America's Monopoly Crisis Hits the Military – Matt Stoller, The American Conservative – Financialization and globalization have transformed many industries, and now those effects are hitting the American military. What happens when our supply chains are dependent on an adversarial foreign power? We’re finding out now, and it doesn’t seem pretty. Stoller is also launching his own newsletter on monopolies, and his most recent edition about Boeing adds more depth with a tragic example of how this dynamic has harmed people.

Against Pop Culture – Brad East, Mere Orthodoxy – Christians have been told to Engage the Culture (see below), but in our eagerness to escape the long shadow of fundamentalism many have uncritically adopted habits of consumption that aren’t particularly valuable or good. Don’t miss Brad’s follow-up post responding to critics of his more caustic claims.

The Gospel According to Fleabag – Tara Isabella Burton, Catapult – Just so you know we don’t hate pop culture, here is a beautiful and moving reflection on the Gospel in the life of the writer that she saw reflected in the show Fleabag. You don't have to have watched the show to be blessed by this essay.