Here is a book that I look forward to reading but have not yet cracked open. Journalist Jack Jenkins (no relation!) has a new book out called American Prophets: The Religious Roots Of Progressive Politics And The Ongoing Fight For The Soul Of The Country (Harper One, 2020). And no, I am not just writing this on the tribal basis of “We Jenkinses must stick together.” Rather, he raises a critical point about the intersection of religion and politics throughout... Read more
“What became of the ten tribes of Israel,” asked former Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow, “when their own country and cities were planted and filled with strangers?” Winslow had a second question: “what family, tribe, kindred, or people was it that first planted, and afterwards filled that vast and long unknown country of America?” As did many Europeans and Americans who came after him, Winslow had one answer to these twin questions. “It is not less probable that these Indians should... Read more
David interviews Lauren Turek on her new book about evangelicals and human rights Read more
Do you want your kids to study history while they're home from school? Chris asked some fellow historians to share advice, ideas, and resources for parents who are trying to double as social studies teachers. Read more
In the conclusion of a forthcoming book, The Faiths of Others: A History of Interreligious Dialogue (Yale University Press), I itemize some of the more forceful criticisms made about the practice of interreligious dialogue today (and there are many), but I also give examples of hopeful signposts in the contemporary scene. Herewith are a few of the latter: The importance of involving young people in interfaith activity has become more widely recognized. Chicago’s Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) is a pioneer... Read more
Most modern readers find it hard to identify with ancient or medieval saints’ lives, written at times when people had such very different expectations of sanctity. We may or may not believe that Saint X healed lepers or foretold dynastic changes, but it’s hard to identify with the situations. What do the concerns of those early readers have to do with us? Well, here’s an exception. It’s called the Life of Severinus, and you can read it full text. It... Read more
Earlier this month, Fr. Lawrence Lucas, author of Black Priest, White Church and a prominent activist priest, passed away. To understand the impact of Fr. Lucas and the significance of the Black Catholic Movement more generally, I interviewed with Dr. Matthew Cressler, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the College of Charleston and author of Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migration (NYU Press, 2017). The following highlights of our conversation have been... Read more
For 9 years now, nearly every semester I have taught a survey course on the second half of American history. The story line is so deeply embedded in my brain that I could spontaneously regale you with nearly any lecture from this course. I have sometimes spontaneously regaled my friends with pieces of the narrative over lunch. I am grateful they are still my friends. American history is therefore the lens through which I see the present. As each new... Read more
By Elesha Coffman, Baylor University In this semester of Coronavirus, we professors who are accustomed to face-to-face teaching have to think hard about what we did in the classroom and how to translate that work into an online environment. In a previous job, I taught in-person and asynchronous online sections of the same class during the same semester, so I’ve had a bit more time to ponder this than many of my colleagues. During that earlier experience, I came to... Read more
Plenty of Christians (and Jews) are asking a question right now: given our current crisis, where should we turn in our Bibles for guidance, instruction and comfort? I wrote about the powerful Psalm 91, with its explicit references to plague and pestilence, and Psalm 121 has its adherents. From lots of possible answers, I offer a personal favorite text, namely the Letter of James, and specifically one section. Through the centuries, this section has had a really remarkable appeal worldwide,... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In