Several scheduled sessions at this year’s annual meeting of the American Historical Association were moved to this week’s AHA22 Online conference. Each year the Conference on Faith and History sponsors a session at the AHA and due to COVID-19 related […]
Way of Improvement
Evangelical roundup for February 21, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? David Brooks talks to Russell Moore, one of the subjects of his recent piece on dissenting evangelicals. Moore says “crazy has become a church-growth strategy.” Not everyone likes it: I don’t know this guy […]
Episode 95: “The Lost Promise of American Universities”
American universities entered the 1960s with the hope of bringing a high-quality system of universal higher education to all comers. But by the early 1970s hope turned to despair as universities gave way to neoliberalism, corporatism, and a powerful conservative […]
Taking the weekend off
We will be back on Monday.
On the road this Spring
As COVID-19 starts to break (hopefully) it will be nice to start getting back on the road again. Here is where I am heading this Spring: Though it is not technically “on the road,” I will be chairing the Conference […]
Does Ibram X. Kendi run the Democratic Party?
Of course he doesn’t. But I am sure his views have a following among some progressives in the party. Here is Matt Bai at The Washington Post: I’ve always liked and respected President Biden, and in most ways he has governed […]
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: Jeremy Sabella, “The Tower of Babel and the American Experiment“ Jay Case, “Coca-Cola and Authenticity: What’s Not to Like?“ Jeremy Sabella, “Apocalypse and Revelation“ Greg Williams, “D.C. DISPATCH: “Christ is […]
A restaurant asked Charlie Kirk to prove his vaccine status. Be on the lookout. Nazism is right around the corner.
This is the latest fear-mongering from Charlie Kirk. He will be at an evangelical church near you this weekend. I am told by his PR people that he doesn’t make any money speaking at churches. But I am sure that […]
The Great MyPillow Airlift
Forget about the Berlin Airlift. Mike “MyPillow Guy” Lindell is planning a Canadian airlift. You can’t make this stuff up. Here is Zachary Petrizzo of The Daily Beast: After his initial Tuesday shipment of MyPillow products was denied entry into Canada, Mike Lindell now […]
Blowout counties
Over at Sabatos’ Crystal Ball, Rhodes Cook talks about “blowout presidential counties” with Jon Karl of ABC News and Rep. Rho Khanna (D-CA). Here are the takeaways: “More than 20% of the nation’s counties gave 80% or more of its […]
Episode 35: “Mr. Keyes Goes to Illinois”
Barack Obama gets a challenger in the 2004 Illinois Senate race Episode 35: “Mr. Keyes Goes to Illinois” 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: […]
Evangelical roundup for February 17, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Scot McKnight on why evangelicalism needs salvation. Now the Liberty University Standing for Freedom Center is going after Tim Keller: An evangelical pastor and theologian enters the debate on historians and activism. I am […]
Arthur Brooks on how to “want less” and “be happy”
Brooks says that “the secret to satisfaction has nothing to do with achievement, money, or stuff.” No argument here. Here is a taste of his recent piece in The Atlantic: I write a column about human happiness for The Atlantic and teach classes on […]
Who is Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel?
We haven’t spent too much time covering Josh Mandel, the 44-year-old GOP candidate for U.S. Senate from Ohio. The only sustained treatment has been a recent post on his rejection of the separation of church and state. According to New […]
Commonplace Book #208
So, as we assess the impact of the academic Left, we find a mixed picture. There was opposition and repression, but there was also acceptance and co-optation. There were reforms. Faculty hiring practices changed. Radicals got their scholarship published. A […]
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is raising money off his fist pump to the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists
For $20.00 you can get a Josh Hawley fist-pump mug. Of course Hawley says he is only fist-pumping the peaceful protesters.
The Author’s Corner with Jesse Tarbert
Jesse Tarbert is an independent historian. This interview is based on his new book, When Good Government Meant Big Government: The Quest to Expand Federal Power, 1913–1933 (Columbia University Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write When Good Government Meant Big […]
The American Historical Association condemns Trump’s violation of the Presidential Records Act
From the AHA website: The American Historical Association condemns in the strongest terms former President Donald J. Trump’s reported extensive and repeated violations of the Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978. The PRA requires that: Through the implementation of records […]
Those fingers in my hair; that sly, come hither stare; that strips my conscience bare…
It’s witchcraft. And pro-Trump, anti-vaxxer pastor Greg Locke is calling it out: Throughout history, witchcraft accusations were often used as political tools to drive unwanted or threatening people–women, widows, theological heretics, critics, the poor, people of color–out of communities. Leaders […]
Reuters uncovers threats made to school board members
It is getting scary out there. Here is Reuters: Reuters documented the intimidation through contacts and interviews with 33 board members across 15 states and a review of threatening and harassing messages obtained from the officials or through public records requests. […]