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Meet the Emergent Jews

For almost a decade the “emergent” movement has been a peculiar subculture on the borders of evangelical Christianity. Members of the movement—or “conversation” as they prefer to call it—tend to be known more for their cultural choices (Likes: tattoos, cussing, . . . . Continue Reading »

Of Philosophers and Slaves

In the In the First Circle: The First Uncensored Edition, there is a striking scene that I’d like to highlight. Most of the characters in the book inhabit one of the Moscow Sharaskas in the early 50s. A Sharaska was a special prison camp, unlike the work camps, the conditions of these camps . . . . Continue Reading »

Harvard’s New Literary History of America

Having just received my own review copy of A New Literary History of America from Harvard University Press, I was intrigued to read Mark Bauerlein and Priscilla Ward’s email exchange on the book over at The Chronicle of Higher Education . Unsurprisingly, the book does not just focus on . . . . Continue Reading »

The Banality Kerfuffle

I woke up to discover that more or less everything I wanted to say last night about Ron Rosenbaum’s misbegotten hit job on Hannah Arendt and her conception of the banality of evil has been said this morning at length by Steven Menashi at the American Scene. (Extra fun: in touching on Carlin . . . . Continue Reading »

Gandalf Hates Leviticus

In the Lord of the Rings films, British actor Ian McKellen played Gandalf, a wizard who helps protect Middle-earth from the forces of evil. But in real he plays a censor, protecting hotel guests from the nefarious collaboration of Moses and the Gideons: Details: Is it true that when you stay at . . . . Continue Reading »

In Praise of Low-Minded Christians

Proving there is nothing new under the sun that entrepreneurial Christians won’t want to slap a “Jesus fish” on, today marks the emergence of www.ChristianChirp.com, a social media site that is to Twitter what Fireproof is to Citizen Kane.Yes, “chirping” is annoying. . . . . Continue Reading »

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