by Ben Howard
The first post I wrote for this website is a mess. The writing is stilted and repetitive. The thesis is obvious and uninteresting, and even if it wasn’t, I don’t explain the premise enough for anyone who isn’t reading my mind to understand what’s going on.
But I hit publish anyway, because that’s what you do, even if you’re naïve about what you’re sending out into the world. And then I hit publish the next day, and the next, and again a few days after that. And then a friend wrote a post for me, and then another, and another. And I’d like to think the writing got a little better, the ideas a little sharper, the jokes a little tighter, and the whole thing a good bit more intriguing.
Today is our 500th post at On Pop Theology and it also happens to be our 2nd birthday. In the two years since the site launched, we’ve published somewhere around 280,000 words (that’s about five books’ worth of writing), and recorded around 30 hours worth of podcasts. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done and excited about the trajectory we’re traveling, and really just kind of exhausted when I look back at it all.
I can’t say enough about the amazing friends I’ve met so far; the brilliant, thoughtful, hilarious, and creative people that have worked with us over the last two years. You inspire me.
I can’t say thank you enough to our readers and listeners. I hope you stick around and I hope we keep being worth your time.
Finally, I can confidently say this site would have stopped long ago if it wasn’t for the continued support and diligence of my friend and editor Sebastian Faust. Almost every word you read on this site has gone through his hands at least once, and he’s kept me from going insane at least a half-dozen times.
The core idea at the center of OPT has always been creativity and experimentation. We want to create a space where you can take an idea out and play with it, bounce it around, joke about it, poke holes in it, have fun with it. It has always been about ideas at play, embracing your weirdness, and in the process coming to a better understanding of who we are.
We have a lot of dreams for OPT in the future. Some of them will come to fruition, some won’t, and I have a hunch that we haven’t even dreamed our very best yet. We’re excited to keep experimenting, keep creating, keep joking, and we want to keep having fun. We hope you’re ready to dive into the theological deep end. ;)
Ben
Howard is an accidental iconoclast and generally curious individual
living in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the editor-in-chief of On Pop
Theology and an avid fan of waving at strangers for no reason. You can
follow him on Twitter @BenHoward87.
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by Ben Howard
Things have been a bit quiet here over the last few weeks. You may have noticed.
I thought it might be time to explain that, because that silence is about to come to an end.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been working behind the scenes with my friend and editor, Sebastian Faust, as well as a number of others, to re-imagine what exactly On Pop Theology will look like for the next month, for the next year, and what we hope to achieve going forward.
The blog will remain very similar. We have a wonderful team of regular contributors working with us. Some, like Charity Erickson, Lyndsey Graves, and JaneAnn Kenney, you’ve read here often. Others, like Lane Severson and Jared Byas, will be newer to you.
The podcast is where we’re really hoping to shake things up.
As always, there will still be interviews with people we find interesting and noteworthy. In fact, we would very much love to hear your suggestions on who you’d like to hear us interview. I can’t promise anything, but I’ve tried some bizarre things in an attempt to get a guest before. Aim high.
Also, our more avant-garde studio shows with Jesse Moon, Sebastian, and myself will still be a monthly feature. If you’ve listened to those episodes, you’ll know we’re game for pretty much anything.
More importantly, we’ll be bringing you two different types of podcasts this year.
In the first, we’ll be trying to explore difficult and complex societal issues. We want to learn about and talk about the hard things and we want to work with the people who understand those topics.
For the second, we’ll be focusing one episode a month on a particular book of the Bible. Our goal is to bring in some of the most knowledgeable Biblical scholars to lend us their expertise as we try and understand how to read the Bible responsibly, respectfully and justly.
Here’s the part where we need your help, and it’s two-fold.
First, we need your ideas. What do you want to read about? What do you want to learn about? What questions do you have? You can leave a comment here, contact us on Twitter at either @BenHoward87 or @OnPopTheology, or send us an email at onpoptheology@gmail.com.
Second, we’re asking you for money. While the podcast isn’t expensive to produce, it’s also not cheap. Our budget for the show this year is almost $400 which covers web hosting and equipment. If you like the show and can spare $5 or $10 to help us cover the costs, we would be deeply grateful.
We’ve added a "Donate" button to the sidebar on the right. Just click there and you can donate whatever amount you’d like via Paypal.
I’ve said before that On Pop Theology, both the blog and the podcast, is one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done. I love doing this. I love being creative, I love working with creative people, and I love being able to share that creativity with you.
You are all wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving!
Ben
Howard is an accidental iconoclast and generally curious individual
living in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the editor-in-chief of On Pop
Theology and an avid fan of waving at strangers for no reason. You can
follow him on Twitter @BenHoward87.
You can follow On Pop Theology on Twitter @OnPopTheology or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OnPopTheology.
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