The Archive

Every essay.

Pieter ValkFeaturedCultureChurchFormation

Vocational Singleness is a Gospel Cornerstone - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

Having begun the work of bringing his kingdom on earth, Christ promised to redeem all of creation. He promised fullness of life to those who would follow him and blessing to their neighbors. Yet many believers offer timid testimonies about […]

Jake MeadorBook Reviews

Reading Ratzinger - Commonplaces

Luke has written an obit for the Pope Emeritus over on the main site. So I have little to add to that. I may have something further to say related to Benedict’s passing later, but for now I’m curious to […]

Jake MeadorBook Reviews

Reading Ratzinger - Commonplaces

Luke has written an obit for the Pope Emeritus over on the main site. So I have little to add to that. I may have something further to say related to Benedict’s passing later, but for now I’m curious to […]

R. Lucas StampsFeatured

In Memoriam: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

Before he was a pope, before he was a prefect or a cardinal or an archbishop, Joseph Ratzinger was a professor. In those years, Ratzinger would rivet crowded lecture halls in German universities with his theological acumen, his clarity of […]

Susannah Black RobertsPolitics

In Response to Sumpter on Ethnicity and Polity - Radio Free Thulcandra

Toby Sumpter has written a thoughtful response to my Theopolis piece on Wolfe’s Case for Christian Nationalism. I wanted to delay responding till post-Christmas (YES, I KNOW, it is still Christmas till Epiphany, calm down) to avoid generating Discourse, which […]

Susannah Black RobertsPolitics

In Response to Sumpter on Ethnicity and Polity - Radio Free Thulcandra

Toby Sumpter has written a thoughtful response to my Theopolis piece on Wolfe’s Case for Christian Nationalism. I wanted to delay responding till post-Christmas (YES, I KNOW, it is still Christmas till Epiphany, calm down) to avoid generating Discourse, which […]

Jake MeadorFeaturedBlogging

2022 Eliot Awards - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

I’m going to handle the Eliot Awards a little differently this year. I still am going to link to my favorite magazine writing of the year, but for a few reasons this year’s edition will not be as tightly organized […]

John CarpenterBibleFeatured

Ruth's Prequel to the Christmas Story - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

Every good story has a good back-story. Ridley Scott made two prequels to his popular Alien franchise. This past year Amazon offered Rings of Power to the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a prequel. The Godfather had The Godfather […]

Joshua HeavinFeaturedFormation

Christmas "Time" is Here - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

“Quid est enim tempus?” “So what is time?”[1] Pangs of nostalgia for innocence lost, discontent with reality present, and some combination of fear, uncertainty, or despair about the future can combine to make Christmas an especially difficult time. Recently, two […]

Jake Meador

My Work This Year - Commonplaces

Almost everything I wrote this year ran here at Mere O, either on the main site or here at Commonplaces. Here’s a link to everything I wrote on the main site. It’s been rather a busy year—I’ve written about 110,000 words on Mere […]

Jake Meador

My Work This Year - Commonplaces

Almost everything I wrote this year ran here at Mere O, either on the main site or here at Commonplaces. Here’s a link to everything I wrote on the main site. It’s been rather a busy year—I’ve written about 110,000 words on Mere […]

Jake MeadorChurchCommunities

Where Did the College-Aged Evangelicals Go? - Commonplaces

I’m trying a new format out with some short-form videos. Here’s our first foray: You can subscribe on YouTube to get alerts when we publish more videos. I’ll also likely cross post them here as well.