At the Burns Center Monday night, Ginny and I were part of an audience that premiered American Fervour, one of a four-part BBC series by Professor Simon Schama called American History: The Future that will debut in January. Monday’s episode was about the intersection of religion and politics in America, and would probably be a revelation mostly to those who think of religion in America as consistently a force for conservative politics. Not so, of course; religion was the backbone of the abolition and civil rights movement. Nothing particularly new to chew on, but it’s always enjoyable to hear the erudite and charming Schama talk about whatever he’s thinking about.