We’re all familiar with the stereotypes: “Republicans look out for the interests of big business while the Democratic Party is more concerned with the interests of the poor and needy.” Arthur C. Brooks would like to challenge those assumptions. In Who Really Cares, Brooks, a professor...

Brother Ali tells the truth. He has to. When it comes to aesthetic and commercial appeal, he does not have much to sell. I cannot see many record execs pasting the pudgy albino from Minnesota on any billboards or casting him in movies. Instead, Brother Ali speaks from a place that not many MCs reach...

The ballots have been cast and a voice vote would have been fine, because “This Beautiful Mess” stomped the competition. Rick McKinley’s latest book received, no kidding, ten times as many votes as the other books combined. To the McKinley supporters, I say: Congratulations. Your “get...

Dear Christian Men, My experience in the evangelical church is that feminism might as well be the f-word: considered disgraceful within sacred walls. If it is employed from the pulpit, I have almost always heard it as a word of suspicion, dropped into the context of judging abortion, lesbians, or the...

Thomas Merton is going to be on any list of the twentieth century’s most influential spiritual figures. His bestselling autobiography, Seven Storey Mountain, published when Merton was just 33 years old, was immediately hailed as a contemporary Confessions; to date, more than a million copies have...

Back in the day, rock & roll was defined by three things: driving guitars, thick beats, and charismatic front men. Loud guitars gave kids a way to rebel against their parents’ Lawrence Welk records, drums afforded them the opportunity to reject those dorky ballroom dancing lessons (and freak...

In a time where individualism and sloppy teen-cesspool marketing are highly valued, it’s refreshing to hear someone who still hangs on to ‘old world’ sentimentality in the reverence of remembering the past. With heirloom-like pictures and images (including multiple thought bubbles...

(Editor’s note: If you have some problems accessing the site this week, our apologies. We’re officially switching the servers and there may be some minor issues.) Readers, First of all, thank you a thousand times to all the readers who filled out our survey. It was surprisingly fun to watch...

Dear Numerous Editors, How can I get published on Burnside? What does the submissions process look like? How should I submit my article? Did you get my submission? What kind of material are you looking for? Etc.? Sincerely, Patient Writers Okay, so this wasn’t an actual letter to the editor,...

I’ve been living and working in Eastern Mongolia for almost two years now. I still come home almost every day amazed at the differences between myself and the Mongolians around me. It’s fascinating and, I’ll have to admit, sometimes terrifying for me to watch my students become exposed...