We are hearing a lot this year about the centennial of the First World War, and time and again, we hear what a “futile” and “meaningless” struggle that was. Obviously, then, by extension, US entry into that war – which we commemorate next month – must have been a tragic blunder. This is for instance a recurrent theme in multiple reviews of Michael Kazin’s recent book about anti-war movements of that era, War Against War: The American Fight for Peace,... Read more
Douglas Winiarski’s Darkness Falls on the Land of Light begins with the story of two couples in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. In the winter of 1748-1749, Hannah and John Corey withdrew from Sturbridge’s Congregational church, were baptized, and united themselves to a Separate congregation. The couple had belonged to the Sturbridge Congregational church for around seven years, but by the fall of 1748, Hannah Corey believed that God was telling her to “come out from amongst them.” (Coincidentally, the passage was a... Read more
Donald Trump did not win an election on November 8, 2016 — he won 30 elections, out of 51. Read more
Five reasons why Christians should learn to think historically about their past. Read more
I received much feedback from a piece I wrote for Inside Higher Ed. So, permit me the liberty of reprinting it for Anxious Bench readers. The original appeared here. It has been widely hypothesized that the type of identity politics nurtured on elite secular campuses helped produce the backlash that swept Donald Trump into office as president. “Fox News and other conservative media outlets,” wrote Mark Lilla in The New York Times, “make great sport of mocking ‘campus craziness’ that... Read more
By now, I’m sure you’ve all seen this video. If you haven’t, here you go. You’re welcome. I could write about all the reasons I find this video so absurdly funny, but instead I suggest you read Jonny Cooper’s “Anatomy of a Masterpiece.” Again, you’re welcome. Everybody in the world is laughing at—or let’s say with—this charming family. Except some feminists, apparently. Did you think this was a tragically funny moment that we can all relate to? Silly you. This... Read more
The newest issue of Christian History Magazine explores the effects of the two world wars on Christianity. Read more
Across the political spectrum, most Americans would automatically describe the country’s religious heritage as “Judeo-Christian.” Rarely, though, do they think about the origins of this term, or how exceedingly odd it would have appeared before the 1950s (and still does to many non-Americans). In fact, the Judeo-Christian concept has a highly political origin, and was a deliberate response to ugly conflicts that had badly tainted the simple “Christian” label. The Judeo-Christian label apparently originated with George Orwell, writing as recently... Read more
Thinking about Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' advocacy of school choice in light of the history of race and gender in American higher education Read more
If, after my last post Did Medieval Christians Know Jesus?, you realized you had no framework for understanding the Investiture Controversy, Fourth Lateran Council, or even transubstantiation; or, while eating a stack of pancakes for dinner last Tuesday (Fat Tuesday), you realized you had no idea why you were doing so; or, maybe, as one of my readers commented, it never occurred to you to realize that medieval Catholicism was different from modern Catholicism (stay tuned!); or, perhaps you totally embarrassed yourself... Read more
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