Here is the obituary: Richard S. Dunn, 93, formerly of Philadelphia, an award-winning professor emeritus of American history at the University of Pennsylvania, director emeritus of the groundbreaking McNeil Center for Early American Studies, co-executive officer emeritus of the American […]
Archives for March 2022
An invitation to think with us!
Every weekday at Current we offer a feature article from a talented writer that helps our readers think more deeply about culture, politics, and democratic life. Current also hosts The Way of Improvement Leads Home blog, a thirteen-year-old forum (some […]
Episode 96: “Thinking Historically about the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
In this episode we talk with historian Bruce Berglund about Vladmir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Our conversation focuses on Putin’s use of history to justify the invasion, the insufficiency of the Russian military, the international ban on […]
What is going at Hillsdale College and the state of Tennessee’s education system?
We wrote about Tennessee governor Bill Lee’s relationship with Hillsdale last month. We have also offered a few posts reviewing the 1776 Commission, a Trump-supported group tasked with creating a patriotic-oriented curriculum. Hillsdale president Larry Arnn led the commission and […]
Is the Texas abortion law really stopping abortions?
Here is Axios: The number of Texas residents who traveled out-of-state to access abortion care increased dramatically after the most restrictive abortion ban in the U.S. went into effect in the state in September. Driving the news: Newly released data shows that Planned Parenthood health centers […]
Former Attorney General Bill Barr says Trump was responsible for the January 6th insurrection
Watch Trump’s top law enforcement agent: The full interview with Lester Hold will be aired Sunday night.
What is your epistemology?
Take the quiz. I got Jurgen Habermas.
George Will calls Trump “a stray orange hair to be flicked off the nation’s sleeve”
Here is the conservative syndicated columnist: Floundering in his attempts to wield political power while lacking a political office, Donald Trump looks increasingly like a stray orange hair to be flicked off the nation’s sleeve. His residual power, which he […]
Beware of “insecure narcissists”: Jack Hibbs and Charlie Kirk on the “Global Reset”
Right-wing evangelical pundit Charlie Kirk recent joined pro-Trump, anti-mask pastor Jack Hibbs at Calvary Chapel-Chino Hills to talk about something they call “The Global Reset.” As I note below, this conversation is not only filled with half-truths and fearmongering, but […]
Historian Heather Cox Richardson interviews Joe Biden
They talked about Kentanji Brown Jackson, Build Back Better, and American Democracy. Watch: Richardson writes about the experience at her wildly popular Substack page: Every day, people write to me and say they feel helpless to change the direction of […]
Have you heard about the new State of the Union sitcom?
It’s brought to you by Trevor Noah and the Daily Show:
A question for Bill Barr and John Bolton: What took you so long?
Matt Lewis of The Daily Beast writes, “Bill Barr and John Bolton are spilling the tea on just how awful Trump was as president. What took them so long? Here is a taste of column: Donald Trump’s former attorney general, Bill Barr, […]
January 6 Committee: Trump was told multiple times by multiple sources that there was no voter fraud in 2020
But he kept saying it anyway. Here is The Washington Post: A data expert for former president Donald Trump’s campaign told him bluntly not long after polls closed in November 2020 that he was definitely going to lose his campaign […]
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: Mark Schwehn, “Reading Matters“ Jeremy Sabella, “Steadfast–or Stiff-Necked?“ John Fea, “American Evangelicals and Ukraine“ Jay Case, “Coca-Cola and Authenticity: What’s Not to Like? Nadya Williams, “National Sins and Gag Orders“ […]
American Evangelicals and Ukraine
The sloppy reductionism of the chattering classes does little to help us understand a diverse movement
The Author’s Corner with Jeremy Schipper
Jeremy Schipper is Professor of Religion at Temple University. This interview is based on his new book, Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt That Put Slavery and Scripture on Trial (Princeton University Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write […]
January 6 Committee makes a case for criminal charges against Trump
Here we go: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol said on Wednesday that there was enough evidence to conclude that former President Donald J. Trump and some of his allies might have conspired to commit […]
Episode 36: “Thune vs. Daschle in South Dakota”
A graduate of evangelical Biola University challenges the Senate minority leader. Episode 36: “Thune vs. Daschle in South Dakota” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. Here is a […]
Evangelical roundup for March 3, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land: Joel Carpenter calls for a renewal of evangelical intellectual life. Darryl Hart sees a tension between and older and younger generation of evangelical historians: Pat Robertson plays the biblical prophecy card. And here: Ukrainian […]
National Sins and Gag Orders
Georgia’s proposed bills overlook one crucial truth: It’s the truth that sets us free