Recommended by Brad Todd
I had two majors in college: Political Science and Religious Studies. In the latter, my emphasis was on American Religion, both the history/theology of the church here & its cultural impact. Ryan's awesome Substack GRAPHS ABOUT RELIGION melds these two interests together, and there's nobody today doing robust analysis of survey research into trends inside American religion than Ryan is. Those interested in earthquakes in church polity or religiosity's prediction of politics will love it.
Jason Micheli is God's missionary to intellectual people who've realized they cannot out-think the human condition. He's scholarly, wry, thirsty, and relentlessly strapped to the rocket that is the gospel of grace.
In a town of pack animals, Ben has made his career being a savvy lone wolf. His conclusions often become conventional wisdom, but well after he says them. Building a basket of news sources about any topic calls for finding a few rational contrarians and he's a good one to flag.
Zac McCrary is a mid-career practicing political professional who mines the memory and accomplishments of the field's lions for the whys and what fors of the biggest political races in America's modern era. Political journalism rarely goes behind the curtain of electoral politics - despite its pretense - but Zacs' podcast does.
Journalism has devolved to keyboarding from the monochromatic precincts of Washington or New York to fill the digital pages of national publications based in those places. But Salena Zito remains true to the old ways, in the best ways. She reports on the American heartland from it. She takes backroads. She speaks to the powerless about the powerful. I've watched her work in person & never seen anyone with better bedside manner in interviewing ordinary people.