Here is Jennifer Schuessler at The New York Times: Around 1772, Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved teenager in Boston, sat down to write a poem called “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” which began with praise for the “mercy” that […]
Way of Improvement
The Judeo-Christian roots of Superman
Roy Schwartz is the author of Superman Circumcised?: The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero. Here is a taste of his piece at Literary Hub, “How Superman Became a Christ-Like Figure in American Culture“: With the onset of […]
More changes at Current
There is no better time to support our work than right now! Over the last several months we have been working hard, led by our digital specialist Ben Martin, to bring a more user-friendly experience to Current. If you poke […]
Evangelical roundup for March 6, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical Land? When evangelicals turned against Jimmy Carter. And here. Florida’s Latino evangelicals are mobilizing against Ron DeSantis. Evangelical movies about Queen Esther. Prayers for the Belz family. The board of the National Association of Evangelicals: […]
Commonplace Book #242
Joshua Katz, a classicist, made tenure at one of the most prestigious universities in America when he was just thirty-six years old. That is not why I know his name, though it is among the reasons that the implosion of […]
Taking the weekend off
The Way of Improvement Leads Home blog is going on a short hiatus as we do maintenance on our website to upgrade our membership services and begin our move away from Patreon. This move will make access to Current more […]
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:
Evangelical roundup for March 2, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical Land? Evangelicals around the world are praying for Ukraine. Evangelicals and rumspringa. Russian evangelicals and the war in Ukraine. Why Tim Keller avoids the culture wars. How should evangelicals engage Haiti? The Asbury Revival and […]
Jamie Raskin gives his House GOP colleagues a grammar lesson
Earlier this year we shared historian Lawrence Glickman’s piece at Slate on why Republicans insist on calling their political opponents the “Democrat Party.” Read it here. I thought about this piece today after I watched Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin respond […]
Should we expand the House of Representatives?
Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen thinks we can solve some of our partisan differences and “renovate our democracy” by expanding the House of Representatives. She makes her case here. A taste: Why this one renovation above all others? Four reasons: […]
The Author’s Corner with Lerone Martin
Lerone Martin is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Chair and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. This interview is based on his new book, The […]
The Kings College is still on the ropes
This could be the last semester for the Manhattan-based Christian college. Here is Emily Belz at Christianity Today: The financial crisis in Christian higher education has hit The King’s College, a Christian liberal arts school in New York City, with […]
Jimmy Carter: Evangelical politician
Here is Lori Amber Roessner at The Conversation: Carter continued to share his understanding of the gospel with journalists and their audiences in a plain-spoken manner, even though it was not always advantageous to his political fortunes. For instance, after […]
Why did Fox News lie to its viewers about the 2020 election?
David French offers a theory at his New York Times column: Fox isn’t just the news hub of right-wing America, it’s a cultural cornerstone, and its business model is so successful that it’s more accurate to think of the rest […]
How dangerous is Ron DeSantis?
Not as dangerous as many progressive think he is, according to Damon Linker. Here is a taste of his piece at The New York Times: To judge by several early polls, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has a decent shot of […]
Pitch-clocks, pizza boxes, and infielders playing where they are supposed to be playing. Welcome to the 2023 baseball season!
I’ll let veteran sportswriter Rick Reilly take it from here: I used to love baseball, but I stopped watching when games got slower than sloth races. Last year, the average game was 3 hours and 3 minutes. No, thank you. I […]
The Author’s Corner with Elliott West
Elliott West is History Consultant at the University of Arkansas. This interview is based on his new book, Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion (University of Nebraska Press, 2023). JF: What led you to write Continental […]
Florida’s HB 999 is not about free speech or academic freedom, it’s about politics
Last week the Florida House of Representatives introduced House Bill 999: “An act relating to public postsecondary educational institutions.” Read it here. Here are some of the details Here are some of my takeaways:
The Author’s Corner with Samantha Barbas
Samantha Barbas is Professor of Legal History and Director of the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy at the University at Buffalo School of Law. This interview is based on her new book, Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom […]
Evangelical roundup for February 27, 2023
What is going on Evangelical Land?: The Kings College needs $2.6 million to survive. So far it has raised $178,000. Brazilian evangelicals and political patience. Randall Balmer on Jimmy Carter. Mike Cosper on how evangelicals reacted to the Asbury Revival. […]