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Academia

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September 2026

September 07, 2026

Angelina Grimké and the Turmoils of Perfection

Angelina Grimké shot like a meteor across the firmament of American abolitionism. She first came...

August 2026

August 18, 2026

Corrupting the Youth? What Universities Are Really For

On the Ethics of the University For his crimes, Socrates was put to death by...

December 2025

December 23, 2025

My Farewell to the Anxious Bench

After five and a half years on the Anxious Bench, the time has come to...

December 08, 2025

Education, Politics, and DEI . . . Again

Ms. Samantha Fulnecky's grade of zero that she earned on a reflection paper she submitted...

May 2025

May 13, 2025

Waterlilly: Kinship, History, and the Novel

"[T]here is no image of an American Indian intellectual" wrote the Lakota literary theorist Elizabeth...

February 2025

February 04, 2025

How History Helps Us Stave Off Despair

For today's post, I'm pleased to welcome Dr. Skylar Ray back to the Anxious Bench!...

January 2025

January 14, 2025

History and Ourselves: Story, The Past, and Responsibility

David Blight, the eminent Civil War historian, begins every class he teaches in the same...

October 2024

October 29, 2024

DEI at the University of Michigan: What Went Right?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the University of Michigan are a “failure”—at least...

October 07, 2024

Still Scandalized: Another Noll Review

I have been writing and thinking a lot about evangelicalism, the myth of evangelical consensus,...

September 2024

September 02, 2024

Who are Evangelicals, Again? Two Historians Weigh in…Again

In a recent, already field-defining, essay in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion,...

August 2024

August 13, 2024

An Unexpected Friendship’s Influence

In the spring semester, I did a bit of research towards a project that while...

June 2024

June 12, 2024

Saluting the Translators

One of my first public posts ever declared my first experiences of reading literature from...

May 2024

May 15, 2024

Sheep in Wolves’ Clothing: A Parable and a Provocation

“If you converse with these missionaries of Christian civilization, you will be surprised to…meet a...

May 06, 2024

Faithful Learning in Institutional Contexts, w/ Allie Lopez

Faithful Learning in Different Institutional Contexts: A Conversation with Allie Roberts Lopez We have been...

March 2024

March 20, 2024

Family History, Pretendians, and the Politics of Recognition

“You should always be proud of being an Indian. But never tell anyone.” This was...

March 13, 2024

Reading for Life: Memories of Calderón in Costa Rica

I have heard the name Wendell Berry for years, but I have never made the...

March 04, 2024

What Happened with Rosaria Butterfield?

Several weeks ago, while browsing at my local public library, I came across Rosaria Butterfield’s...

February 2024

February 21, 2024

To Be Looked For: Towards a Philosophy of History

“You need a language with which to express things, which at a certain age you...

January 2024

January 17, 2024

“Each Separate Anguish”: Death, Influence, and Carrying On

  One of America’s greatest poets and bards, Billy Joel, told us only the good...

October 2023

October 01, 2023

A Conversation with Dr. Andrew Whitehead

Last month I had the privilege of talking with Andrew Whitehead, Associate Professor of Sociology...

September 2023

September 25, 2023

“God is a God of Action”: A Conversation with Felipe Hinojosa on Latino Religious Politics, Scholarship, and the Public Good

  The past two weeks—the opening days of National Hispanic Heritage Month—have been marked by...

July 2023

July 03, 2023

On the Students for Fair Admission v. President and Fellows of Harvard decision

On Thursday June 29, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in college admissions in...

June 2023

June 09, 2023

On Being A Historian, Tourist, and Awkward Guest

I’m spending 10 weeks out of the country this summer, either for work or pleasure...

June 05, 2023

Interview with Dr. Lloyd Barba

Today I have the great privilege of speaking with Dr. Lloyd Barba, Assistant Professor of...

May 2023

May 10, 2023

Discerning Vocation: Walking Away from Academia

It seems that whenever I hear Christians talk about the consequences of Adam and Eve's...

October 2022

October 26, 2022

Can Pluralism Work in American Higher Education?

In 2005, I entered Notre Dame as a wide-eyed young PhD student to study the...

October 07, 2022

Royalty Chic and the Upside Down Kingdom

  On a recent trip to New York City to binge on musical theater, my...

September 2022

September 14, 2022

Redeeming Email: Electronic Epistolography for the Glory of God

Every morning, grasping for dear life that first crucial cup of coffee of the day...

September 05, 2022

On History and Justice: An Interview with Dr. Jemar Tisby

Hello all! It's a great privilege to be in the lineup here at the Anxious...

June 2022

June 08, 2022

An Open Letter to Baptist Higher Education After the Death of Judson College

Today I welcome Stephanie Peek to The Anxious Bench. Dr. Peek completed her PhD in...

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