Historians have tended to create a dualistic paradigm, which excludes a mediating biblical criticism in America. For polemical reasons, it has been easier for both conservatives and liberals to polarize moderates as the opposition or to ignore them altogether. Rather than the common modernist/fundamentalist paradigm, which is dualistic, a more accurate way to interpret the biblical criticism of late nineteenth century America is to construe a theological spectrum extending from right to left. The Hermeneutics of Historical Distance tells the story of late nineteenth century moderate American...

Applegate: Freedom of the Press in a Small Town is a slice of Americana as told by Armada Times Editor James Mitchell, along with Lindsey Kingston, student editor of the paper's high school section. Mitchell took over as editor of the Times in the wake of a lawsuit that had been filed by its publisher against the local school board, initiating one of the many First Amendment battles that would be waged during his two-year tenure. While the content of most rural weeklies typically runs to favorite recipes and homecoming game reports, the Times would open up a forum on issues including gay...