When I was in graduate school, using the word “agency” was a favorite signal of one’s in-group status. In the cutthroat world of graduate history seminars, “agency” is a way to criticize “tropes” about people in the past. A commonly called-out “trope” is that “subalterns,” or... Read More →

The task of the commencement speaker is a curious one. After all, what can students learn inside of an hour that they have not learned over the long haul of four years? Cartoonist Garry Trudeau once said “Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing... Read More →

  Now that the COVID-19 crisis is rapidly subsiding due to widespread vaccinations and the increasing likelihood of herd immunity, people are returning to socializing. How refreshing it is to be with old and new friends at parties, sports events, and in church. Man is a... Read More →

State endorsement of Christianity (or any religion) is naturally temporary. Trends come and go, and with them all forms of tolerance—or intolerance. Yet Christians today seem to take comfort in perceiving ourselves to be in (secular) power; we should not. Read More →