Back in February I live-tweeted Trump’s speech at CPAC: Some of you may recall a post I wrote in March 2021 about pro-Trump evangelical Franklin Graham’s efforts to get his followers vaccinated. It did not go well. Here were some […]
Archives for August 2021
Do Americans still believe in the common good?
It’s a fair question. Here is Kentucky-based writer Silas House at The Atlantic: Refusing to sacrifice for the common good is an American problem, not just a Kentucky one; opposition to masking and vaccination is happening in such disparate places […]
Evangelical roundup for August 23, 2021
What is going on in Evangelical land? For evangelicals, caring about refugees is a non-negotiable part of a Christian life. Here’s the latest from the Standing for Freedom Center at Liberty University. Preaching politics is just fine, but apparently the […]
“Worldview”: No Substitute for Facts
What does reason require us to believe?
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Remembering a Chattanooga lynching Christian historians Instead of learning lessons from Afghanistan we are fighting over masks DeSantis and Abbott are putting lives at risk Pastors have some influence on […]
Episode 89: The Heretical John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun is among the most notorious and enigmatic figures in American political history. In this episode we talk with Robert Elder, author of Calhoun: American Heretic. Elder shows that Calhoun’s story is crucial for understanding the political climate in […]
“And then I asked if they decided the prep their sister was undergoing for a very invasive ventilator was worth their anti-vaccination position”
Opinion writer Mary Stanik‘s mother has advanced congestive heart failure. Mary and her brother recently decided to place their mother in hospice care, but since they had yet to receive the breathing equipment she needed, a visit to the emergency […]
What kind of person treats someone like this and then brags about it during an interview at an evangelical church?
Eric Metaxas is a millionaire who makes his money scaring Christians into believing that the American republic is devolving into the Third Reich. He claims to know this because he wrote a book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I have to give […]
Song of the Day
Biden is not the only one to blame for the Taliban takeover
Here is William Saletan at Slate: Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s former secretary of state, blames President Joe Biden for the chaos in Afghanistan. “We’re letting the Taliban run free and wild,” he complained a few days ago on Fox News. Pompeo, […]
Franklin Graham calls for a day of prayer for Afghanistan days after he asks his followers if they “miss President Trump.”
Franklin Graham is calling for a day of prayer for Afghanistan on Sunday, August 22, 2021. Here is his Facebook message to followers: DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN I’m asking for Christians around the world to join […]
Bethlehem Baptist Church drives out “the empathetic ones”
Trump. Race. COVID. #MeToo. Evangelical congregations will never be the same again. There is no back to “normal.” Reform is needed. Thanks to the reporting of Kate Shellnut at Christianity Today, we now know a lot more about what is […]
James Loewen, RIP
I never met James Loewen, but I have used his book Teaching What Really Happened once or twice in my “Teaching History” course at Messiah University. I remember about twenty years ago I gave a talk at a conference (I […]
The best pizza in the country
OK, I am a bit biased. The Reservoir Tavern is located just outside my home town. I’ve eaten dozens and dozens of meals there. I recommend ordering a pie, a cup of pasta e fagioli (Joy’s favorite), and a side […]
Northwestern University posted the names of unvaccinated students…in 1902
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Kazin: Biden must tell the truth about Afghanistan to save his presidency
Georgetown University historian and Current contributor Michael Kazin compares Biden to LBJ. Here is a taste of his piece at The New York Times: For days now, the news media has likened the chaotic end of our misadventure in Afghanistan, and the […]
Against all odds, the 2020 election was a success
Here is Sam Levine at The Guardian: A few months after every federal election, a little-known federal agency called the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) releases a trove of data it collects from all 50 states on what happened in […]
Donald Trump on the “right” way to leave Afghanistan
Either Trump doesn’t realize that a lot of Afghans are American allies or he does know this and just doesn’t care. What a fool.
When celebrity megachurch pastors get too close to politicians.
Some California evangelicals love GOP gubernatorial candidate and conservative talk show host Larry Elder. None more than Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel–Chino Hills. Today Elder’s former fiancĂ©e and radio producer is accusing him of waving a gun at her while […]
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular Current features of the last week: Eric Miller, “Alone in the U.S.A.” Una Cadegan, “To Cancel or Not to Cancel” Jay Green, “Current and the #Exvangelical Dilemma” William Thomas Okie, “Exotic Invasion” John Haas, “Leaving Afghanistan” […]