We covered the sexual assault amicus brief controversy here and here for those who need to get up to speed. The disarray in the Southern Baptist Convention reached new “heights” this week, prompting one Virginia pastor to ask “who’s driving […]
Archives for October 2023
The United Auto Workers now have deals with all three automakers
This is a significant victory for the working class and unions. Here is Alex N. Press at Jacobin: Forty-four days after occupying the General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan, in 1936, during the first sit-down strike, the United Auto Workers […]
Andrew Wehrman wins the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Gomes Memorial Book Prize
The Central Michigan University history professor won the prize for his book The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution. Listen to our interview with Andrew Wehrman in Episode 107 of The Way of Improvement Leads […]
A Golden Anniversary
A season of doubt can be worthy of celebration
Reflections on the Western Regional Conference on Faith and History’s October 2023 gathering
Hope and the Historian: Western Regional Conference on Faith and History’s new president reports on this month’s gathering
What did the founding fathers mean by “virtue”?
Recently a follower on one of my social media sites asked me for some reading material on the 18th-century understanding of virtue. I have tried over the years to inform many of my fellow evangelicals that when the founders talked […]
A video message from the Executive Editor (me!) of Current
As always, thanks for your support:
Saturday Night Live on George Washington’s dream for America
SNL at its best:
Bart Barber, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, admits that his approval of the Kentucky sexual abuse amicus brief was a “mistake”
We covered this story yesterday. It doesn’t look for the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, or SBTS president Albert Mohler. Here is Barber’s statement: Last week a reporter published a story about an amicus curia brief that the […]
The Author’s Corner with Fergus Bordewich
Fergus Bordewich is an independent historian and writer. This interview is based on his new book, Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction (Knopf, 2023). JF: What led you to write Klan War? FB: Many of my […]
Episode 121: “Reagan’s Evangelical Vision for America”
How did Ronald Reagan use the media to shape his evangelical vision for America, a vision rooted in political freedom, economic freedom, and religious freedom that is still with us today and continues to define the discourse of both of […]
Evangelical roundup for October 30, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicals in Argentina are pushing to get national recognition for Reformation Day–October 31. Always good to see reporting by Messiah University graduate Morgan Lee! Sadly, this doesn’t surprise me: white evangelicals are more likely […]
The Vice Presidency: Not a Reliable Ticket to the White House
As Mike Pence discovered
What I’m reading: John McPhee
I read Oranges because I am a Florida resident. And I’m not just a snowbird, who is here for part of the year. I’m a 12-month sunbird. So, I figured I should probably learn something about oranges.
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Wilfred McClay on the “burden of the humanities“ Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s ancestor took the Ironclad Oath in 1864. Natalie Zemon Davis, RIP Greg Lukianoff vs. cancel culture. […]
Rick Warren on the SBC’s Executive Committee & Albert Mohler’s seminary: “They have no intention of helping victims of the sexual abuse they covered up.”
Here is Jeremy Gray at Alabama.Com: The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Kentucky State Supreme Court arguing an expanded child abuse law should not allow claims to be brought against “non-perpetrators” such as religious organizations, the Louisville […]
What is going on at the University of North Carolina?
Here is Brianna Atkinson at WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio: “The UNC System Board of Governors allocated $3.7 billion of operating expenses from the state budget. The two-year funding plan includes money for new university programs, rural healthcare partnerships and faculty […]
What MAGA culture looks like in 8,000 responses to a David French tweet about leaving the platform
Last week we saw how the MAGA evangelical wing responded to a Russell Moore tweet thanking Joe Biden for his support of Israel. Today it is New York Times columnist, evangelical conservative, and dogged anti-Trumper David French‘s turn to take […]
Song of the Day
Mike Pence suspends his presidential campaign
Here is CNN: Former Vice President Mike Pence has suspended his campaign for president amid lagging poll numbers and financial challenges, vowing to help elect “principled Republican leaders” moving forward. “After much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign […]