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John Fea

John Fea is Executive Editor of CURRENT and the author of The Way of Improvement Leads Home blog.

Springsteen’s new album

John Fea   |  September 29, 2022

It’s called “Only the Strong Survive.” Here is Rolling Stone: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN IS releasing a collection of soul covers entitled Only The Strong Survive on November 11. Check out the video right here for “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” which was originally […]

Evangelical roundup for September 29, 2022

John Fea   |  September 29, 2022

What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicals are learning to “welcome the stranger.” Bridging the gap between Christian liberal arts colleges and non-Christian liberal arts colleges. Jair Bolsonaro on the “soul” of Brazil. Calvin University’s January Series will feature Ken […]

More on the Reverse Freedom Rides and DeSantis’s Martha’s Vineyard stunt

John Fea   |  September 28, 2022

We did a post on Reverse Freedom Rides after Florida governor Ron DeSantis sent several refugee families to Martha’s Vineyard as a political stunt. Read that post here. Rick Massimo of WTOP radio recently interviewed University of Sussex historian Clive […]

White supremacy in American history textbooks

John Fea   |  September 28, 2022

Over at Esquire, Abigail Covington interviews Harvard historian Donald Yacovone on his recent book, Teaching White Supremacy: America’s Democratic Ordeal and the Forging of Our National Identity. Here is taste: ESQUIRE: You make it very clear from the start that […]

The Conference on Faith and History secondary school teaching initiative is hosting a virtual panel this week

John Fea   |  September 28, 2022

The Conference on Faith and History is sponsoring a virtual panel on secondary school history teaching this Friday, September 30. If you teach history feel free to join the conversation. More info below. More info: Paul Thompson will be hosting […]

Misha Matsumoto Yee is the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History National History Teacher of the Year!

John Fea   |  September 28, 2022

Congratulations! Here is the press release: NEW YORK, NY (September 27, 2022) –The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced today that Misha Matsumoto Yee, a history teacher at St. Andrew’s Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been named the 2022 National History Teacher of […]

Mastriano: Women who get abortions should be charged with murder

John Fea   |  September 27, 2022

The Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate made the comment in 2019 on WITF’s “Smart Talk”: Listen. The “murder” argument picks-up around the twenty-four minute mark: Here is NBC News: State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, said in 2019 […]

The difference between American evangelicals and Brazilian evangelicals

John Fea   |  September 27, 2022

Evangelical Christianity is playing a significant role in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election. If you want to get up to speed on this story I recommend Christianity Today’s recent feature. Over at The Conversation, political scientist Amy Eric Smith distinguishes between […]

“Thomas H. Benton” lands on his feet

John Fea   |  September 27, 2022

Between 1998 and 2014 literary scholar William Pannapacker wrote a regular The Chronicle of Higher Education. Most of these columns were written under the pen name Thomas H. Benton. Pannapacker wrote about the liberal arts and humanities, the digital humanities, […]

Placing an anti-Mormon chant in historical context

John Fea   |  September 27, 2022

If you missed this story you can get up to speed by watching this video. Here is historian Matthew Bowman, the Howard H. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University: How did we get to the point in which fans […]

Doug Mastriano holds a rally on the capitol steps. Pennsylvanians exercise their God-given right to watch the Penn State game.

John Fea   |  September 26, 2022

What happens when you plan a big rally on the steps of the state capitol and less than 100 people show up? Perhaps it is a sign that people are not very excited about your campaign for governor. Here is […]

Critics of liberalism; critics of national conservativism

John Fea   |  September 26, 2022

I missed this when it appeared last month. Several intellectuals, many from the world of religion and theology, published “An Open Letter Responding to the NatCon ‘Statement of Principles.’” Signers include Paul Griffiths, David Bentley Hart, Eugene McCarraher, John Milbank, […]

Evangelical roundup for September 26, 2022

John Fea   |  September 26, 2022

What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicals who lead with a moral code need more Jesus. More than 75% of Republican evangelicals want the United States declared as a Christian nation. D.G. Hart on Ron Sider’s legacy. Is worship at […]

Sunday night odds and ends

John Fea   |  September 25, 2022

A few things online that caught my attention this week: George Will on Doug Mastriano Missing Roger Federer Historians on first books W.E.B. Du Bois’s Black Reconstruction in America P.T. Barnum on the dangers of alcohol Lewis Lapham interviews Kermit […]

Episode 102: The Ghosts of Colonial Williamsburg

John Fea   |  September 25, 2022

Our guest on this episode, public historian Alena Pirok, explains how John D. Rockefeller’s vision of Colonial Williamsburg eventually gave way to a vision of the site championed by an early 20th century clergyman who saw ghosts. Join us for a conversion […]

Black pastor confronts Robert Jeffress on the legacy of racism at First Baptist-Dallas

John Fea   |  September 25, 2022

Robert Jeffress, the Trump-loving pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist Church, should get credit for showing-up at this event. It’s a step in the right direction. Here is Matt Goodman at Dallas Magazine: Monday evening at SMU’s Dallas Hall, Dr. Michael Waters, […]

Song of the day

John Fea   |  September 24, 2022

Context here. (HT: C K)

Why Jonathan Haidt is resigning from his professional society

John Fea   |  September 24, 2022

Here is a small taste of the New York University psychology professor’s piece at The Chronicle of Higher Education: I have been thinking a lot about fiduciary duty because my main professional association — the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, […]

Adam Greenway resigns as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

John Fea   |  September 23, 2022

He replaced the morally compromised Paige Patterson. Now he is out. Here is Mark Wingfield of Baptist News Global: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary confirmed Friday afternoon, Sept. 23, what BNG first reported Thursday evening, Sept. 22: Adam Greenway resigned as […]

How the students and alumni of one Christian college are benefiting from Biden’s debt-relief plan

John Fea   |  September 23, 2022

The school is Fresno Pacific University, a Mennonite Brethren university in California. Here is Katherine Knott at Inside Higher Ed: As congressional and state Republicans explore ways to block President Biden’s loan-forgiveness plan, one Christian college is touting its benefits […]

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