Valparaiso University, the Lutheran college in northwest Indiana where I taught from 2000-2002 as a Lilly Fellow in Arts and Humanities, is considering cutting majors in German, Spanish, Global Studies, Music, Astronomy, International Relations, Theology, Theology and Ministry, and Philosophy. […]
Way of Improvement
Evangelical roundup for April 11, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Conservative evangelicals want Trump to do more on abortion. I have never heard of Josh Garrels, but he is apparently a “prominent Christian musician.” The Red Letter Christians think he may be a coward. […]
Cornel West announces his running mate. It’s Melina Abdullah
In case you forgot, the Black intellectual Cornel West is running for president as an independent. Today he chose his running mate. She is Melina Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African Studies at the University of California-Los Angeles. Here is her […]
What has happened to National Public Radio?
By this point some of you have seen Uri Berliner’s piece at The Free Press: “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.” The subtitle: “Uri Berliner, a veteran at the public radio institution, says […]
Should we fear “collectivism?”
Over at Jacobin, Luke Savage explains and counters the Right’s misunderstanding of “collectivism.” Here is a taste: Contrary to what the Right asserts, the Left is not animated by a rigid determinism that seeks to stamp out the individual or […]
Happy 3rd birthday to CURRENT! Will you consider helping us make it to our 4th?
More than three years ago, Eric Miller, Jay Green, and I talked about starting a journal of opinion and commentary. We imagined publishing a daily essay and transferring my nearly fifteen-year-old blog, The Way of Improvement Leads Home, to the […]
The NAIA: Only “student-athletes whose biological sex is female” may participate in women’s sports
Here is CNN: The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics voted to adopt a new policy Monday that effectively bans transgender women from participating in most of its women’s intercollegiate sports programs. The NAIA, an athletic association consisting of 241 mostly small member colleges and universities as of 2023, governs intercollegiate athletics for more than […]
Trump takes a pro-choice position on abortion. Tells everyone to “follow their heart.” Some evangelical leaders respond, but most show no outrage.
This morning Donald Trump announced that abortion was a decision best left up to the people in the states. Watch: Two quick thoughts: The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America came out quickly this morning with this: “We are deeply disappointed […]
The Author’s Corner with Felicia B. George
Felicia B. George is Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Wayne State University. This interview is based on her new book, When Detroit Played the Numbers: Gambling’s History and Cultural Impact on the Motor City (Wayne State University Press, 2024). JF: […]
Evangelical roundup for April 8, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? What can American evangelicals learn from the global church? Compassion for rural ministers. Micah Watson reviews Russell Moore’s Losing Our Religion. Ukraine evangelicals need U.S. support Shane on the earthquake and book deals: Is […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Can Biden go right and left at the same time? When America was “begging richer allies for help“ Raymond Williams and hope An administrator tells and English professor to do […]
What is popular this week at <em>Current</em>?
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 April 4, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Hispanic evangelicals are a growing force. Evangelicals: Politically diverse, biblically similar. I think Mike Huckabee agrees. Evangelicals and in vitro fertilization. Thomas Schirrmacher resigns as General Secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance Esau McCaulley […]
The Author’s Corner with Jeffrey E. Anderson
Jeffrey E. Anderson is Professor of History and Associate Director of the School of Humanities at the University of Louisiana Monroe. This interview is based on his new book, Voodoo: An African American Religion (LSU Press, 2024). JF: What led […]
Franklin Graham praises Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his “honesty”
In case you missed it, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president as an independent, told CNN’s Erin Barnett that Joe Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump. Watch: Franklin Graham liked what he heard: […]
The cowardice of ten United States Senators
Republican Senators could have “ended Donald Trump’s political career,” but ‘they chose not to.” Today at The Atlantic, editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg offers a list of the “cowards.” They are Rob Portman (OH), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Chuck Grassley (IA), Mitch […]
Christian Zionism is “one of the most successful…interfaith movements in the modern world”
If you want to understand Christian Zionism, evangelicals’ understanding of Israel, or dispensationalism, you need to be familiar with the work of historian Daniel Hummel. (Check out his work at Current here and our podcast interview with him here). In […]
What’s wrong with reading during the day?
Stephanie Shapiro, a retired writer and former journalist from Baltimore, feels guilty reading during the day. I’ve often felt the same way (and I am paid to read). I chalk it up to my working class background. As a kid […]
The Author’s Corner with Steven Peach
Steven Peach is Associate Professor of History at Tarleton State University. This interview is based on his new book, Rivers of Power: Creek Political Culture in the Native South, 1750–1815 (University of Oklahoma Press, 2024). JF: What led you to […]
John Eastman, the architect of Trump’s “fake electors” scheme, is disbarred by the state of California
Slowly but surely, the people involved in overturning the results of the 2020 election are facing consequences for the roles they played in undermining democracy. Eastman is the latest. Who is Eastman? Watch: Here is Alex Griffing at Mediaite: John […]