Our guest in this episode is Gettysburg College historian Jill Ogline Titus. Her new book, Gettysburg 1963, tells the story of the centennial celebration of the Civil War in the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg. Through an examination of the experiences of political […]
podcasts
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 […]
Episode 93: A Story of Faith and Conspiracy in Revolutionary America
Less than a year after the American Revolution, a group of North Carolina farmers hatched a plot to assassinate the colony’s leading patriots, including the governor. In this episode, Boston University historian Brendan McConville talks about the Gourd Patch Conspiracy. […]
Trump, Christian nationalism and making coffee on camera: an interview with WORD & WAY
I was recently a guest on Brian Kaylor’s podcast “Dangerous Dogma.” The podcast is sponsored by Word & Way, a Christian magazine edited by Brian Kaylor. Learn more here. Listen: Brian and I were recently featured on a CBS mini-documentary […]
Episode 21: “The Pro-Federal Marriage Amendment Coalition Emerges”
Evangelicals rally around George W. Bush Episode 21: “The Pro-Federal Marriage Amendment Coalition Emerges” 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 2 here. If […]
Episode 90: The Gospel According to Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh was a celebrated aviator, the father of the baby abducted in the “crime of the century,” a Nazi sympathizer, and a believer in eugenics. He also carried a small New Testament with him as he entered the South […]
“A History of Evangelical and Politics” podcast is on break this week
No episode this week. Feel free to use the break to get caught-up on previous episodes. Those who do not subscribe to the podcast can listen to listen to Episodes 0, 1, and 2 here. If you like what you hear, […]
Episode 17: “The City by the Bay Starts Marrying Same-Sex Couples”
San Francisco beats Massachusetts to the punch and starts issuing marriage licenses. The Christian Right responds. Episode 17: “The City by the Bay Starts Marrying Same-Sex Couples” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this narrative history […]
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: […]
Clearing-up some confusion about the Current podcasts
Current is the home of two podcasts. I host The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast. I have hosted it for for five years. It predates Current. This podcast is interview-driven. Our guests are historians. It is also FREE! You […]
Episode 87: Religion and the American Revolution
In her new book Religion and the American Revolution: An Imperial History, historian Katherine Carte offers a major reassessment of the relationship between Christianity and the American Revolution. She argues that religion helped set the terms by which Anglo-Americans encountered the […]
Are you listening to The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast?
As some of you know, Current houses two podcasts. Yesterday we dropped Episode 10 of “A History of Evangelicals and Politics.” This podcast is available to patrons at the Longshore tier and above. You can listen to the first three […]
Episode 84: How “Biblical Womanhood” Became Gospel Truth
After a several month hiatus, The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast is back with new episodes. We have some incredible guests lined-up this summer! In this Episode 84 we talk to historian Beth Allison Barr about her book The Making […]
Episode 8: “The Democrats Search for Faith”
The Democrats struggle to connect religion and politics as the 2004 election season begins. Episode 8: “The Democrats Search for Faith” dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this narrative history podcast. Here is a teaser: Listen […]
The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast will be back later this month!
After a few months of hiatus, The Way of Improvement Leads Home Podcast will be back in a few weeks with new episodes. Stay tuned! In the meantime, get caught up with past episodes. Our last string of episodes featured: […]
The second episode of “A History of Evangelicals and Politics” podcast is here!
Episode 1: “The Religious Making of a President” (our second episode) dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this brand new narrative history podcast. In this episode I talk about the differences between my conversion experience […]
How do we have “thick” conversations when our mediums are so “thin”?
Ezra Klein talks to University of North Carolina sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom. They cover a broad range of topics such as writing for public audiences, nostalgia, blogging, generational change, race, disabilities, moral panic, social class, status, blondness, smartness, and the […]
“A History of Evangelicals and Politics” podcast is here!
Our patrons-only podcast dropped last night. Subscribers to Current at the Longshore level and above receive this brand new narrative history podcast. In order to encourage folks to sign-up, we have decided to drop the opening episode–Episode 0: Introduction–below. If […]
Saturday Night Light spoofs the Obama-Springsteen podcast
Watch: Check out Tony Norman’s piece at Current: “Born to Reborn.”