As spring settles in for good and the end of this school year is in sight, I have seen several seasonally updated family meal plans and recommendations for the fastest, easiest, yet also most nutritious ways to feed one’s ever-hungry […]
The Arena
Abortion, slavery, and Lincoln
When Donald Trump recently came out against any kind of federal ban on abortion he was on the receiving end of ire from various pro-life groups. Most notably the Susan B. Anthony List said a position like Trump’s is a […]
Ideas in Progress: Paul Putz on Christian Athletes
What is the focus of your current book project? What are the big questions that you are investigating and the main stories that you hope to tell in this book? I am writing a history of American Protestant engagement with […]
A gift guide for graduates
Graduation season is coming up! If you are stumped for gift ideas for your favorite high-school and college grads, we have put together a starter gift guide for you. Sure, you could always just put some cash in a card. […]
Ideas in progress: Elizabeth Stice on teaching Hitler’s Germany, thinking about place, and reading for a well-balanced life… Oh, and her new book!
As we wrap up another academic year, what is your favorite class of those you have taught recently? I am fortunate to enjoy all of the classes that I teach. But this semester my favorite may be my “Hitler’s Germany” […]
What I am reading: Faith, hope, and love in Eugene Vodolazkin’s Brisbane
Over the course of these first four months of Anno Domini 2023, I have read through all of the novels of the Russian writer Eugene Vodolazkin. This was not planned, but this is the sort of thing that is bound […]
Evangelicals didn’t always champion gun rights – and mainline Protestants didn’t always oppose guns
Today there’s a stark difference between white evangelicals’ attitudes toward guns and the attitudes of mainline Protestants and adherents of other branches of Christianity. While several mainline Protestant denominations are now strong advocates of gun control, white evangelicals are more […]
Coverage of AI and technology-gone-rogue at Current, Arena, and Way of Improvement
A wise reader, Stephen Kamm, remarked earlier this week after reading Elizabeth Stice’s essay this Monday: “A thoughtful piece, and we need many thoughtful pieces on this topic. I’ve adopted the “shut my eyes and pretend it doesn’t exist” approach […]
Two thoughtful Christian conservatives today on aid for vulnerable families and single-payer healthcare
I want to highlight two thoughtful and compassionate articles out today that present Christian conservative arguments for caring for the most vulnerable among us. First, Leah Libresco Sargeant in The Dispatch argues that at the moment, while policies to aid […]
Ideas in progress: Jeremy Sabella on the theological legacies of the Cold War
What is the focus of your current book project? What are the big questions that you are investigating and the main stories that you hope to tell in this book? This book is tentatively titled, The Politics of Original Sin: […]
Elizabeth Stice on payphones, today in Front Porch Republic
Arena regular, Elizabeth Stice, has an insightful essay today in Front Porch Republic on a subject that you likely have not thought much about recently: payphones. A quick taste: If you ever used a payphone, you probably haven’t done so […]
Get ready for more of the Mandela Effect
“The Mandela Effect” is a term to describe a strange cultural phenomenon. Sometimes there is something which a big number of people seem to remember, only it apparently never happened, or it was different than we remember. The classic example […]
Ideas in progress: Dixie Dillon Lane on parenting, homeschooling, and writing while juggling
You are a historian and a homeschool mom of four. What does a “typical” day look like for you? I roll through my day like a boulder careening down an unpredictable hill. I place a lot of structure on my […]
Ivana Greco on homeschooling: today at the Institute for Family Studies blog
It is strange, but patently true, that young boys often learn best while upside down. Or if they aren’t upside down, they often need to be moving, or at least doing something with their hands. Their proprioceptive, vestibular, and optical […]
Ideas in progress: Jon D. Schaff on liberal arts education, favorite recent reads, and the intellectual life
What is the focus of your current writing? What are the big questions that you are investigating and the main stories that you hope to tell in your projects right now? I am working on two different projects. I just […]
Virtue and historical thinking
I am presently writing on a book on conservatism and religious liberty. As I have worked on this book, I have been immersed in the thought of Peter Viereck (1916–2006), especially his books Conservatism Revisited: The Revolt Against Ideology (1949), […]
This toddler is facing a serious time out
Today’s funniest news (except for the parents, whose pain any parent can kind of feel): CNN reports that a toddler managed to get crawl into White House grounds. He was safely apprehended, although it apparently did take two security officers […]
Bonnie Kristian reviews Guriev and Treisman, Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century for Mere Orthodoxy
We may have thought that the age of dictators (mostly, sort of) ended with the twentieth century, but in this insightful book review of a timely book for Mere Orthodoxy, Bonnie Kristian directs us to the development of twenty-first century’s […]
Your reading and writing life is better with (copy)editors in it
When we read books or shorter essays, such as those published at Current, we generally take certain things for granted. We expect that the book or essay will be free of factual and typographical errors, sentences should read smoothly, the […]
Matthew Loftus in Plough: “Does Abortion Spare the Child Pain?”
Matthew Loftus, a practicing physician in family medicine in both the U.S. and East Africa, has a powerful essay today in Plough. The questions he raises are, needless to say, relevant in the on-going conversations surrounding abortion. His focus is […]