Historian. Professor. Author, “Race and Redemption in Puritan New England” (OUP, 2011). northern AL in western NY Fly fisher •|||||||• RT ≠ endorsements
Dec 16, 2023 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
11) “Higher education is facing a crisis of public trust.” My concern here is that even if correct, how is an article rife with fear mongering doing fostering public trust? Are only those who agree with Sasse are “committed to the pursuit of truth”? I think not.
26/30
12) As someone in higher education, I value everything in this paragraph and especially the final phrase, reminding me that we “tend to the high calling of educating.” Of course, I also wonder how much of such educating Sasse himself has ever done.
27/30
Dec 16, 2023 • 32 tweets • 6 min read
I am a fan of and subscriber to @theatlantic. The writings there regularly challenge me to think critically about important issues. In fact, the recent December 2023 issue, _To Reconstruct the Nation_ is really fine work.
1/30
For the last day or so, many people that I follow on the “network-formerly-known-as-Twitter” have been promoting a recent article (linked below from Apple News) by @bensasse, a trained historian, former US Senator, and now university president.
🧵: Outside of the few racist (and I use that word intentionally) emails/replies I got yesterday (it really amazes what people will admit), the ones that actually interested me were when people took issue with my reading JE in light of Baldwin and Berry.
As a historian, I find this thinking often in the classroom. “This is a history course,” says the student, “why am I reading fiction or philosophy or whatever.” I think people really believe history is simply about dates and such and not a full-orbed effort to analyze a subject.
Oct 15, 2021 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
A 🧵, as I get ready to post my @TGC essay likely one final time. I should say I’ve had some really encouraging and thoughtful comments come my way today.
I’ve also had some rather atrocious hot takes— the kind where it’s clear the person didn’t really read what was written, but read what they wanted to see and then started typing away. I see such non-reads fairly regularly in the classroom and they’re easy enough to engage.
Oct 14, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Most days I don’t label myself an #exvangelical. And then most days I see a story or tweet (too often from people I know and whom I wrongly hoped knew better) that makes me pretty sure I’d probably rather label myself an #exvangelical.
Such conflicting sentiments came to the forefront of my thinking and writing when @IvanTable approached me a month or so ago about a piece for him and @TGC. Today, that essay (with its deliciously bland title—why are titles often so blah?) meets the rest of the world.
Feb 2, 2021 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
While this thread of tweets is aimed in some ways at particular followers, I certainly hope others will perhaps join in the sentiment and call for a similar response in your circle of followers.
My morning Twitter scrolling spiraled earlier today when I came across the letter I am sharing here—a letter that was sent to @pastordmack, a Black Southern Baptist (for now) pastor in Arlington, Texas.
Dec 10, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
So, (making certain I understand) when English puritan Paul Bayne uses the idea of “white” (read whiteness) to identify internal and external obedience in his 1643 treatment of Ephesians, he’s all Marxist, postmodern, and incompatible with the gospel, right? #criticalracetheory
What about Bostonian puritan Cotton Mather when he makes a similar move in “A Good Master Well Served” (1696) or “The Negro Christianized” (1706)?
