David Nanninga
@davidwanninga.bsky.social
History Ph.D Student at Baylor University, working on US politics and religion. Writing on Bill Bradley, Jack Kemp, and the rise of the neoliberal consensus. My own views.
Academic life update: I’ve been largely absent from social media for the last few months, but that was because I was studying for my comps, which as of today, I have officially passed! I’m relieved and very excited to do nothing but sit by the pool, at least once it stops raining in Waco😂
May 28, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Academic life update: I’ve been largely absent from social media for the last few months, but that was because I was studying for my comps, which as of today, I have officially passed! I’m relieved and very excited to do nothing but sit by the pool, at least once it stops raining in Waco😂
My new favorite fun fact about progressive evangelicalism: Sojourner’s Wes Michaelson wrote in Donald Duck for President in 1976 instead of voting for Carter or Ford.
February 27, 2025 at 7:58 PM
My new favorite fun fact about progressive evangelicalism: Sojourner’s Wes Michaelson wrote in Donald Duck for President in 1976 instead of voting for Carter or Ford.
While there is grief, there is also comfort in knowing that my grandma’s wonderful legacy lives on in our families, that she’s no longer in any pain, and that she’s with her savior now, with whom she will be with always.
www.langelandsterenberg.com/m/obituaries...
www.langelandsterenberg.com/m/obituaries...
Ila J. Yonker - View Obituary & Service Information
Share Memories and Support the Family.
www.langelandsterenberg.com
February 8, 2025 at 3:31 PM
While there is grief, there is also comfort in knowing that my grandma’s wonderful legacy lives on in our families, that she’s no longer in any pain, and that she’s with her savior now, with whom she will be with always.
www.langelandsterenberg.com/m/obituaries...
www.langelandsterenberg.com/m/obituaries...
Gotta say, not a great sign of the times that the A24 movie Civil War is on my mind more and more…
January 31, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Gotta say, not a great sign of the times that the A24 movie Civil War is on my mind more and more…
In a co-written essay, I looked at the growth of religious horror in the 2020s and what that says about America with my Baylor history colleague and dear friend, Aaron Ramos. Give it a read, even if horror isn’t your thing! (There are no jump scares, I promise😂)
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
Exorcists, Omens, and Heretics: Religion Horror in the 2020s
As a genre, horror cinema has always spoken to the broader fears and values of cultures and societies at particular moments in time. During the 1950s, the As a genre, horror cinema has always spoken t...
www.patheos.com
January 29, 2025 at 5:43 PM
In a co-written essay, I looked at the growth of religious horror in the 2020s and what that says about America with my Baylor history colleague and dear friend, Aaron Ramos. Give it a read, even if horror isn’t your thing! (There are no jump scares, I promise😂)
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
Reposted by David Nanninga
NEW from our very own @davidwanninga.bsky.social 👇
Today at The Anxious Bench —
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
Was Carter a Progressive Evangelical or Centrist Politician?
When President Jimmy Carter died on December 29th, 2024, almost every obituary on the 39th president made some mention of his deep Christian faith. A New When President Jimmy Carter died on December 2...
www.patheos.com
January 25, 2025 at 4:41 PM
NEW from our very own @davidwanninga.bsky.social 👇
Reposted by David Nanninga
Today at The Anxious Bench —
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
Was Carter a Progressive Evangelical or Centrist Politician?
When President Jimmy Carter died on December 29th, 2024, almost every obituary on the 39th president made some mention of his deep Christian faith. A New When President Jimmy Carter died on December 2...
www.patheos.com
January 25, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Today at The Anxious Bench —
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
I had a great time going back and looking at some of these sources again in light of Carter’s passing-It’s an interesting and complex story, which is part of why Carter is such a compelling figure. Check it out!
Today at The Anxious Bench —
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
After Jimmy Carter's passing, many hailed him as a beacon of progressive evangelicalism. But how did the leading progressive evangelical magazine see Carter in the election of 1976? @davidwanninga.bsky.social tells the story.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
Was Carter a Progressive Evangelical or Centrist Politician?
When President Jimmy Carter died on December 29th, 2024, almost every obituary on the 39th president made some mention of his deep Christian faith. A New When President Jimmy Carter died on December 2...
www.patheos.com
January 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I had a great time going back and looking at some of these sources again in light of Carter’s passing-It’s an interesting and complex story, which is part of why Carter is such a compelling figure. Check it out!
Something that Ezra Klein’s take on the inaugural has me wondering: Is this a new, strong resurgence of the imperial presidency, or is it continuity? Did the imperial presidency ever really leave? Either way, the definition of presidential power being whatever they can get away with is so terrible.
January 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Something that Ezra Klein’s take on the inaugural has me wondering: Is this a new, strong resurgence of the imperial presidency, or is it continuity? Did the imperial presidency ever really leave? Either way, the definition of presidential power being whatever they can get away with is so terrible.
His remarkable life and legacy will continue to be studied and debated for years to come, but this one thing cannot be disputed in my mind: he was a good man who did his very best. RIP Mr. Carter.
BREAKING: Former President Jimmy Carter, a champion for human rights and the poor, has died at age 100, the Carter Center says.
nbcnews.to/4gtHlYq
nbcnews.to/4gtHlYq
December 29, 2024 at 9:30 PM
His remarkable life and legacy will continue to be studied and debated for years to come, but this one thing cannot be disputed in my mind: he was a good man who did his very best. RIP Mr. Carter.
BRB gotta update my 2026 calendar
December 24, 2024 at 12:17 AM
BRB gotta update my 2026 calendar
Reposted by David Nanninga
This is the hardest book I have ever written. It is the culmination of 5 archive trips, 150 pastor’s wife books, more than 2000 years of history, and my own experiences.
@kkdumez.bsky.social thinks it will be just as disruptive as #MakingBiblicalWomanhood.
Get it while you can at this great price!
@kkdumez.bsky.social thinks it will be just as disruptive as #MakingBiblicalWomanhood.
Get it while you can at this great price!
Make gifting easy! Preorder Becoming the Pastor’s Wife by @bethallisonbarr.bsky.social for 40% off at bakerbookhouse.com/products/598...
December 11, 2024 at 2:19 PM
This is the hardest book I have ever written. It is the culmination of 5 archive trips, 150 pastor’s wife books, more than 2000 years of history, and my own experiences.
@kkdumez.bsky.social thinks it will be just as disruptive as #MakingBiblicalWomanhood.
Get it while you can at this great price!
@kkdumez.bsky.social thinks it will be just as disruptive as #MakingBiblicalWomanhood.
Get it while you can at this great price!
Reposted by David Nanninga
How do I explain to people that I'm not getting a PhD because I have an excellent work ethic. I have no work ethic whatsoever. What I do have is insatiable curiosity and a deep need for external validation. That's it.
December 12, 2024 at 4:25 PM
How do I explain to people that I'm not getting a PhD because I have an excellent work ethic. I have no work ethic whatsoever. What I do have is insatiable curiosity and a deep need for external validation. That's it.
Let me say first, I adore the level of access that I get via my institution’s library. I am very blessed, no doubt about it. That being said, there are few things more dissatisfying then seeing a book that was available via J-Stor inexplicably no longer available, especially mid final papers😂🙃
December 7, 2024 at 7:31 PM
Let me say first, I adore the level of access that I get via my institution’s library. I am very blessed, no doubt about it. That being said, there are few things more dissatisfying then seeing a book that was available via J-Stor inexplicably no longer available, especially mid final papers😂🙃
Reposted by David Nanninga
Fun fact I learned from @pastpunditry.bsky.social’s partisans today-Bill Clinton appeared on MTV during the ‘92 campaign. He definitely leaned into the baby boomer/next generation of it all in that campaign.
December 4, 2024 at 4:49 PM
Fun fact I learned from @pastpunditry.bsky.social’s partisans today-Bill Clinton appeared on MTV during the ‘92 campaign. He definitely leaned into the baby boomer/next generation of it all in that campaign.
Oh I can’t wait for this! Paul Putz and I have both agreed that a book like this needed to be written, especially since this is likely to continue to be a thing.
This is the next book I'm gonna write
🤝 @erikhane.bsky.social @dansmetanka.bsky.social
www.jasonkirk.fyi/p/college-fo...
🤝 @erikhane.bsky.social @dansmetanka.bsky.social
www.jasonkirk.fyi/p/college-fo...
December 4, 2024 at 4:41 PM
Oh I can’t wait for this! Paul Putz and I have both agreed that a book like this needed to be written, especially since this is likely to continue to be a thing.
This also happened during the 30th anniversary of the Waco siege-definitely something that was not lost on many of us in Waco…
I was reminded today that the first Trump 2024 campaign rally happened in Waco and began with Ted Nugent getting cheered for calling Zelenskyy a "homosexual weirdo."
Quite the timeline!
Quite the timeline!
November 26, 2024 at 7:49 PM
This also happened during the 30th anniversary of the Waco siege-definitely something that was not lost on many of us in Waco…
I’ve given a guest lecture on Charles Lindbergh and America First in a class on fascism in the Americas the past 3 semesters, and each time I’ve been more convinced of 2 things. 1, Lindbergh was a fascist, and 2, the America First movement never left American politics.Very disconcerting stuff now…
November 21, 2024 at 11:42 PM
I’ve given a guest lecture on Charles Lindbergh and America First in a class on fascism in the Americas the past 3 semesters, and each time I’ve been more convinced of 2 things. 1, Lindbergh was a fascist, and 2, the America First movement never left American politics.Very disconcerting stuff now…
The contradiction at the core of APUSH is something I noticed while teaching it when I did, although I was completely unaware of the fight that occurred in 2014-2015. I sincerely hope it manages to survive the coming 4 years intact as it is now so it can improve , but I’m sadly not sure it will…
"U.S. history education has always been a contested ideological battleground, and conservative efforts usually prevail."
The Strange World of AP U.S. History
Born out of the Cold War, the course has a great contradiction at its heart: why do we teach history?
contingentmagazine.org
November 17, 2024 at 1:36 AM
The contradiction at the core of APUSH is something I noticed while teaching it when I did, although I was completely unaware of the fight that occurred in 2014-2015. I sincerely hope it manages to survive the coming 4 years intact as it is now so it can improve , but I’m sadly not sure it will…
Reposted by David Nanninga
I also found some of my favorite former and current graduate students: @lmillerrenberg.bsky.social @katielheatherly.bsky.social @amyachenbach.bsky.social @davidwanninga.bsky.social, and of course @kkdumez.bsky.social @antheabutler.bsky.social @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social @scotmcknight.bsky.social
November 16, 2024 at 7:29 PM
I also found some of my favorite former and current graduate students: @lmillerrenberg.bsky.social @katielheatherly.bsky.social @amyachenbach.bsky.social @davidwanninga.bsky.social, and of course @kkdumez.bsky.social @antheabutler.bsky.social @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social @scotmcknight.bsky.social
I’m working on a paper on Bill Bradley’s religion, and his story of de-conversation is compelling. In Oxford, he heard a sermon defending the racist government in Rhodesia, so he “walked away, never to return.” Historians need to write more on stories of de-conversion in this age of exvangelicals.
November 16, 2024 at 4:18 PM
I’m working on a paper on Bill Bradley’s religion, and his story of de-conversation is compelling. In Oxford, he heard a sermon defending the racist government in Rhodesia, so he “walked away, never to return.” Historians need to write more on stories of de-conversion in this age of exvangelicals.
Hello everyone! An introduction for the new app: I’m a history PhD student at Baylor University, which is also where I did my MA. I specialize in 20th-century American politics and religion, especially with how both of those topics intersect with culture, race, and economic changes post WWII.
November 15, 2024 at 10:25 PM
Hello everyone! An introduction for the new app: I’m a history PhD student at Baylor University, which is also where I did my MA. I specialize in 20th-century American politics and religion, especially with how both of those topics intersect with culture, race, and economic changes post WWII.