Louis De Caro, a church history professor at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York City, thinks so. Here is a taste of his piece at Christianity Today: Despite efforts on the part of some historians to portray him as heterodox,...
Way of Improvement
Evangelical roundup for June 20, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Will evangelicals endorse Trump in 2024? Charles Marsh on growing up evangelical. EGOD? The Gospel Coalition on Juneteenth. Beth and Russell: Will the Southern Baptist Convention be “smaller and purer or bigger and more...
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Baseball is changing David Sedaris writes thank-you notes Cornel West on pragmatism Since Watergate it has become more difficult to hold president’s accountable Harold Myerson reviews Gary Dorrien, American Democratic...
Episode 40: “Redeeming the Vote”
As election day draws near, the Christian Right gets out the vote. Episode 40: “Redeeming the Vote” dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. Here is a teaser: If you...
George Washington University will no longer be the “Colonials”
Here is Lauren Lumpkin at The Washington Post: George Washington University will retire its “Colonials” moniker, a name intended to honor its namesake but that has long been criticized as a term that glorifies colonialism, officials announced Wednesday. In a...
“God is watching us”
Yesterday, retired federal judge Michael Luttig testified before the House Select Committee on January 6th. Luttig is a veteran of the Reagan administration, clerked for Antonin Scalia and Warren Burger, and held various positions in the George W. Bush White...
The question Josh Shapiro should ask Doug Mastriano in the first Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate
Mastriano believes that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. He believes in the Big Lie. Josh Shapiro, his Democratic opponent in the 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, should ask him this question: Would you have done what Mike Pence did on...
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week at Current: John Fea, “Matthew McConaughey Goes Home“ Christine Bieber Lake, “Top Gun: The Joys We Can Imagine. The Joys We (Still) Can’t.“ John Fea, “The Trump Generation Is a Lost Cause.”...
What is going on at Seattle Pacific University?
Back in May, Seattle Pacific students held a sit-in. Here is Alejandra Molina on June 3 at Religion News Service: For nearly two weeks, students from Seattle Pacific University, a Christian school associated with the Free Methodist Church, have staged...
It’s time to step up, Mike. Do it for God and country!
Today the House January 6th Select Committee portrayed former vice-president Mike Pence as the savior of the republic. We learned that Pence refused to succumb to Donald Trump’s attempts to get him to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He and...
The Southern Baptist Convention wraps-up another tumultuous annual meeting
I was recently speaking with someone who grew up as an evangelical pastor’s kid. This person described the chaos and division that took place at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting this week in Anaheim as “what happens in every...
Calvin University faculty are “polishing their CVs” after the Christian Reformed Church codified its opposition to homosexual sex
The “polishing their CVs” quote comes from Calvin historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Here is a taste of Yonat Shimron’s piece at Religion News Service: The Christian Reformed Church, a small evangelical denomination of U.S. and Canadian churches, voted Wednesday...
Evangelical roundup for June 16, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Note: This roundup does not include links to what happened at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Anaheim this week. You can find our coverage on this event here and here. We also...
Reason accuses Princeton historian Kevin Kruse of plagiarism
Here is Phillip W. Magness at the libertarian magazine Reason: But a discovery from Kruse’s past may now put Princeton’s Twitter warrior under a microscope of his own, raising the question of whether he holds himself to the same standards...
Day 1 of the 3-ring circus is over. The Southern Baptists elect a new president.
Anyone following the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting this week in Anaheim is witnessing a denomination in shambles. The Convention has a serious sexual abuse problem to deal with and not everyone agrees that there is a problem or how...
Orthodox Presbyterian Church apologizes for racist remarks
Daniel Silliman has the story at Christianity Today. A taste: On Thursday afternoon, the proceedings were interrupted by a report from moderator David Nakhla, who said the General Assembly was in danger of getting kicked off the Eastern University campus...
On Martin’s Potato Rolls, Messiah University, and Doug Mastriano
I am not going to say much about James Walsh’s story. I helped him with it. We had multiple phone calls. I tried to get him to see the complexity of the Pennsylvania Anabaptist community, particularly as it relates to...
Voter fraud, attempts to steal the election, Charlie Kirk & Liberty University, and the potential ousting of Rick Warren’s church. And it’s only 9:25am in Anaheim!
Yes, the Southern Baptists are meeting in Anaheim this week. Later today they will elect a new president. We don’t have the time or the staff to follow all the details, so I am relying heavily on other more competent...
When do writers have time to write when they have to speak so much?
Someone recently told me that I need to write more like I talk. I think this person meant it as a compliment. I thought about that advice again after I read Beeca Rothfield recent piece at Gawker. I am by...
Ohio governor Mike DeWine wants guns in classrooms
DeWine will probably sign a bill that will allow teachers to carry weapons in their classrooms after 24 hours of training. Here is NPR on Ohio House Bill 99: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is poised to sign a bill on...