I am guessing a lot of the Southern Baptist theobros and others will be upset with the title of this post. But it was all that came to mind after I received a note from an old friend from Bible […]
culture wars
The roots of our school wars
Over at Politico, historian Joshua Zeitz traces the roots of our school battles to the 1925 Scopes Trial. Here is a taste: At first glance, today’s school wars seem like a cut and dried case of modernity versus tradition, secularism […]
The Author’s Corner with Brendan J. J. Payne
Brendan J. J. Payne is Assistant Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at North Greenville University. This interview is based on his new book, Gin, Jesus, and Jim Crow: Prohibition and the Transformation of Racial and […]
On “vicious political disagreement” and civic life
Here is a taste of Quinta Jurecic‘s piece at The Atlantic: Recently, pundits and journalists have tended to frame worries over the presence of violence in American politics as a question of whether the United States is slipping into a second civil war. There are […]
Current on abortion
In light of the leaked Samuel Alito draft, I thought I would post links to a few pieces at Current that have addressed the issue of abortion. I am sure there will be more to say once we hear more […]
Most parents are not following the culture war in schools
National Public Radio reports on its recent national poll. A taste: Republican governors like Ron DeSantis in Florida and Glenn Youngkin in Virginia have helped make parents’ rights into a major political talking point, and Republican-aligned groups like No Left Turn In Education […]
John Inazu on the anti-woke victory at Grove City College
John Inazu teaches law at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author of Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference (University of Chicago Press, 2016) and (with Tim Keller) Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of […]
The Great MyPillow Airlift
Forget about the Berlin Airlift. Mike “MyPillow Guy” Lindell is planning a Canadian airlift. You can’t make this stuff up. Here is Zachary Petrizzo of The Daily Beast: After his initial Tuesday shipment of MyPillow products was denied entry into Canada, Mike Lindell now […]
The director of Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center knows who we are. Is he rounding-up a posse and coming for us?
Ryan Helfenbein’s Twitter bio says that he is a “Christ Follower,” a “Husband and Father,” and a “Texas native.” He also uses the Latin phrase “Soli Dei Gloria” (“glory to God alone”). Helfenbein holds a Master of Divinity degree from […]
From the archives: “Was There a Golden Age of Christmas in America?”
This piece first appeared in the Pacific Standard (now defunct) on December 11, 2011 —JF The so-called “War on Christmas” has reared its ugly head again. Conservative Christians—most of them evangelicals—have hit the airwaves and lecture circuits to warn their […]
Do you think America is divided today? Consider the first Thanksgiving
The first official Thanksgiving in the United States did not take place in 1621. (How could it? There was no United States in 1621). It happened in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, proclaimed that Thursday, November 26 would […]
Episode 28: “How Mel Gibson’s ‘ The Passion of the Christ’ Fueled the Culture Wars”
In 2004, George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove said he was going to turn the presidential election into one between those who went to see the movie and those that did not. Episode 28: “How Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of […]
The Wall Street Journal will run its traditional Thanksgiving editorials
Here is the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal: Since 1961 we’ve run a pair of editorials written by our former editor Vermont Royster. The first is a historical account about the Pilgrims in 1620 as related by William Bradford, a […]
Episode 27: “Evangelicals Get Passionate About the ‘The Passion of the Christ'”
Hollywood star Mel Gibson releases a movie about the last week of the life of Jesus and it opens a new front in the culture wars. Episode 27: “Evangelicals Get Passionate About the ‘The Passion of the Christ’” dropped last […]
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 […]
Are the culture wars in schools worse than ever before?
Historian of education Jonathan Zimmerman thinks so. Here is a taste of the University of Pennsylvania professor’s recent piece at Politico: Steve Bannon is right: The road to saving the nation runs through our schools. The real question is which […]
Episode 16: “The Massachusetts Legislature Holds a Constitutional Convention”
Opponents of same-sex marriage in the Bay State try to pass a constitutional amendment Episode 16: “The Massachusetts Legislature Holds a Constitutional Convention” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this narrative history podcast. Here’s a teaser: […]
The battle for the public library
It looks like some conservatives are running for local library boards so they can remove books on race and racism from the stacks. And conservatives complain about something called “cancel culture.” Wow. This is what fearful people do. Here is […]
Episode 11: “A New Front in the Culture Wars”
A state supreme court considers gay marriage. Episode 11: “A New Front in the Culture Wars” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this narrative history podcast. Here is a teaser: Listen to Episodes 0, 1, and […]
What is going on at Cairn University?
This one hits close to home. As I recently discussed in a few episodes of the A History of Evangelicals and Politics podcast, I am a Cairn University graduate. Here is Claudia Lauer of the Associated Press: A small Christian […]