Scott Latta

Corvallis! I'm coming to the Corvallis Museum this Friday night to read from this weird little megachurch book as part of the @oregonstate.edu MFA alumni series. The great Mike Chin will be there, along with Bruce the Moose in the lobby.

More info! www.grassrootsbookstore.com/events/36625...

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Secretive Practice That Kept Robert Morris in Power No one knows what pastoral restoration means—especially pastors.

There are many, many, many, many problems with "pastoral restoration," which kept Robert Morris in power for four decades. I unpacked three.

scottlatta.substack.com/p/the-secret...

As a local, I can indeed confirm Portland is on fire... for ukulele Woody Guthrie singalongs bsky.app/profile/repd...

I can't wait to hear the harrowing tales of how those brave journalists narrowly escaped the ukulele Woody Guthrie singalong bsky.app/profile/repd...

Robert Morris Didn’t Think the Rules Applied to Him. Because They Didn’t. Justice delayed is still justice denied.

A few words on Robert Morris, pastoral power, and the difference between accountability and justice. scottlatta.substack.com/p/robert-mor...

Forty-two years, start to finish.

Send help—the fence has been breached

Four years ago, I outlined a chapter idea in a book proposal about a church in Alabama that was doing some alarming things. That chapter became the whole book, which just landed on my porch. It's out next month. I hope it's helpful.

This Is What Political Power Looks Like in a Megachurch Featuring a halftime performance by the First Baptist Dallas choir

How do megachurches wield political power? Propaganda, cajoling, and leasing stage time out to far-right demagogues.

My latest: substack.com/home/post/p-...

How political are megachurches? It depends on if you think this is a political act.

My latest: scottlatta.substack.com/p/how-politi...

Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point

This man is third in line to the presidency

Yes. Reminds me of when a source told me about her time in a megachurch: "If you were thin and you could successfully run three miles without throwing up, you were more likely to have better access to opportunities."

Honestly it doesn't really matter when they've always done things like this (courtesy @rightwingwatch.bsky.social)

Considering Amy Coney Barrett once said "Those who want same-sex marriage, you have every right to lobby in state legislatures," I think I'd probably count on it

To See the Damage Megachurches Cause, Look at This River "The river eats itself"

Btw, the church is Church of the Highlands and I made the graphic anyway.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

I was about to make a complicated graphic showing how a megachurch in Alabama is damaging a nearby river—a huge parking lot, a steep slope, new construction, the whole shebang. Then I opened Google Earth and just...saw it

Once a day I think about this batshit video Mark Driscoll showed last fall before the election.

Sandi Patty would never

Gods of the Smoke Machine | Scott Latta | Substack Writing about megachurches, Christofascism, and the occasional painting. Click to read Gods of the Smoke Machine, by Scott Latta, a Substack publication. Launched 4 days ago.

5. The story is an example of the profound ecological damage that megachurches cause and underscores the need for public and legal accountability.

scottlatta.substack.com

To See the Damage Megachurches Cause, Look at This River "The river eats itself"

4. Environmentalist groups have tried to work with the church in the past. But churches “often seem to be given a pass” one told me.

substack.com/inbox/post/1...

3. The church also constructed a chain-link fence over a public hiking trail in the forest, closing off access to the public without explanation—an ecological disaster.

2. The church’s most recent building—a $4.5 million “Lodge”— cleared enough dirt to fill 600 dump trucks and sent mud and runoff down a bluff into the river.

To See the Damage Megachurches Cause, Look at This River "The river eats itself"

1. Church of the Highlands, one of the biggest megachurches in America, has a history of damaging the Cahaba River in Alabama and disregarding environmentalists’ concerns about construction runoff and stormwater control.

substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Norman Rockwell, "Breaking Home Ties" On the tension of Pax Americana

A few words on Rockwell and Pax Americana.

open.substack.com/pub/scottlat...

I’ve spent the past 18 months diving into the world of megachurches — meeting those who have been trampled, abused, and left behind. Every story was different, but one dynamic was consistent: power. My book, GODS OF THE SMOKE MACHINE, publishes in October. a.co/d/dqrbS9e

This was super fun, thanks for having me!