It’s now up to the voters to show the foresight and selflessness necessary to preserve the nation’s democracy.
religion and politics
A revealing episode of the television drama “The West Wing” is making its rounds on social media:
Watch:
The Author’s Corner with Diane Winston
Diane Winston is Associate Professor of Journalism and Knight Center Chair in Media and Religion at the University of Southern California, Annenberg. This interview is based on her new book, Righting the American Dream: How the Media Mainstreamed Reagan’s Evangelical […]
Burge: “People are picking their religion based on their politics, not their politics based on their religion.”
Political scientist Ryan Burge writes: “There is no doubt in my mind that politics is one of the main culprits for the emptying out of American religion.” After laying out his statistical case, Burge adds: Social behavior doesn’t just change […]
How Ben Carson appropriated the Asbury Revival at CPAC
Check out our full coverage of the Asbury Revival. The former HUD director and presidential candidate’s speech this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference praised the founding fathers, repeated the myth that Ben Franklin led the Constitutional Conventional in […]
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 […]
Jimmy Carter: Evangelical politician
Here is Lori Amber Roessner at The Conversation: Carter continued to share his understanding of the gospel with journalists and their audiences in a plain-spoken manner, even though it was not always advantageous to his political fortunes. For instance, after […]
The National Prayer Breakfast is next week. “The Family” is not running it.
Some of you may remember Jeffrey Sharlet’s The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Most people learned about “The Family” (or The Fellowship) from the 2019 Netflix series based on the book. I reviewed the Netflix […]
The Times (London) on Trump’s former court evangelicals and the 2024 election
I was happy to help The Times with this piece. Click here for larger context. Here is a taste of David Charter’s article: John Fea, a historian at Messiah College who studies evangelical culture and politics, said: “This is a […]
Trump says evangelicals who have yet to back his 2024 candidacy are disloyal
Some of Trump’s most prominent court evangelicals have yet to back his 2024 presidential candidacy. Trump is not happy about it: More here. Is the contractual relationship over? Trump delivered for conservative evangelicals. They got the Supreme Court. Roe v. […]
Evangelical roundup: Damar Hamlin and Speaker of the House edition
Here is what evangelical Christians are saying about Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin and the drama that took place today in the House of Representatives: On Hamlin: This is becoming a popular position on the MAGA-loving Christian Right: Lance Wallnau: […]
Jay Green on Christian political discourse and the liberal tradition
I hope you get a chance to read historian Jay Green’s piece today at Current. Green writes: “I don’t think there has been a time in my life when the need to secure and reenergize the liberal tradition has been […]
Is National Conservatism Christian?
Over at The Bulwark, historian Joshua Tait writes, “Christianity’s emphasis on forgiveness, suffering, the meek and poor runs totally counter to the tendencies of the New Right and National Conservatism. Here is a taste of his piece: Within National Conservative […]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis believes he is God’s anointed one
Donald Trump said this week that he will probably run for president in 2024. Many are saying that Ron DeSantis will also run for president in 2024. This could put some evangelicals in a real dilemma. Will they vote for […]
Should America be a Christian nation?
45% of Americans say the United States should be a Christian nation, according to a new study from Pew Research. An even higher number–60%–believe that the founding fathers “originally intended” for the United States to be a Christian nation. And […]
Michael Wear, a former Obama faith adviser, launches the Center for Christianity and Public Life
Here is Jon Ward of Yahoo news: At 34 years old, Michael Wear has already been a faith adviser to an American president, written two books and developed a reputation as a thoughtful and connected leader in American politics and […]
“Postcards from Babylon”
During the pandemic I participated in this movie. It is now available, at least for the moment, for free. It is worth your time:
Dinesh D’Souza, a Christian apologist, calls Bill Barr an overweight, immobile, “Fatso.”
Dinesh D’Souza is the former president of a Christian College and the author of What is So Great About Christianity. He is also a financial huckster who needed a Trump pardon. His version of “Christian” politics was on full display […]
Episode 38: “The Johnson Amendment”
How to endorse a political candidate without endorsing a political candidate. Episode 38: “The Johnson Amendment” dropped last night. 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 […]
A.R. Bernard: What were you thinking inviting Chuck Schumer to your church on Easter Sunday?
In case you missed it, Chuck Schumer recently spoke–on Easter Sunday–at A.R. Bernard’s Christian Cultural Center, a megachurch in Brooklyn. Some of you may remember A.R. Bernard. He was one of the original Trump court evangelicals, but quickly left the […]