Get up to speed here. Watch: Warren also got into politics. Here are some snippets: “We lost. I wasn’t expecting to win…We actually had about 700 more votes than I figured we’d get….” “The SBC is a democracy and in […]
Way of Improvement
Southern Baptists will not allow Rick Warren and Saddleback Church back into the fold
Here is Michelle Boorstein at The Washington Post: Thousands of Southern Baptists voted overwhelmingly to affirm the expulsion of Saddleback Church, the epitome for decades of a modern conservative evangelical megachurch, because Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren ordained women, Southern Baptist […]
The Author’s Corner with Sean M. Kelley
Sean M. Kelley is Professor of History at the University of Essex. This interview is based on his new book, American Slavers: Merchants, Mariners, and the Transatlantic Commerce in Captives, 1644-1865 (Yale University Press, 2023). JF: What led you to […]
What happened on day 1 of the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting?
Some of the best religion reporters in the business are in New Orleans this week. Here is what they have to say about what happened on the first day of the meeting. These tweets are (roughly) in chronological order (morning […]
Rick Warren vs. Al Mohler on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in New Orleans (video)
Get up to speed here Here’s how it all went down: As far as I can tell, a decision has yet to be made on whether Saddleback will return to the Southern Baptist Convention. (6:32pm). In other Southern Baptist Convention […]
Liberty University whistleblower, a former dean, offers more detail
Here is Hannah McClellan at Christianity Today: Four months after Liberty University filed a motion to dismiss a whistleblower’s lawsuit, the former dean suing the school amended his complaint with more detail about the alleged fraud he reported to authorities. He alleges […]
The Author’s Corner with Aniko Bodroghkozy
Aniko Bodroghkozy is Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. This interview is based on her new book, Making #Charlottesville: Media from Civil Rights to Unite the Right (University of Virginia Press, 2023). JF: What led you to […]
The Author’s Corner with Bart Elmore
Bart Elmore is Professor of Environmental History at The Ohio State University. This interview is based on his new book, Country Capitalism: How Corporations from the American South Remade Our Economy and the Planet (University of North Carolina Press, 2023). […]
Evangelical roundup for June 12, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical land? Rick Warren vs. the Southern Baptist Convention: A guide. What is an evangelical? 92% of white evangelicals say there are only 2 genders. Brazil’s “March for Jesus“ Hours before he will preside over the […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Historian Peter Brown’s 700 page memoir. And here. And here. E.J. Dionne: Trump’s indictment is “imperative for justice” Did Martha Washington have a Black grandson? Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral […]
Rick Warren vs. the Southern Baptist Convention: A guide to understanding the controversy
On Tuesday, the country will be focused on the historic federal indictment of a United States president. But 12,000 Southern Baptists in New Orleans will be listening to a three-minute speech by one of the most popular megachurch pastors in […]
Episode 111: “The Evangelical Battle Over the End Times”
If you want to learn more about the evangelical fascination with the rapture, Israel, the antichrist, and the prophetic books of the Bible you will enjoy this episode. Our guest is Daniel Hummel, author of The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: […]
Trump is indicted. Historians weigh-in.
Here is CNN: “The former president faces his first federal indictment for retention of classified documents and conspiracy with a top aide to hide them from the government and his own attorneys — a total of 37 counts.” Read an […]
When Dorothy Day met Ignazio Silone
The Catholic socialist Dorothy Day was a fan of Italian (also Catholic, to an extent) writer Iganzio Silone. She wrote about meeting Silone as part of January 1, 1968 piece in The Catholic Worker: In wrestling with the problem of […]
More evangelical responses to the Trump indictment
Donald Trump is the first president in United States history to face a federal indictment. How are some of his most loyal followers responding? (We published some earlier responses last night). Speaker of the House: MAGA worship leader: Paula White […]
Trump: “Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this!”
Last night we learned that the Department of Justice will indict Donald Trump on Tuesday. At this point the DOJ has not released the indictment. This morning CNN is reporting that Trump admitted on tape that he didn’t declassify “secret […]
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: Here are the most popular posts of the last week at The Way of Improvement Leads Home blog: Here are the most popular posts of the last week at The Arena blog:
The Author’s Corner with Tamson Pietsch
Tamson Pietsch is Associate Professor in Social and Political Sciences and Director of the Australian Centre for Public History at the University of Technology Sydney. This interview is based on her new book, The Floating University: Experience, Empire, and the […]
GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson urges Trump to end his campaign
Here is the statement from the former Arkansas governor:
Court evangelical Robert Jeffress claims he just texted Trump: “There are millions of Christians praying for you right now”
A Southern Baptist once told me that the most dangerous place in the Southern Baptist Convention is between Robert Jeffress and a camera. The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas does not seem phased by the Trump federal […]