A Catholic expert on right-to-die cases testifies at the Terri Schiavo trial. Episode 54: “Respecting life, but not at all costs’ dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. To listen […]
podcasts
Episode 53: “Michael Schiavo Takes the Stand”
The 2000 Terri Schiavo trial gets under way. Episode 53: “Michael Schiavo Takes the Stand’ dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this narrative history podcast. To listen to previous episodes click the word […]
Episode 52: “Introducing the Terri Schiavo Case”
In the first half of 2005, the Christian Right poured all its energy into this controversial Florida right-to-life case. Episode 52: “Introducing the Terri Schiavo Case’ dropped today. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above have access to new episodes of this […]
Episode 109: “The Voice and Faith of Sojourner Truth”
In this episode we talk with historian and biographer Nancy Koester about her new book on nineteenth-century abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth. Our discussion focuses on Truth’s lifelong pursuit of a just society, a deeper knowledge of God, and […]
Episode 107: “The Politics of Smallpox in Revolutionary America”
The American Revolution happened in the midst of a smallpox epidemic. In one of the timeliest history books of the publishing season, historian Andrew Wehrman visits the podcast to talk about what the patriots of the American Revolution and the […]
Are you listening to WNYC’s “On the Media’s” podcast series on conservative talk radio?
We introduced you to this series here. Episode Four dropped today. I talked a bit about my experience with the Rush Limbaugh show in the early 1990s and introducing my Dad to the program. Here is WNYC’s “The Divided Dial: […]
Episode 106: “Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Long Walk Home'”
In this episode we chat with historian Jonathan D. Cohen about his edited collection Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen and the current state of “Springsteen Studies.” We also ask Cohen if there is any connection between his current book, For a Dollar […]
Eric Metaxas: “Spokesperson for election fraud conspiracies and an evangelist for a politicized God who would support going to battle for Donald Trump”
“On the Media” podcast tackles Eric Metaxas and Salem Media. It’s well done. The first episode shows how Salem radio hosts who refused to promote Trump were fired from the network. Ben Shapiro (once an anti-Trumper), Joe Walsh, and Michael […]
Episode 105: “‘Heathenism’ in America”
According to historian Kathryn Gin Lum, Americans have long viewed the world as a realm of suffering heathens whose lands and lives needed their intervention to flourish. The term “heathen” fell out of common use by the early 1900s, but […]
Episode 104: “The Roots of American Public Education”
Are you an educator? An administrator? A school board member? Does your life intersect in some way with a public school? If so, this episode is for you. We talk about the religion and transatlantic roots of American public education […]
Episode 50: “Happy Birthday Jesus!”
The Christian Right tries to “put the Christ back in Christmas” Episode 50: “’Happy Birthday Jesus!;’’” 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 like […]
Episode 103: Spiritual Socialists
Does the American Left have religion problem? What can progressives learn from people like Dorothy Day, Ignazio Silone, Henry Wallace, Staughton Lynd, and Cornel West? Many of these thinkers and activists offered a powerful vision for a moral and just […]
Episode 47: What Are “Moral Issues?”
And does the Christian Right have a sole claim on them? Episode 47: “What Are ‘Moral Issues?’” 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 […]
Episode 44: Moral Values Extend Beyond Abortion
Evangelical progressives and moderates on the eve of the 2004 election. Episode 44: “Moral Values Extend Beyond Abortion” 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 […]
Episode 100: Christian Historians as Activists?
In this episode, our 100th, host John Fea redelivers his 2022 Conference on Faith and History presidential address. Listen at: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeartRadio Spotify Podchaser Podbean The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast is a product of Current. If you […]
Episode 99: “Historicizing the Search for Roots”
Do you do genealogical research? In this episode, historian Francesca Morgan talks about her new book A Nation of Descendants: Politics and the Practice of Genealogy in U.S. History. She discusses Americans’ fascination with tracking family lineage through three centuries and how the […]
Episode 98: “Conversions: Spiritual and Political”
What do Sammy Davis Jr., Muhammad Ali, Clare Booth Luce, Whitaker Chambers, and Charles Colson all have in common? They all had very public religious conversions. In this episode, historian Rebecca Davis joins us to talk about her new book Public […]
Episode 97: “In Search of George Washington’s Hair”
Using America’s obsession with Washington’s hair as his window, historian Keith Beutler examines how “physicality,” or the use of the material objects, was the most important way early Americans (1790-1840)–museum founders, African Americans, evangelicals, and school teachers– remembered the nation’s […]
The “Leftist Bros” who teach fellow leftists about conservativism
Some of us at Current are regular listeners of the “Know Your Enemy” podcast. Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell have a great “on-air” rapport, they generally treat their subject matter fairly, and have great guests as conversation partners. Now The […]
Some brief reflections on “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill”
I had a couple of long drives this weekend so I was able to finish the last several episodes of “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” A sustained review of the podcast will take more time than I have […]