Christopher Brown, the esteemed historian of slavery and abolition at Columbia University, recently spoke, draped in his Oxford University gown, at a rally in support of the student protesters on campus. He also said Columbia president Minouche Shafik should be […]
John McWhorter on the Columbia University campus protests
McWhorter is a Columbia University professor who is teaching classes amid the pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Here is a taste of his piece today at The New York Times: Although I know many Jewish people will disagree with me, I […]
Robert Kagan on antiliberalism and Christian nationalism
Here is an excerpt from Kagan’s book Rebellion: How Antiliberalism is Tearing America Apart. The excerpt is published today at The Washington Post: Trump not only acknowledges his goals, past and present; he promises to do it again if he […]
The former publisher of The National Enquirer testified today in the People v. Donald Trump
Today we were reminded of the sleazy tabloid world in which Donald Trump lived as he ran for president in 2016. David Pecker, Trump’s longtime friend (they are no longer speaking) and the publisher of the The National Enquirer testified […]
Happy Earth Day!
Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was commemorated on April 22, 1970. I am reminded of these words from Neil Pogue’s book The Nature of the Religious Right: The Struggle Between Conservative Evangelicals and the Environmental Movement: Initially, […]
Christian nationalism, democratic discourse, and people from New Jersey trying harder
Last night I spoke at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania as part of a “Courageous Conversations” program sponsored by five area churches. The topic was “Christian Nationalism.” I spoke for about forty minutes and tried to […]
Kristi Noem auditions for the role of Trump’s VP
Did anyone watch Dana Bash’s interview with South Dakota governor Kristi Noem on CNN yesterday? Watch: If you want to be successful in Trumpian politics all you need to do is repeat, almost mechanically or robotically, Trump talking points. The […]
Columbia University moves classes online amid pro-Palestinian protests
Here is CBS News: Protests at Columbia University over theĀ Israel-Hamas warĀ are entering their sixth day Monday, sparking more safety concerns for students on campus.Ā Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced classes will be remote Monday, “To deescalate the rancor and […]
Evangelical roundup for April 21, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Non-denominational evangelicals and the poor David French on the diversity of evangelicalism World Vision remembers Earth Day: Russian army turns on Ukrainian evangelicals Evangelical young people and opposition to same-sex relationships Shane Claiborne is […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Does the world still need Immanuel Kant? Jimmy Breslin on the 1962 Mets: “Basically, the trouble with the Mets is the way they play baseball.ā An Atlantic writer takes a […]
What is trending this week at CURRENT?
Here are the most popular features of the week atĀ Current: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The Way of Improvement Leads HomeĀ blog: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The ArenaĀ blog:
Evangelical roundup for April 17, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicalism is growing in the United Kingdom. Are Southern Baptists breaking with Christian nationalists? More here. Evangelicals bringing water to Sudan: The Italian Evangelical Alliance celebrates its 50th birthday Rwandan evangelicals thirty years after […]
Columbia University’s Jewish professors reject the weaponization of antisemitism
Earlier today the House Education and the Workforce Committee grilled Columbia University president Nemat Shafik about antisemitism on campus. Some of you may recall what happened the last time the presidents of elite universities testified before Congress. Watch entire hearing […]
Another liberal arts college closes its doors
In the 1970s, Goddard College, a liberal arts school in Plainfield, Vermont with roots that go back to 1863, had 1900 students. Last week the Goddard administration announced the college is closing. It has 220 students. As David Jesse reports […]
The triple play in The Odd Couple
A 13-year-old Howie Rose, the longtime New York Mets radio broadcaster, was at Shea Stadium in 1967 for the filming of a scene from The Odd Couple. Here’s the scene: On last night’s broadcast, Rose said they filmed the scene […]
What does a sword-swallowing pole-dancer who performs at gay strip clubs have to do with evangelical men’s ministries?
If you want a glimpse into the culture of the evangelical men’s movement, read Julie Roys’s piece on what what happened between John Lindell and Mark Driscoll at the Stronger Men’s Conference last weekend. (We mentioned this in Monday’s Evangelical […]
Steve Inskeep responds to Uri Berliner’s critique of National Public Radio
Last week we posted on Uri Berliner’s piece at the Free Press. The NPR business editor argued that “the network lost its way when it started telling listeners how to think.” Get up to speed here. Today Steve Inskeep responded […]
A two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian weighs-in on Trump’s comments about the Battle of Gettysburg
Donald Trump was in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania last weekend. His rally took place at the Lehigh Valley Fairgrounds. The rally is making headlines for Trump’s riff on the Battle of Gettysburg. By the way, Schnecksville is located approximately 120 miles from […]
Calvin University responds to Wiebe and Joanna Boer’s lawsuit
If you want to get up to speed, check out the piece we published over the weekend: “Recently ousted Calvin University president Wiebe Boer and his wife Joanna are suing Calvin. The complaint reads like a soap opera.” Here is […]
For the first time in U.S. history, a former president faces criminal charges
Trump’s New York hush money trial begins today. It is the first of four indictments to go to trial. The PBS News Hour gives us three things to watch: Who controls the narrative? Thereās going to be a lot of […]