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Privacy Policy

Last updated May 12, 2026.

Mere Orthodoxy is a publication of the Institute for Christianity and Common Life, a non-profit organization. We take your privacy seriously and collect only what we need to deliver our work to you.

I. What We Collect

Account Information

When you subscribe (free) or become a member (paid), we collect your name and email address. Paid members also provide payment information, which is processed and stored by Stripe. We never see or store your full credit card number.

Usage Data

We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-focused service that collects no personal data, sets no cookies, and does not track you across sites. We see aggregate page views and referral sources, not individual browsing behavior.

Email Engagement

Our newsletters are delivered through Kit (formerly ConvertKit). Kit tracks whether emails are opened and which links are clicked, which helps us understand what our readers find useful. You can unsubscribe from any email at any time.

Member Activity

If you are a paid member, we may record which articles you bookmark, which audio articles you listen to, and which essays you share via gift links. This data is tied to your account and used to improve your experience (e.g., your bookmark list on your dashboard).

II. What We Do Not Collect

  • We do not run Google Analytics or any ad-network trackers.
  • We do not use advertising cookies or retargeting pixels.
  • We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

III. How We Use Your Information

  • To deliver content: sending newsletters, providing access to member-only features (audio articles, PDF downloads, Ebooks, the print journal archive, bookmarks, and the member dashboard).
  • To process payments: managing memberships and donations through Stripe.
  • To communicate: responding to inquiries submitted through our contact and submission forms.
  • To improve the publication: understanding which essays resonate, which topics matter, and how to serve our readers better.

IV. Third-Party Services

We rely on a small number of services to operate. Each has its own privacy policy:

  • Ghost (ghost.org) hosts our website and manages memberships.
  • Stripe (stripe.com) processes payments. Stripe is PCI-compliant and handles all credit card data.
  • Kit (kit.com) delivers our email newsletters and tracks email engagement.
  • Cloudflare (cloudflare.com) provides our content delivery network and hosts supplementary services (search, audio delivery, PDF generation).
  • Plausible (plausible.io) provides privacy-focused web analytics.
  • OpenAI (openai.com) powers our site search through text embeddings of published article content. No user data is sent to OpenAI.

V. Cookies

Mere Orthodoxy uses only essential cookies required for member authentication (signing in and staying signed in). We do not use advertising, tracking, or third-party cookies. Plausible Analytics is entirely cookieless.

VI. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your account information for as long as your subscription or membership is active. If you cancel your membership or unsubscribe, you may request deletion of your data by contacting us through our contact page. We will make reasonable efforts to remove your information from our systems and the third-party services listed above.

VII. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Request correction of inaccurate data.
  • Request deletion of your data.
  • Unsubscribe from email communications at any time.
  • Cancel your membership at any time through your account settings.

VIII. Children

Mere Orthodoxy does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

IX. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be noted on this page with a revised date. We will not reduce your rights under this policy without your consent.

X. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or your data, reach us through our contact page.

Mere Orthodoxy is a publication of the Institute for Christianity and Common Life.