Readers of this blog know that I am a big N.T. Wright fan. His book on the resurrection, The Resurrection of the Son of God, strengthened my Christian faith. Today I want to call your attention to Wright’s new book […]
Way of Improvement
Jim Jordan takes a third shot at the House speakership. This time he’s invoking the Wright brothers, Neil Armstrong, and 2 Timothy 4:7
As I type, the House of Representatives is about to consider Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s candidacy for Speaker of the House. On the first vote, Jordan was unable to garner the 217 votes he needed. 20 Republicans voted against him. […]
Monmouth University (NJ) will build a new building for The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music
Here is Chris Jordan at The Asbury Park Press: This building is born to educate. The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music announced on Wednesday, Oct. 18, that a new center on the campus of Monmouth University will […]
Election denier Sidney Powell just flipped
This is huge. Sidney Powell was “in the room where it happened.” She is now working for the prosecution in the Georgia election fraud case against Donald Trump and others. Here is CNN: Former Donald Trump attorney Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty […]
Evangelical roundup for October 19, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicals in Jordan call for “peace and justice” in the Middle East. Iowa evangelical kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats is now endorsing school board candidates. Shane Claiborne stays on message: How a “Charismatic Baptist” became […]
Historian Jane Kamensky is the new president at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Kamensky comes to Charlottesville from Harvard University’s history department. Here is the press release: CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the private nonprofit that owns and operates Monticello, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Kamensky, Ph.D., as […]
What is it like to be Nebraska GOP Congressman Don Bacon today?
Don Bacon represents Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. Yesterday he was the first Republican member of Congress to refuse to vote for Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House. And then this happened to his wife: Here is Jordain Carney, Sarah […]
Former Southern Baptist seminary president Adam Greenway’s $11k espresso machine was actually only $5,952.67
OK, I feel much better now. 😉 Back in June we called your attention to the drama at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. It appears that president Adam Greenway was a big spender. He spent $1.5 million […]
Missouri senator Josh Hawley wants a “Christian Democracy”
Josh Hawley believes that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. He supported the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021 and then tried to raise money off it. He is a regular speaker at Christian Right and political conferences. And he supports […]
UPenn administrator: “Students spouting ideological catchphrases have revealed their moral obliviousness and the deficiency of their educations”
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is a physician and vice provost for global initiatives and a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Here is a taste of his New York Times piece: “The Moral Deficiences of […]
Israel-based progressive intellectuals and peace activists call for a “return to a politics based on humanistic and universal principles”
Several dozen Israeli-based academic progressives and peace activists have signed this letter. They are correct to suggest that the usual identity politics we often hear coming out of colleges and universities seem hollow in the wake of October 7, 2023. […]
David Mills loves Pittsburgh
When he was an editor at Touchstone Magazine, David Mills published a longform piece I wrote on the perils of providential history. He is now the associate editorial page editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. And he loves his adopted hometown. […]
“Just war” evangelical leaders issue a statement supporting Israel
The letter calls for “the salvation and peace of the people of Israel and Palestine.” It distinguishes between the people of Palestine and Hamas. It also invokes Just War theory. Here is Bob Smietana at Religion News Service: Addressing policymakers […]
Conor Friedersdorf: “Students for Pogroms in Israel”
If you haven’t seen it yet, The Atlantic writer Conor Firedersdorf has written a critique of student activists who are “excusing murder and kidnapping” in Israel. Here is a taste of “Students for Pogroms in Israel“: Across America, millions of […]
Speaker of the House George W. Bush?
As of the publication of this post the House of Representatives has been without a Speaker for 13 days and roughly 17 hours. Later today, the House will convene to vote on Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s candidacy. Last night, Kentucky […]
CBS News, Christian nationalism, coffee, and my cluttered home office
It looks like this 2021 CBS News video is making the rounds again–at least in my social media world. CBS asked me to offer commentary on Christian nationalism, but I had no idea I would be making coffee (go Messiah […]
Donald Trump: The Lord’s apostle
Here is Roger Stone at this weekend’s “Pastors for Trump” conference in Miami: Apparently Trump prays with Stone: Meanwhile, Stone’s partner in Christian Trumpism, former National Security Director Michael Flynn, will do a cameo with you for $150:
Episode 120: “Popular Historians in Post-War America”
Should professional historians write for the general public? If so, who is the “public” they are trying to reach? And when historians do write for the public how do they manage to make their work readable and accessible without sacrificing […]
Evangelical roundup for October 16, 2023
What is happening in Evangelical land? For many American evangelicals, neutrality on matters related to Israel is not an option. The history of evangelical views on Israel. Andy Stanley and the future of American evangelicalism. Covenant College has a new […]
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: A helpful timeline of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Danielle Allen: America’s “domestic dysfunction and internal division leave out allies around the globe vulnerable.” Lonely roads Jennifer Szalai reviews Fergus M. Bordewich, […]