Americans dream of an alternative to Biden or Trump. Oprah Winfrey said no. “Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said no. The Swift/Kelce era beckons.
Archives for December 2023
Christian Nationalism’s Concept Creep
Carelessness with political labels weakens democracy
What happened to United Steelworkers Hall Local 1190?
Over at Compact, Alex Hogan, a speechwriter for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, remembers a Steubenville, Ohio union hall. A taste: Today, it stands—like many former businesses, homes, and churches in Steubenville—empty. The union hall is a victim of […]
The Author’s Corner with Adam R. Nelson
Adam R. Nelson is Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This interview is based on his new book, Exchange of Ideas: The Economy of Higher Education in Early America (University of Chicago […]
Evangelical roundup for December 11, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical land? The New Republic is reporting that Messianic Jews are trying to share the Gospel with Israeli soldiers on the front lines. The author of the piece, Ellie Hardy, suggests that they are “proselytizing” because […]
Going Infinite, Part I. Infinity in a grain of sand or an absent expression
We all have places we want to go without knowing how to get there. We think it best if we can find someone to follow.
The Right to Discriminate? An Update on the New Right
The Claremont Institute doubles down on a dangerous argument
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Matt Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell talk with historian Jennifer Burns about Milton Friedman David French on free speech, censorship, and elite university presidents before Congress. Yascha Mounk takes a similar […]
Albert Mohler on the elite university presidents who testified before congress: “The moral rot starts at the top”
I just want to make sure I get this straight. Albert Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: Joined an amicus brief designed to limit his seminary liability for sexual abuse claims. Said he would support Doug Mastriano […]
On that Satanic statue in the Iowa state capitol…
I don’t like this display. I find it offensive. But my views on the display are a bit different than people like MAGA worship-leader and Christian nationalist Sean Feucht: To be short and sweet, I don’t think any religious symbols […]
University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill resigns
Here is CBS News: PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Liz Magill and Scott Bok, two top leaders at the University of Pennsylvania, resigned Saturday after days of criticism and pressure from donors, alumni and Jewish community members following Magill’s comments in a Congressional hearing on campus […]
Is “truth-telling” REALLY the only thing that matters?
So let’s get back to this whole Rob Reiner thing. I’ve enjoyed thinking this through. Thanks for reading. If you have no idea what I am talking about, get up to speed here. This series of tweets is revealing: These […]
History is one of the largest majors at conservative Hillsdale College. Why?
Conservative pundit and First Things senior editor Mark Bauerlein seems to have discovered that the number of history majors in the United States is in steep decline: Here is a link to the 2021 piece he references. The low number […]
My conversation with Katherine Stewart, author of *Power Worshippers*
While folks on Twitter discuss (if you can really call what is happening on Twitter right now “discussion”) when it is appropriate for evangelical scholars, pundits, and influencers to participate in a Rob Reiner movie, I want to share an […]
The U.S. economy is doing very well. Why are some progressive unwilling to accept this fact?
Over at The New York Times, economist Paul Krugman makes a “progressive case for Bidenomics.” Here is a taste: There are two big questions right now about the U.S. economy. One is why it’s doing so well. The other is why […]
Elise Stefanik “knows better”
Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post thinks New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik was “on target” in her grilling of three university presidents (Harvard, Penn, MIT) this week. But I found the first three sentences of Rubin’s piece the most telling: […]
Final Blessing of Unicorns for 2023
Welcome to the final Blessing of Unicorns for 2023!
Rob Reiner will release a film about Christian nationalism. It includes A LOT of evangelical talking heads and “influencers”
Hannah Anderson raises a fair question here: You can read Anderson’s thoughts on X. As someone who speaks to the media often, this is something I really wrestle with and will continue to wrestle with. I have been accused many, […]
Peter Wehner to Mike Johnson: “Did the Lord also tell you very clearly to try to overthrow the election” and “lie on behalf of Mr. Trump…Or were those your ideas?”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson believes he is a new Moses, called by God to lead the new Israel–the United States–out of its left-wing captivity. Soon he will be referring to Joe Biden as “Pharaoh.” Here is his acceptance […]
What is happening at Philadelphia’s historic 10th Presbyterian Church?
I have never visited 10th Presbyterian Church. I’ve only had a couple of connections to the congregation. When we were working at The Stony Brook School, an evangelical boarding school on Long Island, 10th Presbyterian pastor James Montgomery Boice helped […]