Library of America just sent me a copy of Dan Barry’s edited collection Jimmy Breslin: Essential Writings. I grew-up reading Breslin, the quintessential New York journalist/columnist who used his succinct prose to tell stories of people living on the periphery […]
Way of Improvement
Evangelical roundup for April 29, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical Land? How evangelicals turned Mike Johnson on Ukraine aid? Jim Wallis’s “false white gospel“ What will evangelicals do about the Trump-Lake flip-flops on abortion? Shane is selling more shirts: Conservative evangelicals who oppose Christian nationalism […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Paul Berman excuses the Columbia students, but not the faculty. A new documentary on the work of Robert “Bowling Alone” Putnam. Why isn’t historian Johann Neem a talking head in […]
Song of the Day
Mechanicsburg to Nutley to Roanoke to Grand Rapids, and back to Mechanicsburg
What is trending this week at CURRENT?
Here are the most popular features of the week atĀ Current: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The Way of Improvement Leads HomeĀ blog: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The ArenaĀ blog:
Nikki Haley wins nearly 17% of the vote in the Pennsylvania GOP primary
Nikki Haley is no longer running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. But that did not stop her from getting 16.5% of the vote in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary. In other words, a significant portion of Pennsylvania […]
Evangelical roundup for April 25, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? How will the Mike Johnson-Marjorie Taylor Greene breakup affect Trump? The evangelicals who pushed Mike Johnson to push the Ukraine aid bill. And here. World Vision celebrates Earth Day: Evangelicals gather in Krakow, Poland. […]
Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Jenna Ellis face more indictments
This time it’s interference in the 2020 presidential election in Arizona: Here is Yvonne Wingett Sanchez at The Washington Post: An Arizona grand jury on Wednesday indicted seven attorneys and aides affiliated with Donald Trumpās 2020 presidential campaign as well […]
Historian Christopher Brown is not the only one calling for the resignation of Columbia University president Minouche Shafik
Earlier today we called your attention to Columbia University history professor Christopher Brown’s call for the resignation of president Minouche Shafik. He is not alone. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is also calling for Shafik’s resignation, albeit for very […]
Columbia history professor Christopher Brown says the NYPD does not belong on campus
Christopher Brown, the esteemed historian of slavery and abolition at Columbia University, recently spoke, draped in his Oxford University gown, at a rally in support of the student protesters on campus. He also said Columbia president Minouche Shafik should be […]
John McWhorter on the Columbia University campus protests
McWhorter is a Columbia University professor who is teaching classes amid the pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Here is a taste of his piece today at The New York Times: Although I know many Jewish people will disagree with me, I […]
Robert Kagan on antiliberalism and Christian nationalism
Here is an excerpt from Kagan’s book Rebellion: How Antiliberalism is Tearing America Apart. The excerpt is published today at The Washington Post: Trump not only acknowledges his goals, past and present; he promises to do it again if he […]
The former publisher of The National Enquirer testified today in the People v. Donald Trump
Today we were reminded of the sleazy tabloid world in which Donald Trump lived as he ran for president in 2016. David Pecker, Trump’s longtime friend (they are no longer speaking) and the publisher of the The National Enquirer testified […]
The Author’s Corner with Mauricio Castro
Mauricio Castro is Assistant Professor of History and Chair of Latin American Studies at Centre College. This interview is based on his new book, Only a Few Blocks to Cuba: Cold War Refugee Policy, the Cuban Diaspora, and the Transformation […]
Happy Earth Day!
Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was commemorated on April 22, 1970. I am reminded of these words from Neil Pogue’s book The Nature of the Religious Right: The Struggle Between Conservative Evangelicals and the Environmental Movement: Initially, […]
Christian nationalism, democratic discourse, and people from New Jersey trying harder
Last night I spoke at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania as part of a “Courageous Conversations” program sponsored by five area churches. The topic was “Christian Nationalism.” I spoke for about forty minutes and tried to […]
Kristi Noem auditions for the role of Trump’s VP
Did anyone watch Dana Bash’s interview with South Dakota governor Kristi Noem on CNN yesterday? Watch: If you want to be successful in Trumpian politics all you need to do is repeat, almost mechanically or robotically, Trump talking points. The […]
Columbia University moves classes online amid pro-Palestinian protests
Here is CBS News: Protests at Columbia University over theĀ Israel-Hamas warĀ are entering their sixth day Monday, sparking more safety concerns for students on campus.Ā Columbia University President Minouche Shafik announced classes will be remote Monday, “To deescalate the rancor and […]
Evangelical roundup for April 21, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Non-denominational evangelicals and the poor David French on the diversity of evangelicalism World Vision remembers Earth Day: Russian army turns on Ukrainian evangelicals Evangelical young people and opposition to same-sex relationships Shane Claiborne is […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Does the world still need Immanuel Kant? Jimmy Breslin on the 1962 Mets: “Basically, the trouble with the Mets is the way they play baseball.ā An Atlantic writer takes a […]