Congratulations to Professor Maffly-Kipp! Here is the press release: Weāre excited to welcome Prof. Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, who has been appointed the new Richard Lyman Bushman Chair of Mormon Studies at UVA, upon the retirement of Prof. Kathleen Flake. Maffly-Kipp...
Way of Improvement
The Author’s Corner with Shaun S. Nichols
Shaun S. Nichols is Assistant Professor of History at Boise State University. This interview is based on his new book, Manufacturing Catastrophe: Massachusetts and the Making of Global Capitalism, 1813 to the Present (Oxford University Press, 2024). JF: What led...
Evangelical roundup for March 25, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Reuters discovers Trump evangelical media. Are evangelicals responsible for violence in the Middle East? Evangelicals disrupt pre-Lenten partying in Brazil. World Vision on Gaza: Are evangelicals placing power over politics? Russell Moore tries to...
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week Cultural stagnation When a Black female head of a D.C. school was “punished for leading“ Paul Tillich Why some Girl Scout cookies get cut from the roster. Soong-Chan Rah reviews...
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week atĀ Current: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The Way of Improvement Leads HomeĀ blog: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The ArenaĀ blog:...
Evangelical roundup for March 21, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicals and the Middle East Remembering Letha Dawson Scanzoni Evangelicals in Cincinnati Three-quarters of white evangelicals think it is important to have a presidential candidate who shares their beliefs. 6% of white evangelical voters...
The Author’s Corner with Michael T. Bertrand
Michael T. Bertrand is Professor of History at Tennessee State University. This interview is based on his new book, Southern History Remixed: On Rock ānā Roll and the Dilemma of Race (University Press of Florida, 2024). JF: What led you...
Michael Douglas plays Benjamin Franklin in new miniseries
“Franklin” is coming soon. The miniseries, which will start on April 12, 2024, is based on Stacy Schiff’s A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. Watch:...
Eric Metaxas continues in his unhinged state
Eric Metaxas believes Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech was “satanic” and Biden himself is a “puppet of the devil” who displays a ‘horrifying malevolence.” Metaxas says that he has not seen such a level of lying before in...
The Author’s Corner with Elizabeth Kalbfleisch
Elizabeth Kalbfleisch is Associate Professor of English at Southern Connecticut State University. This interview is based on her new book, Making the Radical University: Identity and Politics on the American College Campus, 1966ā1991 (University of Massachusetts Press, 2024). JF: What led...
Mike Pence will not endorse Donald Trump. Does it really matter?
Last week Mike Pence announced that he would not endorse his former boss, Donald Trump, in the November 2024 presidential election. It made for an interesting story– but I doubt Pence’s decision will make any political difference. Why? Because I...
Evangelical Roundup for March 18, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land?: A new survey on evangelicals and social issues. Evangelical bestsellers. More and more evangelicals support immigration. Russell Moore talks with Marilynne Robinson about Genesis. Warren Throckmorton takes on The Case for Christian Nationalism: 93...
The Author’s Corner with Scott Gac
Scott Gac is Professor of History and American Studies at Trinity College. This interview is based on his new book, Born in Blood: Violence and the Making of America (Cambridge University Press, 2024). JF: What led you to write Born...
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: Culture warriors–on the left and the right–don’t know much about what happens in history classrooms. What are universities for? Enchantment and the future of the humanities. Jonathan Teubner reviews Peter...
The Author’s Corner with Mark Richard
Mark Richard is Professor of History and Canadian Studies at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. This interview is based on his new book, Catholics Across Borders: Canadian Immigrants in the North Country, Plattsburgh, New York, 1850-1950 (State...
What is popular this week at Current?
Here are the most popular features of the week atĀ Current: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The Way of Improvement Leads HomeĀ blog: Here are the most popular posts of the last week atĀ The ArenaĀ blog:...
American Bible Society closes its $60 million museum
American Bible Society (ABS) spent a lot of time and money to build the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center (FLDC). I was present at the first content planning meeting for this museum. During that meeting, the ABS planners believed that...
The Author’s Corner with Diego Javier Luis
Diego Javier Luis is Assistant Professor of History at Tufts University. This interview is based on his new book, The First Asians in the Americas: A Transpacific History (Harvard University Press, 2024). JF: What led you to write The First...
Evangelical roundup for March 14, 2024
What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelical and Catholic tensions on immigration Evangelicals are going to Israel as “wartime volunteers” Are Latino evangelicals rejecting the Democratic Party? More here. 100 evangelicals are in prison in Ortega’s Nicaragua. Pennsylvania churches raise...
Liberal Christians are more politically active than conservative Christians
Here is a taste of Ryan Burge’s recent study (bold type is his, not mine): Clearly, the conclusion that emerges here is that liberal Christians are more politically active.Ā In the case of attending political meetings, such as school board or...