of discussing both pros and cons of Roman culture, and his conclusion was that great civilizations--like great men--fall when they become proud, godless, and self-reliant.  With a vision for our own culture, Grant encouraged us to focus primarily on building up the church, rather than on solving individual cultural problems.

During the afternoon, most of the conferees stretched their legs on one of several tours that several conference speakers led in Colonial Williamsburg.  I attended Doug Phillips group, where Phillips talked about great men such as Patrick Henry and Captain John Smith, a controversial fellow who led the party of men that settled Jamestown at the dawn of the 17th century.  While many scholars take a dubious view of Smith's autobiographical reports (such as the story of Pocahontas saving him from death at the hands of her father, Powhatan) and paint the man as a scoundrel, Phillips thinks Smith deserves much more credit than he today gets.  I plan to do some more study myself before I take sides.

As it turned out, not everyone was happy we were discussing a God-centric view of American history.  Despite the prominence of God and Jesus Christ in original sources, many people today become angry and even violent when history and the gospel are presented in unison.  In the middle of our tour, which took place out in the open at several stopping points in Williamsburg, a man walked up and began talking aloud and deriding what Phillips was saying.  He became louder and began shouting obscenities, so that the tour group had to move down the lane while two Vision Forum staff members talked with the heckler. A police officer soon showed up and the heckler told him something like, "These people are stirring up violence because they're talking about John Smith."  Of course we were in the right, being in a public area and exercising our freedom of speech.  The only one who was "stirred up to violence" was the heckler. [correction: I've been informed that the heckler's beef may have been with the name of "John Calvin," which was also mentioned during the speech.]

 At the end of our tour, and in front of the Colonial Williamsburg Courthouse, Joshua Erber gave us a passionate rendition of Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death" speech.

 Before leaving, I had an opportunity to meet a troupe of actors rehearsing a open-air trial, part of a new 2-hour program called Revolutionary City, where performers play out dramatic scenes in yards and streets, while involving the crowd as much as possible.  I spoke with Mark Sowell, one the actor-interpreters who works with the crew, about his job title. An actor-interpreter, he said, "is the blending of the abilities of an actor and of a historical interpreter--and a character interpreter.  It's kind of a new animal."

Apparently other living history sites follow the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's example when it comes historical acting, so the new Revolutionary City program, with its concept of interacting with the audience in character while acting out real scenes, is in the national spotlight.  Sowell and his team have been researching and rehearsing for their new roles since January.

 "There are museums all across the country that are watching us to see whether we're going to sink or swim, and I'm telling you right now, we're swimming.  It's increased sales at the Foundation here about eleven percent.  It's just extremely well-received."

A director gives guidance to an actor-interpreter in a live rehearsal for Williamsburg's new Revolutionary City program.