A(nother) change of plans
My new new job, and why I've been quiet here for a few weeks too many.
Well, hi. It’s December now, and I haven’t emailed since early October. But I do have a good reason for it.
You may recall that in August I accepted a new job as deputy editor at The Week, then did a mad dash to finish my manuscript for Untrustworthy before that role began in September. About six weeks in, I was feeling comfortable, getting used to all the responsibilities, beginning to carve out some time in the schedule for my own writing … and then our editor-in-chief resigned.
The upshot is—well, I don’t know yet what the final upshot will be. For now, however, it means I’m acting editor-in-chief and my own deputy. Suffice it to say, things have been busy. I’ve been scrambling to figure out all the new things I need to do and haven’t had much time for my own writing (though I will have some new stuff up at Christianity Today soon).
I also haven’t had much time for my own reading, but I crammed in so much during that writing sprint that there’s still plenty to share.
Books
Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous, by W. Jay Wood. If you want to get into academic epistemology, this is probably my top rec. It’s accessible and goes over many major terms and movements, but the really attractive part—which I referenced quite a lot in my book—is the discussion of epistemic virtue. That is, Wood is interested in and knowledgeable about more arcane discussion of, like, “Can we trust our senses as a way to access truth?” But I think he’s more interested in: “What kind of person should I seek to become to recognize truth when I encounter it?” That’s my interest, too.
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction, by Justin Whitmel Earley. I’ve recommended Earley’s book in real life so much I was surprised to see I’ve not put it in an email already. Habits of life as a means of discipleship have become a big topic in Christian publishing in recent years (thanks in significant part to the success of You Are What You Love, which I mentioned a couple notes ago), and The Common Rule, to my mind, is among the best of the genre. It’s intensely practical, and, even if you only pick up a few of his eight habits, very worth your time.
Reading while Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, by Esau McCaulley. This book was not what I expected. I anticipated much more theory, I guess, more general explanation of how black American biblical interpretation can be distinctive. There is some of that, but McCaulley largely dives right in to the thing itself. For my research, I mainly looked at the big-picture content in the opening and concluding chapters, but I’m looking forward to returning to the exegesis soon.
A bonus book
I’ve been so slammed with work that my reading time on this book has been embarrassingly slow (click through to my Instagram post to see how long I’ve been at it, yikes), so I’ve still got about half to go. You Are Not Your Own is Alan Noble’s second book, and it didn’t release until after I’d finished my manuscript, so you won’t find it referenced in Untrustworthy. You will find his first book (Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age), however, and I definitely recommend both.
Also, now you have a link to my low-volume Instagram account, should you want to follow me there.
That’s all for today! I hope to be in touch again before the end of the year, but, uh, no promises. As always, feel free to reply or reach out on Twitter!
Best,
Bonnie