Conservative and liberals are using the term "Christian Nationalism" to refer to completely different ideas. Discover the nuances in this issue of IR! | Read Intercollegiate Review every Thursday for the best of intellectual conservative thought.

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CATEGORY: SPECIAL INVITATION FOR IR READERS

An Evening with Brian Kilmeade on Teddy Roosevelt & ​​​​Booker T. Washington

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Join ISI on Tuesday, April 16th at an exclusive evening with celebrated author Brian Kilmeade that promises to transport you back to the pivotal moments that shaped our nation. Kilmeade’s latest book, Teddy and Booker T.: How Two American Icons Blazed a Path for Racial Equality, offers a compelling look at the intertwined lives of Booker T. Washington and Teddy Roosevelt.

Visit ISI's historic 20-acre estate just two hours north of Washington, DC, in Delaware's Brandywine Valley. Sponsors will be invited to an exclusive VIP reception with Kilmeade and receive a signed copy of the book. Reserve your tickets and explore sponsorship opportunities at isi.org/kilmeade

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We look forward to seeing you at ISI this spring for an evening of historical discovery and intellectual delight!

Reserve Your Seat

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CATEGORY: POLITICS (10 MIN)

Defining duel

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Few phrases have generated more controversy over the past few years than “Christian nationalism.” To progressives and some conservatives, it evokes fears of a comingling of church and state which threatens the fabric of America. To other conservatives, it’s a rallying cry to reclaim lost institutions. But are these conflicting parties even talking about the same thing?

In his newsletter for The New York Times

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, Ross Douthat seeks to clear up what Christian nationalism really means to different people. To that end, Douthat offers four definitions.

Options One and Two each hold divine messaging. Douthat’s first definition calls Christian nationalism the belief that religion and politics should be united into a theocratic state. His second focuses on the divine call of America—a manifest destiny given by God to our nation especially. Douthat says he usually refers to Christian nationalism as either of these ideas, and he criticizes them.

The third option holds that America should be informed by Christian morals and principles as a general idea. Douthat doesn’t express issues with this version, and he uses it to discuss the fourth: in which liberals simply call all kinds of Christian politics nationalism no matter what it actually is. Douthat argues that the left tends to lump all ideas from the third definition into this category.

Read all of Douthat’s definitions (and decide for yourself which seems most accurate) using our NYT guest link here

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Read Now

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Weekly Poll

RESULTS: 2/29/24

Last week, we asked: Do you think it is morally acceptable to willfully destroy human embryos? Here are the results:

[A] Yes - 21.1%

[B] No - 75%

[C] Unsure - 3.9%

Do you think religion should have a place in public life or should it be sequestered to an individual's private life?

[A] Religion should be able to influence public institutions

[B] Religion should only impact one's private life

[C] Unsure

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CATEGORY: CULTURE (7 MIN)

Single struggles

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The statistical analysis of the decline of the family has some interesting features. As marriage rates fall, the number of potentially marriageable people goes up. So the decline in marriages cannot be due simply to a small pool. Some underlying trend must be leading people away from the institution itself.

Rob Lester, writing in Compact

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, reviews a new volume on this trend and its effects on America. The book, The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind by Melissa Kearney, notes that the increase in single-parent homes has come across all races, perhaps making it an easier phenomenon to discuss.

Lester points out one aspect of Kearney’s work which helps explain the difficulty of turning the marriage rate around. Lester says that when the number of marriageable men declined, it created a “new norm” of lower marriage rates. And once that occurred, the status quo became difficult to deviate from.

Kearney, according to Lester, proposes classic liberal solutions such as welfare expansion and educational spending. But she also suggests more cultural options, like married elites encouraging others to follow their lead rather than keeping openness to unconventional options.

Lester remains ambivalent about the efficacy of these solutions. What do you think? Read his full article here

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CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE

A Beginners Guide to Shakespeare | Benedict Whalen

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Are you new to the world of Shakespeare and eager to dive into the timeless brilliance of his works? Join us in this enlightening podcast episode as Benedict Whalen, an esteemed professor at Hillsdale College, takes us on a journey through the basics of understanding and appreciating the genius of William Shakespeare.

Whalen, a distinguished scholar with expertise in literature and classical education, provides valuable insights and strategies for those taking their first steps into the world of the Bard. Whether you're a student, teacher, or lifelong learner, this podcast offers a friendly guide to demystifying the beauty of Shakespearean literature.

Watch Now

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CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE

Are Our "Statesmen" Getting Worse?

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Johnny Burtka, president of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, joins Tom Woods to discuss the traditional education of a statesman in the Western world and compare that to what we observe today.

Book Discussed: Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill

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Watch Now

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Conservative ​​​​Book of the Year Award Ceremony and Reception

​​​March 15th, 2024

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute proudly announces Chris Rufo as the winner of the 2024 Conservative Book of the Year Award for his exceptional work, America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything. This book stands as a beacon of insightful analysis and thought-provoking commentary in today’s dynamic cultural landscape.

Join us for an evening of recognition and celebration

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at the prestigious National Press Club on Friday, March 15, as we honor the Conservative Book of the Year. The ceremony will commence at 6 PM, starting with a cocktail hour from 6:00 – 7:00 PM that offers attendees a chance to mingle and discuss the thought-provoking works of our finalists. The award ceremony and acceptance speech will follow from 7:00 – 8:00 PM.

Join us in Washington, DC >>>

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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.

The Babylon Bee Comes to Harvard

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via The Harvard Salient

“On February 27th, the Harvard Republican Club hosted Seth Dillon, the CEO of satirical news outlet The Babylon Bee, for a speech titled ‘Humor in American Politics,’ which aimed to address the role of satire in an increasingly hostile political environment. Through remarks peppered with jokes and amusing anecdotes, Dillon defended the importance of free speech and advocated comedy as a means of advancing truth.”

Op-Ed: U-M Disgraced MLK’s Legacy With SAFE’s MLK Spirit Award

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via The Michigan Review

“On January 27, the University of Michigan hosted the 2024 Central Campus MLK Spirit Awards Ceremony. In a disgraceful distortion of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, the university honored

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the student group Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) with this prestigious award for ‘exemplify[ing]’ King’s ‘leadership and extraordinary vision.’

But such a description of SAFE’s character could not be further divorced from reality... SAFE is the University of Michigan chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, an openly anti-Zionist organization advocating the destruction

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of the State of Israel. From inviting known antisemites

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to speak

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to members’ forcing

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their way into university buildings, SAFE is quite active on campus.”

Academic Departments, PCP Feature Psychiatrist for Edward Said ’57 Memorial Lecture

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via The Princeton Tory

“On Tuesday, February 27, the Department of English, the Department of African American Studies, and the Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) co-hosted the annual Edward Said ‘57 Memorial Lecture. The lecture was delivered by Samah Jabr, a psychiatrist and head of the mental health unit of the Palestinian Ministry of Health. In her talk, Jabr... criticized the ‘Western’ method of treating the trauma of individuals as inadequate. Instead, in the Palestinian context specifically, psychiatry must reorient itself toward addressing the problems of collective trauma and struggle. Jabr has previously described

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this process as ‘decolonizing psychiatry.’”

Board of Visitors Votes to Rename Alderman Library

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via The Jefferson Independent

“Just weeks after it reopened its doors, Alderman Library has a new name. At its first meeting of the calendar year, the Board of Visitors (‘BOV’) voted

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Friday afternoon to rename the newly-renovated building after Edgar Shannon, the school’s fourth president... The library was previously named after Edwin Alderman, the first president of the University, who has received substantial criticism for his support of eugenics and views on race... Many opponents of the proposal argue

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that Alderman’s views were mainstream for top academics at the time, and that it is irrational to impose modern standards of ethics upon individuals from disparate historical contexts.”​​​​​​

CATEGORY: CULTURE (9 MIN)

Maternal matters

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Usually, in this portion of each week’s Intercollegiate Review, we spotlight an older article from our IR archives. But with the release of the new Modern Age website

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(go check it out if you haven’t!), we're excited to begin featuring pieces from that site in this final section.

This Modern Age

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piece is a book review from Ivana Greco on the topic of feminism and reactions to its overextension. Greco reviews Feminism Against Progress by Mary Harrington, a 2023 release which criticizes the modern feminist movement for ignoring the vital role of motherhood and the natural differences between men and women.

Using Harrington’s work, Greco notes two original parts of the feminist movement: “Team Freedom,” which argued for liberation from familial constraints, and “Team Interdependence,” which argued that familial constraints are often unavoidable and don’t take away from equal dignity. Greco says that the COVID pandemic highlighted the importance of the latter strand.

“… When things start going pear-shaped on a global level, the institution that can be counted on the most to take care of children is not the school system and not the daycares; it is family,” Greco writes, concluding, “… count me firmly on Team Interdependence.”

Read Greco’s full review on the Modern Age website here

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Read Now

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Thought of the Day:



“To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian.”

- George Washington

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For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.

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