Reading Roundup (Summer 2023)
Looking to add to some items to your reading list? I've got you covered
We’re two weeks away from the end of summer break here in Northwest Arkansas,1 and just over three weeks out from the beginning of another academic year at John Brown University. I’ll be teaching four classes in Fall 2023, including Constitutional Law, Politics and Race in America, and a special course on anxiety, politics, and organizations from the lovely folks at Redeeming Babel.
While I’m thankful for yet another year of teaching and engaging with my students and colleagues, I will once again miss the relative freedom that accompanies my summers, especially when it comes to reading. It’s easy to neglect reading for pleasure and growth when the material on your syllabus constantly beckons.
In that spirit, here are some articles and books I’m thankful to have read before the start of a new semester, summarized in haiku form.2 First, the articles:
‘Gut-Level Hatred’ Is Consuming Our Political Life, by Thomas Edsall
Polarization
is more than partisanship;
it is everything.
Evaluating Religious Liberty in the States, by Mark Hall and Jordan Ballor
Which states are the best
for religious liberty?
Red and blue rank high.
The Fate of the Religious University, by Eboo Patel
Faith-based colleges
play a crucial role in our
pluralistic world.
How a Christian transgender man increased his faith by taking the fight over LGBTQ+ rights to religious schools, by John Fritze and Megan Smith
How should Christian schools
respond to gay/trans students?
The tension is real.
Religion as a Cultural and Political Identity, by Ryan Burge
Religion declines,
but people still claim it for
culture war reasons.
The Future of American Christianity is Non-Denominational, by Ryan Burge
Denominations
are declining. But Christians
are thriving elsewhere.
Turning Against Organized Religion, by Daniel Cox
Secular people
were once cool with religion.
Today, not so much.
More and more, people
don’t find church worth attending.
Why? Because it’s not.
And now, two of my favorite books from this summer:
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
Georgia Flu destroys
civilization, but art
brings hope to hopeless.
Sheed, Damon, Bonzi,
Z-Bo, Patterson, Whitsitt —
More like RIP City.
I’ll leave you with two things.
First, Christianity Today published a piece on the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1990 case Employment Division v. Smith and the future of religious freedom in constitutional law. I spoke with the article’s author about this, and was excited to see my thoughts featured alongside a who’s-who of religious freedom experts (including my friend and occasional coauthor Andy Lewis).3
From the article, here’s my take on why Smith is in the crosshairs of religious freedom advocates:
The biggest critique that religious freedom folks have with Smith is that it puts a lot less burden on the state to demonstrate why a regulation [restricting religious practice] is justified.
Two years ago in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, Justice Barrett observed that Smith’s days may be numbered, though she declined to suggest using Fulton as the vehicle for replacing it. Given recent rulings favorable to religious freedom, I see no reason why a future decision under the current Court will eventually drive a stake through Smith’s heart.
Lastly, a couple of weeks ago I received an email from a former youth pastor whose son was wanting to speak with a political science professor for an article he was writing. I was happy to do so, and the article about a survey of young Americans and their levels of national pride appeared in The College Fix:
Asked to weigh in on the results, Professor Daniel Bennett, chair of the Department of Political Science at John Brown University, said today’s sharp political divide may play a roll.
“My read is partisan cues are playing a big role here, especially in the Trump era. ‘Make America Great Again’ and the subculture around it emphasizes pride in American identity, respect for the flag, etc.,” he told The College Fix via email.
“For Democrats, there may be a concern that emphasizing pride in one’s American-ness align them too close with the MAGA crowd. Also, historically Democrats have been less willing to express pride in America than Republicans, probably because of a focus on the negatives in the country’s history (especially on race and foreign policy).”
“I think it’s actually more interesting,” Bennett added, “that it’s just 42 percent of young Republicans who are proud to be Americans – that seems low to me. Then again, it could be a young person/disillusionment thing.”
The author was just a baby—literally—when I last saw him, so to be corresponding with him for this article was a bit strange. But stranger still is the realization that I am now officially more than twice as old as incoming first year college students.
Joseph Sugarman was right: “Time’s arrow neither stands still nor reverses. It merely marches forward.”
If my children’s recent bickering is any indication, they’re very ready to get back to school.
Because, why not?
Interestingly, an ongoing and related legal dispute just landed in my inbox. It involves a church seeking tax-exempt status and an exemption from federal drug laws for its use of the psychedelic drug ayahuasca in religious ceremonies.