Roosevelt Montás directs Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship program. Annie Abrams is a public school teacher. They believe that Florida governor Ron DeSantis and one of his lackeys, Christopher Rufo, are “destroying” liberal arts education. Here is a taste of their […]
Archives for 2023
Mark Meadows and his MAGA cronies are buying-up property near the U.S. Capitol
I guess a lot of Trump followers like living in “The Swamp.” Here is Paul Schwartzman at The Washington Post: At first glance, the flurry of real estate sales two blocks east of the U.S. Capitol appeared unremarkable in a […]
Evangelical roundup for March 16, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical Land? Evangelicals love evangelicals. Black evangelicals are “caught between their faith and the long shadow of history.” The president of Northern Seminary resigns. Southern Baptists have been arguing about women in the church for a […]
Serving the Work
What can Dorothy Sayers teach us about intellectual work in a celebrity-driven culture?
The fragmentation of evangelical politics
This week I traveled to Wheaton College to deliver a lecture titled “The Fragmentation of Evangelical Politics: What Happened – and How Can We Pick up the Pieces?” Here’s a brief excerpt from my presentation. Evangelicals are divided in their […]
Episode 53: “Michael Schiavo Takes the Stand”
The 2000 Terri Schiavo trial gets under way. Episode 53: “Michael Schiavo Takes the Stand’ dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. To listen to previous episodes click the word […]
Should women who have abortions get the death penalty? 21 South Carolina legislators think they should
Have you heard about the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023? Twenty-one Republicans in the South Carolina General Assembly are supporting it. Here is Stephen Neukam at The Hill: Republican lawmakers in South Carolina are considering a change […]
Springsteen fans: See you in State College
I didn’t think it would happen. I wasn’t sure I wanted it to happen. But my family managed to score some tickets to Bruce Springsteen’s Saturday night show on the campus of Penn State University. Springsteen shows are family events […]
Is Wellesley College still a women’s college?
In his 2017 book Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference, Washington University Law Professor John Inazu writes: Wellesley College, an all-women’s school, now confronts internal challenges around its growing transgender student population. Even though Wellesley admits only women, […]
What is going at Valparaiso University?
The president of the Lutheran university in Indiana wants to sell a Georgia O’Keefe painting to pay for the renovation of two dormitories. The story caught the attention of New York Times reporter Kalia Richardson. Here is a taste of […]
Joe Biden will deliver Jimmy Carter’s eulogy
Here is Summer Concepcion at NBC News: President Joe Biden on Monday revealed that former President Jimmy Carter, who entered hospice care at home last month after a series of hospital stays, asked him to deliver his eulogy. During a fundraiser in […]
REVIEW: A Man for the Age of Tech Tycoons
The life of Crassus is worth remembering—especially on the ides of March
Ideas in progress, Ides of March edition: featuring the work of four cutting-edge women ancient historians
So far, these “Ideas in progress” posts have been interviews. Today, however, in honor of both the Ides of March and Women’s History Month, I would like to do something different and highlight the exciting work of four different women […]
Conservative culture warriors love Antonio Gramsci
For several years now conservatives, and especially the Christian Right, have been warning their followers about the influence of “cultural Marxism.” One of their favorite bogeymen is Mussolini-era Italian communist Antonio Gramsci. Here, for example, is Christian right purveyor of […]
Three historians win the Bancroft Prize
It’s the most prestigious award in American history. Congrats to Beverly Gage, Kelly Lytle Hernández, and John Wood Sweet for winning it. Here are Jennifer Schuessler’s descriptions of these books at The New York Times: Beverly Gage’s “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover […]
Capitalism is “siphoning our attention for profit”
Over at Current Affairs, Nathan Robinson interviews Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention. Robinson writes: Johann Hari has written multiple bestselling nonfiction books including Chasing the Scream, Lost Connections, and most recently Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention. All […]
Marginalia Matters
Books open up our lives—to ourselves, and to one another
The unspoken vows of friendship
As the Roman Republic was facing its death throes and he himself was only months away from ignominious death, the legendary Roman politician and orator Cicero wrote what would become one of his most influential essays since antiquity: On Friendship. […]
Woody Guthrie’s family tells Missouri Senator Josh Hawley to stop using his lyrics
Here is Daniel Desrochers at The Kansas City Star: Sen. Josh Hawley referenced Woody Guthrie last week when he sponsored a bill to prevent people associated with the Chinese Communist Party from owning U.S. farmland and called it the “This […]
My father didn’t need James Dobson to teach him how to be a patriarch. Focus on the Family had a different influence on him.
I’ve made this point before, but I recently made it again on a WNYC (New York City’s National Public Radio station) podcast called “On the Divided Dial.” (It was repackaged and rereleased last week). I appreciate journalist Katie Thornton willingness […]