On Reading (and Writing, and Podcasting, etc)

and the discovery of rhythms & patterns.

Hello, Post-Evangelical Post readers. It’s been a while since I’ve published a missive here, and after just over a year of keeping up this publication, I’ve noticed some patterns in my own output.

First, I’ve noticed that ‘big’ releases (like the launch of Irreverent Media Group) are extremely taxing. It takes a lot of focus and energy to make these things happen (especially while also maintaining a day-job and parenting duties amidst an ongoing pandemic), and doing them often leads me to be less prolific. I enter a period where I publish less. It’s not a matter of not doing work, but rather of not doing public-facing work.

Second, during periods like the past month, I tend to dive into other, related projects. This time, I’ve been re-working my book proposal. I’ve primarily been diving into research, and am now working toward collating it into a cohesive pitch. Here are some of the books I’ve been reading/adding to my list:

• Technology & The Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting, by Shannon Vallor

• Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, by Manuel Castells

• Anti-Social: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, the Hijacking of the American Conversation, by Andrew Marantz

…and many more. I’ve added lots of books to my list, on top of the ones I was already reading for season 2 of Powers & Principalities.

Over the past month, I’ve received my second vaccination shot (which did take me out for a day), been busy with family things, and kept working on Irreverent Media Group. I also published two new interviews, with Lenny Duncan & Beth Allison Barr:

So I’ve been active elsewhere - just not here. I’m returning to the publishing rhythm, however, and remain thankful that you’ve followed me here. As the year continues, this newsletter may codify further as I elaborate on my book research and develop new things.

Later this week, I’ll be writing about a couple of stories that grabbed the attention of post-evangelical twitter. But I’ll save that for later.