David Morris

This is it exactly. Prioritizing “the great commission” makes Christianity and especially its American evangelical form supremacist. We must deal with this. If we do, then that’s good spirituality, however defined. There’s so much to this.

DHS's 'Homeland Heritage' Campaign Highlights Danger of Innocence Myths of a White Christian America As a habit I don’t follow the social media of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It’s a scroll of nationalistic propaganda and exaggerated warnings about criminal aliens, a set of lies that at...

“The Department of Homeland Security isn’t writing a new chapter in the White supremacist playbook but highlighting the familiar practice of White-washing our history.” -Sara Moslener

religiondispatches.org/dhss-homelan...
@religiondispatches.org

What Constitutes Healthy Exploration of Spirituality? Part II: Avoiding Authoritarianism and Embracing Autonomy

Here’s part two of my essay on healthy and unhealthy approaches to spirituality, with Marianne Williamson serving as a prime illustration of the latter

www.bugbeardispatch.com/p/what-const...

The Mainstream is Dead. Long Live Unique Tribes! Why finding your “1000 true fans” is a disruption to embrace—in all the ways that feel right to you.

The latest from our publishing podcast. This is one of my favorite podcast titles ever.
open.substack.com/pub/publishi...

Deconstructing the Unconscious Faith of a Nation Or, How Many Implicit Associations Does It Take to Become an Evangelical?

"Perhaps it was the Puritans who helped us develop a deeply ingrained, sacred narrative and all its expressions and built-in associations. They formed the American mindset of religious fanaticism and separatism into our very cultural DNA."

dvdmorris.substack.com/p/deconstruc...

Senseless gridlock and soulless orthodoxy just appeared in my mind at the same time.

This is what I’m dealing with.

Theres a bestselling American book out now where the title is wrong on the spine. Probably fixed on reprint. As a publisher, this happens more than most realize.

Just two publishing friends trying to work it all out. Join in, and if you do, would you please offer an honest rating? So grateful.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

A little work update that I'm super stoked about!

We’re delighted to welcome Audrey Clare Farley to Hyponymous Literary as a literary agent!

Audrey is a writer, editor, scholar, and the author of the critically acclaimed books The Unfit Heiress and Girls and Their Monsters.

From "Lost Faith and Wandering Souls" by @davidrmorris.bsky.social

The idea of studying the flaws of Jesus as presented by the biblical writers is and should be a fascinating topic, enlightening, soulful, spiritual.

If you don’t think Christian privilege is real or a pervasive problem, just mildly criticize one of the many problematic things Jesus said or did in the gospels.

Then step back and brace yourself for the 87 people who will immediately pop up to shout you down in defense of his honor

What a provocative and interesting book. And yet, judging by its reviews and ranking, it’s struggled to find an audience. Story of exvangelical life.

I love the phrase in the description: “The notion of a flawless human Jesus”.

The Spiritual Warfare of Vance Boelter The accused Minnesota assassin’s apparent religious convictions are not unusual in American life.

Is Vance Boelter an evangelical outlier? Sort of. Was he enabled by the rhetoric, fantasies and culture of mainstream evangelicalism of so many varieties in the US? nymag.com/intelligence... The Spiritual Warfare of Vance Boelter

So true. We never really know what its like to have mature, open relationships with our parents. It’s a part relationship. Not even normal problems but half life problems, that is, if we ourselves continue to grow while they struggle to, willfully that is.

Navigating the New Publishing Maze We get really honest about what authors need to know to get started...

Always enjoy my podcast time with friend and publishing colleague @Mick Silva. We do this convo in a laid back style, taking some of the presumptuousness out of publishing and writing. Join in. God knows there's plenty of other experts out there. open.substack.com/pub/publishi...

Let this be a mantra. Find your own good interpretation of it.

SBC's losses exceed total membership in other denominations The SBC has lost more members in the last two decades than many other denominations have in total membership.

"It's a huge denomination that is losing members at a rate that we have never experienced in modern American Christianity." - @ryanburge.bsky.social

Hallelujah. May the Southern Baptist Convention's membership losses continue.
baptistnews.com/article/sbcs...

It’s giving dystopian.

Do Big Profit-Driven Publishers Produce a Positive Predicament? Cultural conversations can take center stage in small grassroots publishing.

Do Big Profit-Driven Publishers Produce a Positive Predicament?

Here’s more in this new podcast with my industry friend and colleague, Mick Silva. open.substack.com/pub/publishi...

Ben of Ben & Jerry’s Is Arrested at Senate Hearing After Protesting War in Gaza

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/u...

Here’s the alt you’ve been looking for.

Much goodness. Congrats @laurencibene.bsky.social

Training Up Children The link between Christian nationalism and authoritarian parenting

“Not only are evangelicals raised in ways that condition them to cede moral authority to an “anointed” one, but from toddlerhood on, they’re raised with a priority on obedience over intellectual autonomy.” Christa Brown @christabrown.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/christab...

So many horrible books selling well right now that are Christian nationalist, crusades against “anti Christian” bias (yeah books have already been out on that), diatribes about “toxic empathy.” So much doublespeak. I’m both incredibly discouraged and saddened but also ready to get back to work.

Exvangelical and Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back

Reza Aslan said my book "is a book that every American must read, regardless of religious affiliation,” so that means you should read it too. Here it is: bookshop.org/a/11130/9780...

🙏

"The broken symbols of our American Christianity are forever broken. There’s no recovery of certain symbols, ideas, or tropes. They are lost forever. If we admit that, then we’re on our way. We’re moving forward." - @davidrmorris.bsky.social

The Unsolvable Loss of Losing Your Religion Understanding the Healthy Dynamic of Mourning Your Religion

"With regard to a religion, a spiritual worldview, or a long-held sense of belonging, the loss becomes harder to articulate and harder still to resolve. The work of mourning is that much more difficult, and the presence of melancholia that much more likely."
open.substack.com/pub/dvdmorri...

Americans Haven’t Found a Satisfying Alternative to Religion Is it any wonder the country is revisiting faith?

Pretty tone deaf NYT article. It admits secularization will continue but spends all the real estate saying it’s not. Wiffs on the deconstruction movement. And happy secular Europeans. Moralistic undertones too, in a time when Christianity is so complicit w/ power. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/s...