Sarah Bakker Kellogg

This is essential reading for anyone thinking about liturgy, community, and the Incarnational mystery. Dr. Kellogg’s work, backed by her anthropological research, offers a transformative perspective on what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.

Are you willing to become true kin, with all the laborious discomfort and beauty of learning and being in relationship with real, complex people? This article is a profound guide for anyone reflecting on their place in a tradition not their own.

Is this model exclusionary? Dr. Kellogg addresses this with wisdom, acknowledging the defensive posture of marginalized communities while calling for a posture of respect, humility, and a willingness to embark on a lifelong project of learning.

This "embodied theological knowledge" gets into your bones, shaping a person’s sense of self and connection to God and community in a way that transcends mere words.

This leads to crucial questions for converts or inquirers in any community with deep cultural roots:

Drawing on her expertise as a sociocultural anthropologist, Dr. Kellogg explains how in the Syriac tradition, complex chant in a barely-understood language isn't a barrier—it's a gateway.

She introduces the beautiful concept of "liturgical kinship," arguing that in traditions like the Syriac Orthodox, real family is forged through shared practice and sacred sound.

I will take good news where I can get it!

I am happy to share the second installment in my three part series for Public Orthodoxy about what it means to participate in a faith tradition.

Treat Big Tech like Big Tobacco The problem with TikTok and Facebook isn't their size

Really provocative, interesting argument from @wertwhile.bsky.social on what it would look like to really regulate the platforms.

www.theargumentmag.com/p/treat-big-...

How do faith and culture intertwine? Is being Christian about what you're born into or what you become?

Dive into a profound new read: "Being vs. Becoming Christian" by Dr. Sarah Bakker Kellogg @sbakkerkellogg.bsky.social on PublicOrthodoxy.

Being vs. Becoming Christian: Letters to a Convert in an Ethnic Church (#1) One of the many beauties of Orthodox Christianity is the insight that this world is not spiritually debased....rather, this world is filled to the brim with divine love.

Someone asked me what my research might say about conversion into an ethnic church. The question prompted a reflection on Christianity, culture, and political life that turned into a three part series!

The next installments will be published throughout October.

publicorthodoxy.org/2025/10/10/b...

No words.

It’s important to flood social media and news channels with news about how ICE lies, so that potential jurors see it.

Immense gratitude to Anna Hager for her review of Sonic Icons in Mashriq and Mahjar: Journal of Middle East and North African Migration Studies.

She called it a "must-read"! 😁

lebanesestudies.ojs.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/ma...

#migration #middleeast #europe #syriac @fordhampress.bsky.social

California Bill Could Set Dangerous Precedent Around Carbon Dioxide Pipelines If industry continues to dictate the terms of legislation, more communities could see such pipelines in their backyards.

A California bill awaiting Newsom’s signature would set a pathway to eliminate the state’s trailblazing moratorium on pipelines used to transport carbon dioxide. The fossil fuel industry lobbied to shape the legislation, which could allow pipelines to be built without strict distance requirements.

Brilliant.

"some legal experts have called it a crime to summarily execute civilians" says today's New York Times, continuing their long tradition of whitewashing fascism

Absolute all-timer sentence in today's @nytimes.com

Thread

Advice | Sometimes We Resist AI for Good Reasons Why higher ed needs to listen to the contrarians in setting policies on using tools like ChatGPT in faculty work.

“Either we have copyright law or we don’t. Either plagiarism and the theft of intellectual property are anathema to higher education or they aren’t. We’re either modeling academic honesty and integrity to our students or we aren’t.” —@thetattooedprof.bsky.social
www.chronicle.com/article/some... 1/n

Trump's moves against media outlets mirror authoritarian approaches to silencing dissent Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has waged an aggressive campaign against the media unlike any in modern U.S. history, making moves similar to those of authoritarian leaders that...

Biggest story in the world, told in the mainstream press perfectly well:

AP/PBS headline: TRUMP'S MOVES AGAINST MEDIA OUTLETS MIRROR AUTHORITARIAN APPROACHES TO SILENCING DISSENT

www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

Epstein Files Release Blocked as Wicker and Hyde-Smith Vote No An effort to force the release of the Epstein files failed as Mississippi’s Republican senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, voted to block it.

An effort to force the release of the files on child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein failed in a close vote in the U.S. Senate on Friday as Mississippi’s two Republican senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, voted to block it.

‘Bring grandma home’: ICE detains 73-yr-old Indian origin Harjit Kaur from Bay Area; locals and family stage protests Family members said Kaur has not received full access to her medications at the detention centre.

People are mobilizing in #California to demand the release of a woman who is has lived in the US for 30 years and was recently abducted at a routine check-in at an ICE office in San Francisco. www.financialexpress.com/world-news/u...

Grandparents for Vaccines launches to share stories of life before immunizations New volunteer group aims to educate parents about vaccine importance by sharing personal experiences with preventable diseases.

"The group brings together hundreds of grandparents nationwide who lived through diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and measles — illnesses once thought eliminated in the United States..."

www.kgw.com/article/news...

Anthropologies of Orthodox Christianity Anthropologically explores the entanglement of theology and politics among contemporary Orthodox Christians.Much of the anthropological literature on Christianity tends to concentrate on Protestants a...

Coming soon!

I'm so proud to be part of this incredible collection. The essays are NEXT LEVEL. This book casts the relationship between Christianity and anthropology in a whole new light.

fordhampress.com/anthropologi...

What a delight to receive such a generous reading and review of Sonic Icons from a colleague I respect so much!
anthrosource-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/share/XGYICM...

I had the opportunity to review this valuable book recently and I learned a lot from thinking across disciplines.

Governing religious diversity in global comparative perspective: Politics, Religion & Ideology: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access www-tandfonline-com.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/doi/full/10....

New rule: no criticizing the way others choose to resist unless you have a better, actionable idea and kind, constructive feedback. New ideas are good! Performative contrarianism is useless.

The President—who uses antisemitic slurs—is building concentration camps and an enormous secret police force.

Ya know, maybe this is just because I’m Jewish, but I wish the political opposition and the media made a bigger deal about it!

The fact that Indivisible took the approach that empowered people to work together to start protests where they live rather than travel to a central location/big city to protest is a game changer. It mixes convenience with pride in your hometown, and the great benefit is building communities.