Status Updates: October
I’ve done the Status Updates before here, on a weekly basis, and I just can’t commit to such a schedule. So instead, I want to try it as a monthly installment, coming in the first few days of each month. Here is the first try at it. As always, this is a Compendium of the things I am taking in over the last month.
What I am reading in books
I’ve done a lot of reading this year, mainly in fiction, as I’ve been trying to get more caught up on the new generation of Star Wars novels. That reading drove a lot of my summer. As we turn to fall, however, it is my habit to read Tolkien, and I am getting an early start this year. The new Ring of Power series on Amazon (more on that below) has inspired me to reread The Silmarillion and some other foundational Middle Earth lore before my customary dive into the trilogy itself, so this week I kicked that off.
I’ve also spent a good chunk of the last few months reading Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain, the classic memoir of his life as he went through a spiritual crisis and came out the other side as a Cistercian monk at Gethsemani in Kentucky. It’s a powerful read, and I’ve been reflecting and sharing on it over at the blog. I’m wrapping that book up this week, and will probably read Merton’s The Monastic Journey next.
I did take a short break from Merton to read Katelyn Beaty’s fantastic new book, Celebrities for Jesus. I’ll have a review of that at the blog soon as well, so I won’t spoil it, other than to say its a really timely book that I can’t recommend enough. Thanks to Katelyn for the book and some awesome stickers!
I also read the short book On Bullshit, by Harry G. Frankfurt. Its an older book but so timely. Look for some writing on that coming soon here in the newsletter.
What I am reading online
I trimmed my Substack and blogroll reading list a bit this fall, as I found myself unable to keep up with the deluge. But I’m still taking in quite a bit. Here are some of the pieces that stood out that recently.
Ben Crosby is a PhD student in Anglican studies who writes often about my own home denomination, the Episcopal church, from his perspective as both a student and as clergy. He has two excellent posts up on his Substack in the last week, one on Christian simplicity, and another reflecting on the duty of clergy to be committed to right doctrine and holy living.
I just want to generally recommend everything Paul Kingsnorth is doing at his Substack, The Abbey of Misrule. It’s all so good, and has influenced my thinking so much. I’ll be writing more on this soon.
N.S. Lyons writes at City-Journal about the transgressive, countercultural turn in the new right, and what it portends for our Western culture that has long been built on the premise of the left being the counterculture. As someone more left-adjacent myself, this trend worries me greatly. The left has, by and large, become the defenders of the status quo. History should teach us this is often not a good place to be. On a related note, I share David French’s notion that the old battle of left vs. right is seemingly less relevant than that of extremism vs. moderation. Count me among the moderates every day.
Alan Jacobs is, sadly, taking an extended from blogging, which I greatly deplore because he is so consistently thoughtful and a provider of important perspective. I’d just say generally go read through his entire blog history, but recently, he’s written really well on the importance of making arts free from politics, what deepfakes portend for our relationship with technology, and his own thoughts on Paul Kingsnorth. Alan, your blog will be greatly missed.
The other can’t miss blog for me is Richard Beck. He’s always good on Tolkien, as in this piece on Tom Bombadil and resisting the demand that do more than just live our lives. And earlier this month, his series “Notes on a Godless Church” gave me a lot to think about, as it touched on so many of my own preoccupations about the failures of the church today.
What I am watching
I’ve been completely absorbed by Andor, The House of the Dragon, and The Rings of Power since they all premeired earlier this month. How lucky are we to be getting so much good, new content in these universes? I am especially taken with Andor. I am trying not to overreact in the midst of watching it, but this may be the best Star Wars content we’ve gotten in the Disney era. It is just so, so good.
Still in mourning over the end of Better Call Saul however. A rewatch of the complete Gilliganverse is coming soon.
Blog Post this month
“Social media and the death of friendship”
“The world is probably ending, but I don’t feel too bad about that”
What to watch for here
My “Politics of Charity” series is about halfway finished. I doubt it’ll end before October is out, at the current posting pace. Once I do finish it, I may do some extended reflections on Tolkien; I am also playing with a longer series on Yoder’s The Politics of Jesus as a sequel to the current series. Stay posted for all that, and please share and subscribe!