Over at Inside Higher Ed, historian Steven Mintz reflects on Richard Cohen’s Making History: The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past. The entire piece is definitely worth your time. Here is a taste: In 1879, Albion W. TourgĂ©e anonymously published a […]
Archives for May 2022
Watch Ted Cruz spin
Watch: Cruz seems to be on the ropes here, but then the reporter mentions “American exceptionalism.” Ah! There it is! Cruz pounces. You can almost see the light bulb (or perhaps the trigger) go off in his head. He now […]
There have been 15 mass shootings in the United States since Uvalde
Yes, you read that correctly. Here is Annabelle Timsit at The Washington Post: After a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Tex., that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers last week, many politicians, public figures and […]
Can we advance both religious liberty and LGBTQ rights?
Over the last few years we have brought your attention to Fairness for All, a balanced piece of legislation that preserves religious freedom and defends LGBTQ rights. The bill does not appear to have made it out of committee. See […]
Why does an image of the lynching of a Black man in Texas appear in a family photo album with vacation and wedding photos?
I will let historian Jeffrey Littlejohn explain. Here is a taste of his piece at The Conversation: As a historian and director of the Lynching in Texas project, which has documented more than 600 racial terror lynchings, I receive regular emails from journalists, scholars […]
Rick Perlstein on Garry Wills
One of my favorite historical writers on one of my favorite historical writers. Listen to Eyal Press’s interview with Perlstein here. Here is a taste of the transcript: Eyal Press: No question as someone who grew up in Buffalo, I […]
The Poetical Souls of Russian Dictators
What do we make of these creatures of contrasts—and literature on the lips of war criminals?
Evangelical roundup for May 30, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Shane Claiborne and Doug Pagitt at the NRA prayer breakfast: More of Shane’s commentary from the NRA meeting: Southern Baptists release the names of sexual abusers. Coverage here. Lecrae talks about “deconstructing” one’s Christian […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Historians of Haiti are not happy with The New York Times Removing the faces of Robert E. Lee and George Washington The perils of public writing On baseball fandom Jon […]
“After Salvador kills you, all the earth falls silent”
Consider reading Tony Woodlief‘s poignant reflection on the Ulvade, Texas school shooting. A taste: After Salvador kills you, all the earth falls silent. The birds nestle their young and quiet them, our dogs tuck their tails and hide beneath furniture, […]
Do guns have ANYTHING to do with mass shootings? No, according to Ted Cruz
In Cruz’s world, gun violence happens because of “the elites who dominate our culture,” the media, corporate leaders, Hollywood, homelessness, gangs, “radical” district attorneys, “cultural sickness,” despair, isolation, “sick souls,” broken families, absent fathers, declining church attendance, social medial bullying, […]
A conversation with Felicia Wu Song, author of Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age
This week I joined Current editors Eric Miller and Felicia Wu Song for a conversation on Felicia’s new book Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age. The entire interview is available to Deep Water and Storm […]
“Turns out the Roman Catholic Church has nothing on the Southern Baptists when it comes to covering up sexual misconduct”
Randall Balmer, a Dartmouth religion professor and one of the country’s most prominent religious observers, addresses the Southern Baptist sexual abuse report. Here is a taste of his piece at the Los-Angeles Times: In an origin story oft-repeated in SBC circles, […]
What we have said about guns and gun control over the years
Despite what I have heard from a few folks in the last day or two, I think we’ve been pretty consistent over the years: May 28, 2021: When it comes to the Second Amendment, Matt Gaetz has no clue March […]
On abortion, the Trump court evangelicals need the Supreme Court. On gun violence, all they have are “thoughts and prayers.”
If you read my Current piece on Thursday or Dan Williams’s piece today and want another example of the inherent contradiction in the Christian pro-life movement, just read the recent e-mail Trump court evangelical Paula White-Cain’s “National Faith Advisory Board‘ […]
Episode 37: “Christian Trumpism Before Trump”
The Constitution Party offers conservative evangelicals another option Episode 37: “Christian Trumpism Before Trump” 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 teaser: If you like what […]
A lot has changed since Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams met in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race
It’s Kemp and Abrams again in Georgia. Here is Annie Linskey and Josh Dawsey at The Washington Post: Though the names on the ballot in November will be the same, the political landscape has shifted significantly over the past four […]
Which lawmakers get the most contributions from gun rights groups?
From Axios: Sen. Ted Cruz (TX): $442,000 Rep. Steve Scalise (LA): $396,000 Sen. John Cornyn (TX): $340,000 Sen. Lindsey Grahan (SC): $284,000 Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY): $247,000 Rep. Devin Nunes (CA): $228, 000 Sen. Ron Johnson (WI): 223,000 Rep. Kevin […]
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: John Fea, “Satanic Portals, HIS-story, and Doug Mastriano“ John David Seel, “Is College Really Worth It?“ Daniel K. Williams, “What If Pro-Choice Politicians Acknowledged That Abortion Is a Moral Problem?“ […]
Pro-Life and Pro-Guns?
The recent shootings expose the radical individualism of white American evangelicals once more