Current listening: Danish Rain, the new album from a duet of wonderful musicians: pianist Justin Kauflin and bassist Thomas Fonnesbæk. 🎶
A wonderful essay by Tara Isabella Burton in The New Atlantis on Effective Altruism, the rationalist and now post-rationalist online communities, and the turn they’ve taken toward the transcendent.
Paywalled, but TNA is well worth a sub for those interested in moral engagement with technology. 🔗
Current listening: Brian Blade, Mama Rosa.
I’ve loved this singer-songwriter-Gospel album from a world-class jazz drummer. 🎶
Finished reading: Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin.
My second read; it’s as beautiful and profound as it was the first time through.📚
The Temptation in the Wilderness, part 1 (Good Teacher #3) ✝️
Original post here Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered, “It is written ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Baptism & new life (Good Teacher #2) ✝️
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
I’m heading to Chicago this weekend for a birthday celebration with my father & brother. I’m eager for some bookstore recommendations. Any advice, Chicagoans? 📚
Welcome to the Good Teacher (Good Teacher #1) ✝️
In this newsletter, the goal is to consider Jesus’ teaching: what makes it worth following now, 2,000 after Jesus lived? Can it speak to us today? Does it have anything to offer our world? This newsletter won’t be about institutional Christianity; it won’t be about “spirituality,” whatever that means. Rather, we’re simply trying to answer the question “How should I live?” The goal isn’t to convert you to anything—other than to a better life.
Realizing I should be maintaining issues of my newsletter here on my blog, not just on Substack, in case things fall apart, as they tend to do. So I’ll start re-posting 1-2 a week.
The newsletter is on the ethical teachings of Jesus. It doesn’t assume any religious belief or perspective.
Austin Klein won’t be hiring a virtual assistant anytime soon. 🔗