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Seculosity Has Landed!!

by David Zahl on Apr 2, 2019 •

Beyond excited to announce that my new book Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What To Do About It is officially out today! So excited, in fact, that we made another video to celebrate #markbabikowisagenius:

A few ways to support the cause (after you’ve purchased the book):

1. Write a review on Amazon ASAP! This is big, especially if you bought the book from them and qualify as a ‘verified user.’ Seriously, the more (positive) reviews the better.

2. Spread the word on social media! For example, share this announcement on Facebook. Or post a picture of your copy arriving on Instagram. Tweet your favorite lines. Do whatever people do on Snapchat. Just be sure to use the #seculosity hashtag. Buzz buzz buzz!

3. Come to a stop on the Seculosity book tour! And invite friends to join you. This week I’ll be in Birmingham, AL; Tyler, TX; and Houston. More details here.

Psychic Disintegration in Jordan Peele's "Us"

Psychic Disintegration in Jordan Peele's "Us"

by CJ Green on Mar 25, 2019 • 1 Comment

Unfortunately, there is no doubt about the fact that man is, as a whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be. Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. – Jung Nighttime. Inside a secluded beach house, a family […]

Special Faith and Doubt Episode of The Mockingcast!

by Mockingbird on Mar 20, 2019 •

As you may know, each time a new issue of The Mockingbird hits the post office, we do a special episode of The Mockingcast to hit the highlights of the theme in discussion. The new one, ladies and gentlemen, is up! Join Ethan as he chats with Sally Lloyd-Jones, Gordon Marino, and Connor Gwin to talk about faith and doubt, and their contributions to the new magazine. Click here to listen. And click here to get a copy of your own.

Now Available! Life Is Impossible: And That's Good News, by Nick Lannon

by Mockingbird on Mar 15, 2019 •
Have you heard the Good News? Life Is Impossible…is now available through the Mockingbird bookstore and Amazon!
This slim, gospel-centered book points to God’s abundant mercy and love amidst life’s painful realities. With wisdom, humor, and compassion, Nick Lannon illumines the light of Jesus, the One who achieves the unachievable.

“A short, accessible classic.” – Paul F. M. Zahl, author of Grace in Practice

“Masterfully clear and imminently practical, this book puts flesh on theology, roots it in daily life, and demonstrates over and over that when we run into the brick wall of the impossible, we are actually at the very door that opens to Christ’s saving work.” – Chad Bird, author of Night Driving and Your God Is Too Glorious

This is one you won’t want to miss!

(Oh yes, and while you’re perusing our store, don’t forget to visit the merch page where you’ll find t-shirts and notebooks for wicked-cheap. Cheers to that.)
The Dangers of Parenting Under the Influence

The Dangers of Parenting Under the Influence

by Guest Contributor on Mar 14, 2019 • 3 Comments

This one comes to us courtesy of an actual college student, Charlie Meyer: Waiting in the airport today, my family chipped away at a crossword. We were stuck with only a few clues left to solve, so needless to say, stakes were high. In a family where crossword answers are like currency, one can feel […]

The Illusion of Prestige and the College Admissions Scandal

The Illusion of Prestige and the College Admissions Scandal

by Ginger M on Mar 13, 2019 • 8 Comments

I spent every day after school when I was in fourth through sixth grade doing my homework in a conference room that was covered floor to ceiling in college brochures and posters. When I finished my homework, I would look over the various shiny brochures and marvel at all the options available. If you had […]

by Mockingbird on Mar 12, 2019 •
Clearance Sale at the Mockingbird bookstore! This week merch is 50% off: vintage logo t-shirts at $5.00 and notebooks at $2.50. All purchases come with a complimentary Low Anthropology sticker. 🙂

Announcing: Life Is Impossible (And That's Good News), by Nick Lannon!

by Mockingbird on Mar 8, 2019 • 1 Comment

Well, no one ever said life would be easy…

Pleased to announce our latest book publication, by longtime Mockingbird contributor Nick Lannon. Available next FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2019. You can pre-order TODAY through our online bookstore and Amazon.

Many of us will admit that, at times, life is hard. We buckle down, put our noses to the grindstone…and all too often wind up exhausted or burned out. But the problem isn’t that life is hard. The problem is that life is impossible! Fortunately, what sounds like bad news is merely the beginning of the Good News in this concise, gospel-centered book about God’s abundant mercy and love. With wisdom, humor, and compassion, Nick Lannon casts life’s painful realities in the light of Jesus, the One who achieves the unachievable.

“A short, accessible classic.” – Paul F. M. Zahl, author of Grace in Practice

“Masterfully clear and imminently practical, this book puts flesh on theology, roots it in daily life, and demonstrates over and over that when we run into the brick wall of the impossible, we are actually at the very door that opens to Christ’s saving work.” – Chad Bird, author of Night Driving and Your God Is Too Glorious

“…a real, earthy, honest book that will set you free to admit that you can’t do it. But he doesn’t leave you there. Nick points beautifully and creatively to the One who did it for you.” – Tullian Tchividjian, author of One Way Love

“Good news, told and illustrated well.” – Zac Hicks, author of The Worship Pastor

“…like the finger of John the Baptist, [Life Is Impossible] points away from our life as it points to the lamb, the saviour who takes away the sins of the world.” – Dr. Jonathan A. Linebaugh, editor of God’s Two Words

PRE-ORDER LIFE IS IMPOSSIBLE TODAY!

Workaholics in the Hands of a Firing God

Workaholics in the Hands of a Firing God

by David Zahl on Feb 26, 2019 • 6 Comments

“When work becomes the primary arbiter of identity, purpose, worth, and community in our lives, it has ceased to function as employment and begun to function as a religion. Or at least we have made it responsible for providing the very things to which we used to look to God.” Those two lines are taken […]

Mockingbird E-Books Now Available!

by Mockingbird on Feb 22, 2019 •

Now available as Kindle e-books are some of our most recent publications, including Larry Parsley’s beautiful meditations on the Gospel of Mark, a (mostly) true epic by Charlotte Getz and Stephanie Phillips, and two burnished gems by Robert Farrar Capon. Full descriptions here:

An Easy Stroll Through a Short Gospel: Meditations on Mark, by Larry Parsley: a lovely, accessible devotional comprised of short entries on the Gospel of Mark. Larry walks verse-by-verse through the shortest official take on the biggest life ever lived, relating the text to relevant themes in daily life. “A gentle journey…Larry’s wisdom and eye for beauty might readily serve as inspiration for daily spiritual exercises.” – Dr. Paul Scott Wilson

Unmapped: The (Mostly) True Story of How Two Women Lost at Sea Found Their Way Home, by Charlotte Getz & Stephanie Phillips. For this visionary work, two of Mockingbird’s most profound contributors collaborated to create not merely a book but an entirely new genre: the spiritual memoir duet. Through their retellings of actual and spiritual adrift-ness, Charlotte and Stephanie illuminate the grace of God in life’s highs and lows. By turns moving and very funny.

Bed and Board: Plain Talk About Marriage, by Robert Farrar Capon. The first book written by the acclaimed theologian/writer/chef/priest, Bed & Board tackles head-on the themes of marriage and family life with an unyielding eye on the grace of God amidst everything. Robert plays with the absurdity of life and the greater, more wonderful absurdity of God’s unrequited love. “Bed and Board is necessary and offensive in the best possible way.” – Sarah Condon

Exit 36: A Fictional Chronicle, by Robert Farrar Capon. With a tinge of mystery/noir, this novel takes place over the course of a month in the life of a parish priest. Father William Jansson faces suicide, gossip, adultery, and ultimate redemption, in this sly and often unorthodox investigation of religion — a novel quite unlike any other. With a special foreword by our friend Chad Bird. “Capon’s voice is needed now as much as it ever has been.” – The Very Rev. Mark Strobel

In addition to these four, you can now access nearly every other title in our collection as an e-book. Kindle editions are on hand at Amazon or accessed through our recently revamped store, where you can peruse our full offering.

Language, Witness, and Control: Some Thoughts on Rhetoric and Grace

Language, Witness, and Control: Some Thoughts on Rhetoric and Grace

by Will McDavid on Feb 19, 2019 • 5 Comments

Reading Hannah Arendt’s marvelous book on The Human Condition, I came across a particularly thought-provoking paragraph on the ancient ideal of speech. Arendt draws a sharp contrast between the Greek household—which was ruled by necessity, the need to provide food and shelter and to raise children—and the political life. The two were distinct because once […]

A Pastoral Missive to Gen X Women

A Pastoral Missive to Gen X Women

by Sarah Condon on Jan 31, 2019 • 8 Comments

Laydeez, My day (and avocado toast) was ruined by the well-meaning forward of an article called The New Midlife Crisis for Women. It is on Oprah’s website, naturally. So while I was expecting some #liveyourbestlife -ness, I was slammed with the reality of your lives. I gotta say, I am worried. I was born in […]