1619? 1776? 1865? 1940? 1964? Which date defines the nation? Here is McGill University historian Gil Troy at the Jewish News Syndicate: In August 2019, The New York Times launched the 1619 Project—pivoting American history around racism’s evils, starting with the first slave ship’s […]
Way of Improvement
“Very fine people on both sides” comes to a Texas school district
Here is NBC News: SOUTHLAKE, Texas — A top administrator with the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake advised teachers last week that if they have a book about the Holocaust in their classroom, they should also offer students access to a […]
Gerson: “Vaccine resisters sacrificing their jobs are not heroes”
Here is the evangelical Christian writer and Washington Post columnist: The nation’s leading purveyor of lethal medical advice during a pandemic (trademark pending) has recently elevated the resisters against coronavirus vaccines — an airline pilot here, a nurse there — as models of citizenship. […]
What is popular this week at CURRENT?
Here are the most popular Current features of the last week: Adam Jortner, Should History Make You Feel Bad? Eric Miller, Republic of Letters, Republic of Books Shirley Mullen, Can Too Much Caring Threaten Our Convictions? John Fea, The “Age of […]
Ronnie Floyd resigns as President and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee
Here is some context for Floyd’s resignation. Current received the following press release tonight: Dear SBC Executive Committee Trustees and SBC Family, I was planning to release this letter on Monday, October 11; however, I delayed the publishing of this letter […]
Evangelical roundup for October 14, 2021
What is happening in Evangelical land? Christianity Today and the future of evangelicalism Trump court journalist David Brody on how America and the West will be destroyed: https://twitter.com/RealAmVoice/status/1447678395718856707 Karen Swallow Prior on “Cosplay Christianity” The Bartons are getting ready for […]
Episode 23: “The Senate Conducts Hearings on Marriage: Part 2”
The Senate Judiciary Committee takes on marriage as a vote on a federal marriage amendment looms Episode 23: “The Senate Conducts Hearings on Marriage: Part 2” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this narrative history podcast. […]
The CCCU responds to The Detroit Free Press article on Christian higher education
If you are unfamiliar with the recent piece on Christian higher education at the Detroit Free Press you can read it here. We responded to the piece here. I have learned that the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities has […]
Will Sewanee revoke the honorary degree they gave to Eric Metaxas in 2015?
I am surprised to learn that Sewanee: The University of the South gave Metaxas an honorary degree in the first place, especially after his Dietrich Bonhoeffer biography was roundly panned by Bonhoeffer scholars. Now hundreds of Sewanee faculty, students, and […]
From the archives: “Twitter and the Historical Profession”
A reference to my article “Twitter the Historical Profession” is circulating on Twitter today. I completely forgot that I wrote this piece back in 2017 for The American Historian, the magazine of the Organization of American Historians. It seems so […]
Eric Metaxas wants your vote for culture warrior of the year!
Christian politics at its “best.” By the way, he’s right about Candace Owen. Last year she beat out Alan Sears, founder of Alliance Defending Freedom; actor Gary Sinise; Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA; Abby Johnson, pro-life advocate; and […]
David Blight coming to Messiah University!
On Tuesday, October 12, Yale historian David Blight will deliver the 2021 Messiah University American Democracy Lecture. Free tickets are still available. They can be reserved at the Messiah ticket office: 717-691-6036. On Wednesday, October 13, I will join my […]
How to support CURRENT
We just passed the sixth-month mark at Current. Things are moving along. We have built a small part-time staff that includes an associate editor, business manager, and podcast producer, and we are getting very close to paying our wonderful writers. But […]
Kathleen Parker on religious liberty…in 2004
As I prepared for this week’s episode of A History of Evangelicals and Politics podcast I came across a column from syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker. I read it in the June 28, 2004 issue of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. […]
The president of a new conservative organization of Christian colleges misrepresents those Christian schools who did not join his group
David Jesse, a journalist with the Detroit Free Press and a graduate of conservative evangelical Cornerstone University, has a long piece on Christian colleges titled “Some conservative Christian colleges see growth where other schools see declines.” Read it here. Let’s […]
Evangelical roundup for October 11, 2021
What is happening in Evangelical land? What would Edmund Burke say about what evangelicals call “conservatism.” White evangelicals in denial: https://twitter.com/pastordmack/status/1446845242657869831 Francis Collins on science and faith. He is till trying to get evangelicals to take the vaccine. I am […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Lee Robson reviews Louis Menand, The Free World The Fisk Jubilee Singers “Problematic“ Herd immunity in historical perspective Seeing people, not groups Rod Dreher on Francis Collins The collapse of […]
Changes at the Omohundro Institute
Here is the press release: WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Oct. 8, 2021) – Colonial Williamsburg has renewed its commitment to independent scholarly research by joining William & Mary to financially support the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture. The Omohundro Institute […]
David Barton’s son talks slavery and Black history with sportswriter Jason Whitlock. It is a train wreck.
Tim Barton, the son of David Barton, appeared on sports writer Jason Whitlock‘s show “Fearless.” The show is part of Glenn Beck’s “Blaze Media.” Whitlock joined Blaze Media because he “wanted to partner with people who wouldn’t look at me […]
What is going on in Idaho?
I am a little late to this story, but it seems to set up a rip-roaring election in November. While GOP governor Brad Little was in Texas, his Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin grabbed the reins and banned COVID-19 passports and […]