In recent months I have been lecturing and teaching quite a bit on key anniversaries – on the centennial of the end of First World War, but also on that other tumultuous year, 1968. The religious aspects of 1968 are not quite as legendary as other events and trends of that year, but they are extraordinarily significant. Looking at them today, the main lesson we learn is the gulf that separates contemporary perceptions of key trends from later views. What... Read more
Melissa argues that Christians outraged by the current family separation crisis need to transform government policies—but also hearts and minds in their own churches. Read more
It was a bright, sunny day in King’s Lynn last week. A faint breeze of sea salt, along with the echoing cries of sea gulls, reminded us that this was a port city. Although hidden at first by the twisting streets, the soaring towers of St. Margaret’s church (now King’s Lynn Minster) soon came into view. This is what I had come to see. The west facade alone made the trip worth it. 12th century stonework intertwines seamlessly with 13th... Read more
Chris looks back at the role of religion in the history of one of America's greatest state fairs. Read more
Fifty years ago, in July 1968, the Vatican issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae, “Of Human Life,” which prohibited virtually all forms of artificial contraception for Catholics. This has a claim to rank as one of the most important events in Christian (not just Catholic) history in the second half of the twentieth century, and perhaps the whole century. While the anniversary has received some attention, the fact that it is not better noticed today can actually be seen of just... Read more
My current work on strictly contemporary US history means that I am spending a lot of time with projections of the country in the near future. Many of those have potent religious implications – and as it turns out, especially for the American South. The Washington Post has a recent story by Philip Bump on population trends as they affect states and regions, the bottom line being “In about 20 years, half the population will live in eight states.” Eight... Read more
Despite their macabre subject matter, Quaker persecution narratives add color to histories of seventeenth-century New England. Compared to colonial court records, puritan sermons, and even many letters and diaries, Friends wrote vivid and rich accounts of their tribulations. The narratives also have done much to fix in the American mind the image of New England puritans as cruel tyrants. The Quakers published their accounts back in England with the hope that English officials would pressure New England magistrates to cease... Read more
I’m on a break from blogging as I conduct research in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. If you find yourself on vacation, here’s a beach-reading suggestion I made a couple of years ago. Enjoy! –David *** Before reading this book, I had never heard of netsuke, which are intricate miniature ornaments, usually carved from wood or ivory and representing people, animals, the professions, mythical creatures, and sexual acts. Worn to hang items from a kimono (which have no pockets), they reflect the... Read more
Meet our newest contributor: Melissa Borja, a specialist on the history of migration, religion, and Asian American culture. Read more
Children are very much with us in summer. If this summer’s most disheartening images feature migrant children separated from parents, one of its most lively comes in the box-office hit, Incredibles 2 , in the changeling person of the baby. It’s cute and funny, but not only. The baby, Jack-Jack, turns into a monster when his will is crossed. Or just whenever. Cookie denied or comfort compromised, the sweet dimpled infant may morph into a long-toothed fuschia troll, swell to giant size,... Read more
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