Conservative evangelicals went crazy after the FBI executed a search warrant at Donald Trump’s home in Palm Beach. (I haven’t seen much from them after we learned Trump had classified nuclear documents). We chronicled some of the initial reaction here. […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Museum bathrooms St. Augustine and slavery Max Norman reviews Jeff Deutsch, In Praise of Good Bookstores What happens to your tax return? The history of tenure Political writing Charlie Kirk […]
Song of the Day
After an exhausting summer, I could really use a week or so at the Moonlight Motel (preferably one near the Jersey shore) before the start of the semester. Here is Bruce:
Donald Trump in 2016 on “classified information”
From The Washington Post:
Jacqueline Doyle shares her experience writing for Current
Earlier this week we published Jacqueline Doyle‘s piece “What Grows on Trees.” Doyle is professor emeritus of English at California State University, East Bay, and author of The Missing Girl. Her creative nonfiction has earned numerous Pushcart nominations and seven Notable Essay […]
What’s popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: John Fea, “Remembering Ron Sider“ Jacqueline Doyle, “What Grows on Trees“ John Fea, “How to Be a Fascist Dictator“ Nadya Williams, “Bad Citizens in a Democracy“ John Fea, “With Every […]
Beth Moore tweets about grapes. Theobros and their wives go nuts.
Beth Moore lives inside the head of some conservative evangelicals, especially those who believe that women should submit to the authority of men. The popular Bible teacher recently published an update on what appears to be a new hobby: growing […]
John Erickson, champion of the Bible cause, 1933-2022
I started my 2015 book The Bible Cause: A History of the American Bible Society with these words: John Erickson sits at a table in his home in Crawford, Nebraska, on a chilly March 2015 morning. He is sipping bottled […]
Evangelical roundup for August 11, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Samuel Escobar remembers Ron Sider. Evangelicals will discuss evangelicals after Roe v. Wade. This evangelical, who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, does not want Donald Trump to run in 2024. It […]
How to Be a Fascist Dictator
“I don’t believe the honest man is forced to submit to history”
Franklin Graham sounds more like a member of a Trump cult than a Christian leader
Yesterday Franklin Graham appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network to offer his opinion on the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Watch: Let’s break this down. 00:40ff: The host, Doug McKelway, describes how the execution of […]
Columnist Tony Norman leaves the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tony Norman’s piece on Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama appeared at Current on our launch day–April 5, 2021. We are hoping our friend will now have more time to write for us! Here is a taste of his farewell column […]
I didn’t know about the “men’s emporium”
More on the Albert Mohler’s distasteful “obituary” of evangelical activist Ronald Sider. Here is Mark Wingfield at Baptist News Global: Sider, as Fea explained, lived his life in an inner-city neighborhood of Philadelphia, cooked out of the More-With-Less-Cookbook, and wore used clothing […]
David McCullough, RIP
One of our most talented historical writers passed away yesterday. American historians have criticized David McCullough as a popularizer. Many have suggested, perhaps rightly so, that his work was not sensitive to issues of race, class, and gender. (I would […]
Merrick Garland and the FBI just woke up the court evangelicals
The FBI exercised a search warrant at Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago last night. The New York Times has some ongoing coverage here. Here is a taste of Trump’s message to followers: My “favorite” line in this statement is “especially based […]
Yesterday’s passing of a climate change bill is a step in the right direction
Good news for those of us who care about the planet. Here is Robinson Meyer’s piece at The Atlantic: Climate change was born as a modern political issue in the United States Senate. On a hot June day in 1988, […]
Episode 44: Moral Values Extend Beyond Abortion
Evangelical progressives and moderates on the eve of the 2004 election. Episode 44: “Moral Values Extend Beyond Abortion” dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. Here is a teaser: If […]
Evangelical roundup for August 8, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Neighbor love in Kentucky A growing number of ordained women in the Assemblies of God An interesting look at evangelical sports chaplains. Esau McCaulley: Ron Sider obituary in The New York Times. Tish Harrison […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Kevin Carey reviews Will Bunch, After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics The roots of “Great Replacement” theory Things left in […]
Albert Mohler’s “Christian world view” was on full display in his ugly piece on the legacy of Ronald Sider
Albert Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, likes to talk about how he discerns current events through his “Christian world view.” Well, Mohler’s “Christian world view” was on full display yesterday in his reflection on […]