Three Genuinely Good Lay Treatments of Bible History • Richard Carrier Blogs

Today I want to introduce you to three books about the Bible not written by PhDs yet are outstanding enough to be well worth reading....

 https://www.richardcarrier.info/archives/43987

 

Responding to D’Souza on the Nazareth Inscription

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhf7ZZqrrOU

 

‘A Bible-sized blind spot’: congressman sounds alarm on rising Christian nationalism

He defines “Christian privilege” as a deeply ingrained cultural taboo that protects home-grown religious radicalism from the same state and media scrutiny instantly applied to minority or foreign faiths. That Christian privilege was manifested in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Huffman argues, when many fellow members of Congress did not even seem to notice the religious elements of the group trying to kill them. It was evident again, he asserts, in one of the most consequential political cover-ups in recent history: the deliberate erasure of Christian nationalism from the final report of the House January 6 select committee. 

 As the committee raced toward its deadline at the end of 2022, its staff split into colour-coded drafting teams. The “Purple Team” was tasked with investigating rightwing radicalism, and they meticulously documented the role of charismatic evangelical networks, particularly the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), in radicalising and mobilising the shock troops of the insurrection. 

 Chairman Bennie Thompson told Huffman: “We asked the Purple Team to look into the role of religion in what happened, and they came back with a report that shows those people, rightwing Christian extremists, actually had a lot to do with it.” 

But then came a veto. Liz Cheney, the committee’s formidable vice-chair, demanded the entire section be excised. She argued that focusing on Christian nationalism would “distract” from Trump’s personal culpability and alienate conservative Christian voters. Cheney’s argument prevailed…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/26/jared-huffman-rising-christian-nationalism-no-prophets-book

 

JD Vance thinks God broke a glass to send him a sign!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/y6a4bfd7bhw

 

Trump aides privately noted health issues: Haberman & Swan reveal details

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8BBDqaYZuc

UNHOLY COMMUNION: The Reason JD Vance Must NEVER Become President.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u8RiY15bWE

'Gluttonous relationship to power': Nicolle reacts to Trump comparing himself to Hitler

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhc4WaMBk

As the U.S. turns 250, this historian has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up' : NPR

"America has to grow up. It can no longer hide in its adolescence," he says. "America imagines itself at once as a beacon of freedom and as a white republic. And to hold those two things together ... deposits the kind of madness at the heart of the country."…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/06/15/nx-s1-5856348/america-250-eddie-glaude 

Joe on SHOCKING NYT report: Trump admin. debated Habeas Corpus, invoking insurrection act

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan of The New York Times have new reporting on the debates inside the White House last year over suspending habeas corpus for undocumented immigrants. Suspending habeas corpus was one of two radical ideas Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had been pushing, the other was invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy the military to enforce the law on American streets as protests grew against deportation sweeps. According to the Times, Vice President JD Vance said the administration needed to invoke the Insurrection Act, swiftly, to crush the unrest in Minnesota. The Morning Joe panel breaks down the shocking details of the New York Times reporting.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK2qLj2g4VY

Scott Galloway on the rise of 'asexual, asocial males'

When his book Notes on Being a Man was released last month, it raced to the top of the bestseller lists. The US author, tech entrepreneur and podcaster explains his theories on dating, crying – and the rise of Donald Trump…

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/03/scott-galloway-masculinity-crisis-notes-on-being-a-man

 

John Fugelsang Shreds Allie Beth Stuckey's TERRIBLE "Toxic Empathy" Book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE_B3b45IDY

 

Trump ally Stephen Miller at heart of FBI agent purge, new book reveals

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, was the driving force behind a purge of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents who had investigated Donald Trump, a new book reveals. 

Miller trampled the independence of the FBI by demanding firings that would satisfy the US president's desire for retribution, journalists Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis write in Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America's Justice Department...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/30/stephen-miller-trump-fbi-agents-injustice

 

John Fugelsang: Right-wing Christians use the Bible ‘as a prop’ & ignore Jesus’s message

Interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FvPa3ckZ-c

 

Reading List: Understanding Christian Nationalism - Bookshop.org

Christian Nationalism is an existential threat to the American Republic. If we fail to acknowledge, understand, and neutralize this threat, we will see a repeat of the January 6th Insurrection, only worse—it might succeed. Read up. Arm yourself with the knowledge to fight this threat. Three books on this list explore January 6—The Founding Myth, The Flag and the Cross, and White Too Long—but a more comprehensive report details the role Christian Nationalism played in that insurrection and includes contributions by many of the same authors. See Christian Nationalism and the January 6 Insurrection.

https://bookshop.org/lists/understanding-christian-nationalism

"John!" with Hugo Méndez - YouTube

This week it's a johannine deep dive, and we brought in the big guns! Our guest is Hugo Méndez, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and all-around nice guy. Hugo's book, The Gospel of John, a New History, is making waves in the world of Bible scholarship, and we're here for it. Grab a board, and let's surf those waves together!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LXqyB1ZeLE

Trump COWERS as Kamala deals SURPRISE BLOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fti7wox5mkQ

"The Fort Bragg Cartel": Book Exposes U.S. Special Forces' Involvement in drug trafficking and murder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxbW0CCuT7E

 

America Has Been Going Backwards Since The Reagan Era - Sec. Robert Reich

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp1FKYve0-Y

 

The “Skeptics” Are Crashing Out HARD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfh75ezwi2Y

 

Meta puts stop on promotion of tell-all book by former employee

A spokesperson for Pan Macmillan gave the Guardian this statement on Thursday: "Careless People is a first person narrative account of what the author herself, Sarah Wynn Williams, witnessed during seven years at Meta (formerly Facebook). As publishers, we are committed to upholding freedom of speech and her right to tell her story. Due to legal process instituted by Meta, the author has been prevented from continuing to participate in the book's publicity."…

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/13/meta-careless-people-book-former-employee