More Intertwined Than Commonly Assumed

“In the end Marcus takes an oddly bifurcated view of Afro-American music—a view that is, unfortunately, quite prevalent today. On the one hand, he praised ‘black music’ as a source for rock ‘n’ roll, depicting Presley as the Prometheus who stole its spark, passing it to the white race as it languished in frigid Puritanism. …

Why the Jihadist Hates the West

“It is certainly not rock and roll music that he hates, as Orianna Fallci has noted, not the usual stereotypes like chewing-gum, hamburgers, Broadway, or Hollywood. The ‘tangible’ objects of that resentful hate are the skyscrapers, the science, the technology, the jumbo jets. Accustomed as the Westerners are to the double-cross, blinded as they are …

Wonder Why They Do That?

“Both friends and foes pay lip service to the ‘gospel’ contribution to rock ‘n’ roll, but when it comes to appreciating the larger cultural significance of the music, they join forces in forgetting all about religion. Instead they focus almost exclusively on sex—a focus that distorts both the music and its meaning” (Martha Bayles, Hole …

And Jerry Lee Is Jimmy Swaggart’s Cousin

“The most unappreciated fact about the three most galvanizing performers in early rock ‘n’ roll—Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard Penniman—is that they all grew up in the Pentecostal church. Presley and Lewis were raised in the predominately white Assemblies of God, and Penniman in a variety of black Holiness and Church of God …

Maybe It’s Too Obvious

“It is remarkable that in this age of rampant victimology, the persecution of Christians by Muslims has become a taboo subject in the Western academy. A complex web of myths, outright lies, and deliberately imposed silence dominates it. Thirteen centuries of religious discrimination, causing suffering and death of countless millions, have been covered by the …