What is happening in Evangelical land? “My body, my choice?“ A member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee says that taking steps to prevent sexual abuse in churches is a bad idea Andy Stanley: Evangelicals are facing a “state […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: The problem with book reviewing Are the culture wars still religious in nature? Historians as contextualizers Philip Gorski and Sam Perry talk about Christian nationalism Are professors groomers? “Relief for […]
Episode 38: “The Johnson Amendment”
How to endorse a political candidate without endorsing a political candidate. Episode 38: “The Johnson Amendment” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. Here is a teaser: If you […]
Like all little magazines, we can’t move forward much longer without additional support. Thanks for considering Current
In a piece on the tenth anniversary (1976) of Salmagundi, cultural critic Christopher Lasch (whose daughter Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn is a Current contributing editor) wrote: The so-called little magazine, which addresses neither the mass market nor an audience of academic specialists, occupies a special position […]
How the National Archives and Records Administration’s “Notice 2022-15” will impact presidential history
Tim Naftali, the first director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum and a professor at NYU, explains: About a month ago, the National Archives and Records Administration signaled in a notice to Congress that it was effectively renouncing […]
Ben Sasse on “government of the weirdos, by the weirdos and for the weirdos”
In a speech at the Reagan Foundation, the Nebraska senator ripped into the “performance artists” on the far left and the far right. Watch: If you don’t want to watch the speech, read Tom LoBianco’s piece at Yahoo News. A […]
David McCormick concedes to Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania GOP senate primary
It will be John Fetterman (D) vs. Mehmet Oz (R) in November. The winner gets Pat Toomey’s seat in the United States Senate. David McCormick conceded in a civil and polite fashion. No drama. Sadly, we have now come to […]
At least Marjorie Taylor Greene believes Christian nationalism exists
She makes no bones about it. She is a Christian nationalist. Watch: It is worth noting that this is a different rhetorical strategy from the one employed by Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano. Here is a taste of Eliza Griswold’s […]
Does Harvard possess the remains of 7,000 Native Americans and enslaved people?
Here is Gillian Brockell at The Washington Post: Harvard University holds the human remains of thousands of Native American people, despite a 1990 federal law requiring their return, according to a draft report leaked to the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson. […]
Mastriano compares gun control to Nazism
He is a “historian with a doctor in history.” No historian worth his salt would make such a sloppy and manipulative comparison. Watch: Mastriano’s claim here has been widely debunked and/or problematized. Also here. Also here. Get up to speed […]
What is a RINO?
At The Bulwark, William Saletan tries to define what the right wing means when they accuse someone of being “Republican in Name Only.” (Note: Someone accused me of this the other day and I am not even a registered Republican!). […]
Song of the Day
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: Daniel K. Williams, “Pro-Life and Pro-Guns?” Timothy Larsen, “Boyhood Revisited“ John Seel, “Is College Really Worth It?” Jonathan Den Hartog, “Scooby Doo and the Black Robe Regiments“ Nadya Williams, “The […]
Why Ted Cruz Is Wrong About Guns
If a depraved culture is shaping Americans, why would we want them to have guns?
Rick Warren names his successor(s)
The evangelical megachurch pastor and author has just named his successor. Here is Bob Smietana at Religion News Service: After more than four decades, the pastor of one of the nation’s largest and most influential churches is ready to step […]
“We need more nuance and respect for complexity in our public debates”
Over at Inside Higher Ed, historian Steven Mintz writes about bringing critical thinking to public life. Here is a taste: As Malcolm Gladwell observed in his 2005 best seller, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, intuition and snap judgments can […]
The point of college is “transforming one’s mind.” Most college students never get this message.
Here is a taste of Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner‘s piece at The Chronicle of Higher Education: In our 1,000 hour-long conversations with students, we found that nearly half of them miss the point of college. They don’t see value […]
The future of Trumpism
William Kristol believes Trumpism will be around for a long time. Here is a taste of his piece today at The Bulwark: We are now six years into the Trump era and one clearly sees—in the donor and media ecosystems, […]
Evangelical Roundup for June 2, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Italian evangelicals are fighting abuse and settling refugees. More on the evangelicals (and other Christians) who want to bring back the child tax credit. Race and the Southern Baptist sexual abuse report. Southern Baptists […]
What overturning Roe v. Wade will NOT mean for the future of abortion in the United States
Readers of Current know the work of Daniel K. Williams. He teaches American history at the University of West Georgia and is the author of several books on evangelicals and politics, including Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement before […]