Here’s the video of my recent talk from the HWSS Conference in San Diego, which marked the debut of (the rough version of) The Seculosity Creed. I highly doubt I’ll ever make people laugh this hard again–and that’s probably a good thing. Many thanks to the good folks at 1517 for allowing me the opportunity to poke fun.
Creedal Faith in the Age of Seculosity: Dave Zahl from 1517 on Vimeo.
1a. This week featured a point-counter-point on the religious decline in America. Fewer people are going to church, particularly millennials. Accordingly, Christine Emba sees genuine cause for alarm. Millennials prefer low-cost, substitute religions (read: seculosities!), and the church may not be there as a fallback option in the future: Faith and practice can’t persevere through […]
Thank you to 1517 for the opportunity to put this bit of sub-Nicene ridiculousness together and then have 400 people recite it in unison…! I’ve made a couple tiny tweaks since then. Probably goes without saying but this was written in a spirit of play and confession, not superiority. A big shoutout to Ben Maddison for his help:
From this year’s annual Mockingbird conference in NYC, here is David Zahl speaking about and reading from his new book Seculosity. Topics include Soylent, anxiety, toxic religions, and snow days:
Seculosity and the Future of Guilt Management – David Zahl from Mockingbird on Vimeo.
If you don’t move, I’ll f&%*-ing make you move, he said. I was standing in a stadium, watching the reunited Guns N Roses perform. A dream I’d harbored for actual decades, finally realized. Our seats were decent but a few rows up a large-ish party hadn’t shown, so me and my friend did what serious […]
I may seem like nothing but an already crotchety almost-thirty-something who has resigned himself to the “armchair analysis” stage of athletic participation. And while that holds more than a modicum of truth (a ruptured ACL and chronic back problems will do that), I also contend that the advent of fitness culture is, indeed, religious, and […]
In his book, A Secular Age, Charles Taylor narrated the long process of disenchantment in the Western world, where the rationality of the scientific worldview comes to dominate how people live from day to day. In the absence of official religion, Taylor contends that people have made themselves and their authenticity the new means of […]
Three items of interest to report on the #Seculosity front:
1. In response to numerous requests, we’ve put together a Group Discussion Guide that takes you through the book, chapter by chapter. You can download it free on our Resources page or on the Fortress Press website. Spread the word! (Many thanks to Bryan J and Kendall G for their help).
2. The Almighty Amazon Algorithm, in its infinite wisdom, has just discounted the book by over 50%! Which means you can now get (hardcover) copies for $13.00. No idea how long this will last–or how it’s even possible–so get while the gettin’s good. Just be sure to drop a short review on that site when you can, as it makes a world of difference. And to forgo the Bezos-sphere, indiebound has you covered.
3. Philadelphia metro area take note: Next week I’ll speaking about the book at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Wenonah, New Jersey! Weds August 28th at 6:30-8:30pm. The event is free, but if you plan on coming, please register here. Would love to see you.
1. So you’re trying to sleep, and it’s well after bedtime, but you’re tossing and turning and unable to get comfy, and you notice you’re replaying the same scenario in your head: some vision of tomorrow, of what might happen, how a hope could be dashed. If you’ve had this experience, you’re far from alone […]
Escapism has a bad name nowadays. It’s usually equated with those who play video games for far too long, get lost in fiction books, or never come back from their Hawaii vacation. Escapists are the ignorant who bury their head in the sand in the hopes that they won’t be devoured. In Christian circles, they are the hermetic […]
Solvitur ambulando, or “It is solved by walking,” in Latin — a Roman quip probably effused on one of the many roads that leads to (or from) the travertine city. Note the passive voice, which permits the speaker to omit any specific notion of what is actually solved by walking. But perhaps that’s the point […]
1. Appropriately timed for tomorrow’s 50th anniversary of the moon landing, our first link this week is “First Men and Original Sins,” from the latest issue of Image (ht EKR). British sci-fi novelist Adam Roberts asks to what extent a religious impulse was involved in the space race as well as in the subsequent rise […]
