Week 30 (2025)
broken & healed women, the housing famine, prudent martyrs & kissing evangelical elitism goodbye
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Enjoy this collection of digitally scrapbooked resonances… this attempt to weave unexpected connections… this Imaginary, Weekly Magazine I’d Like To (Or Need To) Read gleaned from other magazines, journals, writers, creators of good things. Perhaps it is many things. I can’t guarantee a niche (my life story, amiright) but I can guarantee the equivalent of a satisfying charcuterie board. Comments are imagined to be around a conversation table. Cheers.
to read: books
Villette — Charlotte Brontë — Not too much to say, besides noting the on point depictions of what could now be named as depression. My time of getting acquainted with the Brontë sisters continues. Some quotes.
to read: essays, articles, newsletters
It’s the ginormous elephant in the room when it comes to costs of living. And it’s discouraging out there. The housing crisis—or to use ’s term, famine—is acutely obvious, unless one is living under a rock of cash or equity. Affording a decent house near extended families or workplaces on one income (or less than two full-time incomes) is increasingly unattainable for many. It might not be the sexiest topic, but it’s a live issue affecting the formation and flourishing of families.
Toward a More Responsive American Urbanism — Theo Mackey Pollack, American Compass — “Over the past decade, a handful of initiatives have sought to promote affordability by allowing local housing markets to adjust for local demand. These measures have offered locally tailored approaches.”
Families Need Affordable Houses. Let’s Build Them On Federal Land —
, Institute For Family Studies — “Today, Zillow thinks my house would be worth around $1 million, a price increase that has far outpaced inflation or wage growth. The obvious result of this trend is that many middle-class families who might have wanted to live in Salt Lake cannot afford to do so.”What Happens When Housing Prices Go Down (Because They Are)? — Charles Marohn, Strong Towns — “If cities focus on building starter homes, backyard cottages, and small additions, most new units won’t ever be noticed. And, when they are, the very neighbors who once may have opposed development become its greatest champions for a simple and obvious reason: They now have a stake in its construction.”
(related: Strong Towns’ Escaping The Housing Trap, ’s Arbitrary Lines, and many links in the archives here)
I Kissed Evangelical Elitism Goodbye —
, millinerd — “This is why The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind ended not with the false promise of elite acceptance but with the words of Scripture: “Christians who pursue intellectual activity should never wander far from the words of the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Let not the wise boast in [their] wisdom…. Let [them] who boast about this: that [they] understand and know me.’”Are The Martyrs Prudent? — Joshua Hochschild, Comment — “More vivid than Aristotle’s image of prudence is Plato’s, taken up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: the prudent decision-maker is like a charioteer whose course depends on skillfully steering horses. Is the charioteer in control? Of his choices, yes, but of the horses and terrain, not in any deterministic way. The image of the guiding charioteer captures the dynamic conditions of decision-making, demanding masterful self-control without absolute predictability… Theologian Paul Scherz, distinguishing Aristotelian prudence from the modern social-scientific approach to risk management, emphasizes the key role of foresight and memory.”
(Fascinating to dovetail with ’s Practicing Prudence Without “Planning” My Family… which reminds me of this rabbit trail about responsible parenthood as a concept making only a relatively recent appearance on the Christian scene… which reminds me I bought a copy of Hall’s Conceiving Parenthood which I need to read. I hope it’s as infuriating as it looks. Might need to write my way through that one. Anyways… back to martyrs.)
The Hemorrhaging Woman, The Eucharist, And The Sermon — Mark Brians, Theopolis — “She has been yoked to her illness for twelve years, all of her wealth and attention has been spent on doctors, and she has only gotten worse and not better. Seeing Jesus in the crowd she draws near to him in faith and lays hold of the hem of his garment and receives the long-wanted healing.”
Whatever Comes — Bethany Colas,
—“so we can linger in the afterglow of
what I imagine the train of God’s
robe passing by would be
like—the warmth of his hand
tucking us in
to these pleasant boundaries of
dogwoods, oaks, and cypress trees”
Want Babies? Treat Infertility's Root Causes — Emma Waters, The Heritage Foundation — “It is holistic care that considers the whole person: her reproductive health conditions, partner, metabolic and hormonal health, environmental exposures and long-term family planning goals.”
What I Went Through To Meet My Daughter —
, The Free Press — “Many of them said they felt frustrated by doctors who apparently didn’t think it necessary to look into their “unexplained infertility.” Whereas, to get women the answers they need, Dr. Puthoff told me NaPro will leave no stone unturned.”(see also: This work published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center we recently walked through—Though these health issues ought to be addressed for the sake of a woman’s dignity and quality of life right now, regardless of pregnancy intentions)
to watch, listen to
Continuing On:
#9: New Feminism, Then and Now presented by Helen Alvaré with respondent
, a recording from this recent conference. I don’t want this Conference From My Couch to end.Woven Well Podcast with
— Episodes 86-88 — What You Should Know About Menopause / What About Single Women? / Should We Try Medicated Cycles? — “The Lord has given us a way to listen to what [our bodies] are trying to tell us, in this unique way.”
(more resources on female embodiment here)
to glean from
Something Beautiful
The Front Yard Pool — My husband dragged our new inflatable pool to the front yard. They filled it up, the neighbor kids wandered over, someone brought bubbles, and for a bit there it was the place to be. Highly recommend front yard play. Recently an older man drove by, rolled down his window, and said “I just love always seeing these kids out here.” We carry the fire!!!
This Poster — Got this and a few others for the kids’ room. I’m more obsessed than they are.
Something Helpful
This Virtual Event on the Future of Housing and the American Family — Thursday, July 24th (of course, Leah Libresco Sargeant is participating.) Yes I pulled the housing reads at the top for the occasion.
This In-Person Event with Gavin Ortlund — Tuesday, August 5th in Madison, Wisconsin. Let’s bring this energy and this and we can party (talk) afterwards. If I can lure anyone else to hang out, a date for my husband and I simply turns into something far better.
“This, distilled, is the prudence of the martyr: trading earthly treasure for heavenly reward.”
What a beautiful, faithful piece. Thank you for sharing, and for putting in conversation with mine on prudence and family planning!
Happy birthday!
Excited to read all those housing pieces! Slightly tangential, but I'm currently reading "There Is No Place For Us," which follows several families with working parents who end up homeless due to rapidly rising housing costs (among other issues). I'm finding it an infuriating and heartbreaking look at another aspect of the affordable housing crisis.