In Erecting the Pulpit, Duke scholar Amy Laura Hall traces how ideals of manliness and divine authority intertwined to shape American evangelicalism—from Roosevelt’s “strenuous life” to modern megachurches and Cowboy Churches.

This year is off to a fast start, with my second sale, this one a fascinating swirl of history, philosophy, religion, and true crime. The...

I wrote an early draft of this message, announcing the last of my 2020 deals, on Tuesday afternoon, and ended it by saying "Now, let's...