Sign in

Kelsey Hanson Woodruff

@khansonwoodruff.bsky.social
984 followers 308 following 68 posts

Researching and writing about American Christianity, gender, media, and politics. Postdoc at Wesleyan University.

PostsRepliesMedia
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
I loved this interview with mathematician and professor Steven Strogatz, which asks deep questions about what it means to be human. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
When A.I. Comes for Your Purpose in Life
Podcast Episode · The Daily · October 13 · 33m
010 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Everything he is saying here is fully vindicating my belief that we need Religious Studies as an academic discipline to begin to understand the culture surrounding AI, and its millenarian fantasies.
311532 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I spent the evening with a group of faculty at Wesleyan discussing how to teach writing in the age of AI because we very much DO believe it is valuable at the college level.
020 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Strong disagree. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think. (Gift Article)
If I do not treat writing as essential for achieving thought, it is not clear why I should force my students to.
131 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
bookshop.org/p/books/on-t...
bookshop.org
On the Days When I Believe: The Life and Spiritual Legacy of Rachel Held Evans
Meet the millennial woman who changed American Christianity.Rachel Held Evans was one of the most influential Christians of her generation. Raised in the heart of the Bible Belt, Evans absorbed the ce...
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I came across this 2019 essay by Elesha Coffman in UChicago Divinity’s Sightings, asking if we’ll continue to forget women like Rachel Held Evans in our telling of American religious history. I’m hoping that my book is part of the remembering. divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/ar...
divinity.uchicago.edu
Rachel Held Evans, Gone and Soon Forgotten?
Christian feminist author Rachel Held Evans inspired fervent love (and fervent opposition) in her decade of public wrestling with faith.
191 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
American Society of Church History @aschurchhistory.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Registration for the 2027 ASCH Annual Meeting in New Orleans is now open! Register before December 1 for the early bird rate. www.churchhistory.org/annualmeetin...
American Society of Church History Annual Meeting 2027: Recovery
New Orleans, LA January 7-10 2027
031 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
You really have to read this to believe it. Jon Malesic finds convincing evidence of an AI author finding real success in a genre one might hope would be resistant to slop: spiritual essays in small, serious Christian magazines. (At least 1 was a cover story!) jonmalesic.substack.com/p/how-i-unco...
jonmalesic.substack.com
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
Can we preserve the connection between personal writing and human experience in the Slop Age?
2102 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I just read today she taught at Wesleyan! RIP. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/b...
nytimes.com
Annie Dillard, Meditative Author of ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,’ Dies at 81 (Gift Article)
Her Thoreau-like account of journeys in the woods, published when she was 28, was the first of many ruminations on life and nature, good and evil.
020 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Christian Left exists! And we need more scholarship on it. 🙂 m.youtube.com/watch?v=WLDE...
m.youtube.com
Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with James Talarico That the FCC Doesn’t Want You To See
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
001 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I had my first laptop-free class yesterday and it was great! Students were on board!
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I spoke to journalist Alaina Demopoulos for this piece on a conservative Christian podcast.
010 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
UNC Press @uncpress.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Scams targeting authors continue to rise so here's some useful tips to help you spot the scammers 🕵 uncpressblog.com/2026/08/27/p...
uncpressblog.com
Protecting Authors from Publishing Scams  - UNC Press Blog
UNC Press authors are receiving more scam emails and messages offering book promotion, reviews, book club appearances, podcast interviews, film and television opportunities, marketing services, and ot...
01517 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I found that a strange choice also. No reviewer wants to read through AI proposals.
140 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I would also be interested in one!
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Here’s the full cover.
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
My biography of Rachel Held Evans will be out in March. I was honored to write it and hope it demonstrates her important role in twenty-first century Christianity. www.eerdmans.com/978080288442...
eerdmans.com
On the Days When I Believe
Meet the millennial woman who changed American Christianity.Rachel Held Evans was one of the most influential Christians of her generation. Raised in the hea...
470 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 04/08/2026
"Pastors in Name Only" "Wicked Witch of Woke" “I've never seen anyone commit so much blasphemy against the word of God." As pastors become Democratic nominees — at least 5 so far, and likely one more tonight — their Republican opponents are attacking their faith. religionnews.com/2026/08/04/p...
religionnews.com
'They're not real pastors': As clergy run as Democrats, Republicans question their faith
(RNS) — 'It's a sign that they are really scared they're gonna lose this seat,' the Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor running for Congress in Iowa, said. She is part of a wave of religious ...
2123578 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I’m doing this in the fall too! We should compare notes at the end of the semester.
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I’m curious what other college educators think about how Gen Z’s lack of perceived efficacy pertains to the classroom. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Gen Z Fell Out of Love With Work. I Don’t Blame Them. (Gift Article)
For Gen Z college graduates, the way millennials lived out their ambitions no longer makes sense.
010 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
American Society of Church History @aschurchhistory.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Check out "The Scandal of Rachel Held Evans’s Evangelical Mind" by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff in the December 2025 issue of Church History! @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
"The Scandal of Rachel Held Evans’s Evangelical Mind" by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
041 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I just listened to this great interview with @wmstell.bsky.social.
011 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
You’re saying that a student who gets an A- rather than a flat A in a course doesn’t deserve to be at Harvard? That’s nonsense.
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
My new article out in Church History. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
The Scandal of Rachel Held Evans’s Evangelical Mind | Church History | Cambridge Core
The Scandal of Rachel Held Evans’s Evangelical Mind
092 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/u...
nytimes.com
Professors Are Changing What They Teach, Even Far from Trump’s Gaze
020 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Ruth Graham @ruthgraham.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
The last year has been a big one for Catholic clergy born in Illinois. New from me: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Archbishop Will Be Beatified, One Step Away From Sainthood
3533 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Anne Taylor, PhD @annetaylor.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Are women's rights more at risk than we thought? Another great essay from @ruthbraunstein.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/ruthbrau...
open.substack.com
Are women's rights more at risk than we thought?
On the Handmaid's Tale, glass vs. rubber balls, and singing in the shower
053 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Friends, I hope you’ll share this widely. The @jcblibrary.bsky.social is hiring 2 3-yr research associates for collaborative work on religions and freedoms in the early Americas. Info is here and I’m happy to take questions offline: brown.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/staff-...
brown.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Research Associate
Job Description: The John Carter Brown Library, located on the campus of Brown University, has one of the world’s most significant collections relating to the history of the early Americas, particular...
1135144 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
2025 was another great year for Religion & American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation! We saw a variety of article topics including health, tourism, media, and more! Check out the three issues that were released this year and the most read articles of this year!
121 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
I started this podcast today and plan to assign a few episodes to my students in the Spring! An exceptional example of public scholarship.
030 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
This exhibit by James Bielo is really cool. Stop by today at #aarsbl25 if you haven’t seen it yet!
050 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Shaily Patel @vox-magica.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
okay, friends, let's do something community-oriented and helpful. #sblaar25 veterans, drop your best conference advice for first-time attendees. be sure to signal boost so folks across bluesky can add on/peruse.
436824 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
This panel sounds amazing!
010 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
orbisbooks.com/products/he-...
orbisbooks.com
In the Twilight of the Christian West: A Theology of Mourning and Resi
As far-right authoritarianism resurges under the banner of preserving Western civilization, Mac Loftin reveals how white Christian nationalism’s political will is shaped by a theology of power within ...
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Congratulations to my friend and colleague Mac Loftin on the publication of his timely and beautifully written book. @harvarddivinity.bsky.social
150 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Congrats to Will! The cover looks great.
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Congratulations! Excited to see this history come into print.
000 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Alexiana Fry @alexianafry.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to write this tribute on the late Dr. Phyllis Trible for @baptistnews.com. She gave many of us permission: baptistnews.com/article/reme...
baptistnews.com
Remembering Phyllis Trible – Baptist News Global
Driven by love, she sought to reclaim and restore texts that often were rendered more sexist due to (male) scholars’ chauvinism.
072 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Save the date! The Center will once again be hosting our annual reception at the 2025 Annual Meetings of #AAR Join us Sunday Nov. 23rd at 8pm at the Westin Copley Place in the Huntington Ballroom! Learn more and pre-register here: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/aar-2025/
031 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
It’s great to see students thinking about this. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
thecrimson.com
AI Defeats the Purpose of a Humanities Education | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
While Harvard apparently worries that its educational programming is losing rigor to grade inflation and lax attendance norms, it can start making a difference by curtailing a problem in part of its o...
010 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
My article, “Outposts in the Wilderness: Post-Evangelical Feminist Communities on Digital Media, 2004-2024” is out with Religion and American Culture. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Outposts in the Wilderness: Post-Evangelical Feminist Communities on Digital Media, 2004–2024 | Religion and American Culture | Cambridge Core
Outposts in the Wilderness: Post-Evangelical Feminist Communities on Digital Media, 2004–2024
052 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
www.cambridge.org/universitypr...
cambridge.org
Christianity at the Crossroads | Cambridge University Press & Assessment
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Delighted to see David Hempton’s book, Christianity at the Crossroads, out in the world. I was a research assistant several years ago for his Gifford Lectures, on which this book is based.
120 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 08/09/2025
Virginia Tech, the University of Oregon, Indiana University have all proposed cuts to religious studies programs. Why?
chronicle.com
Why Religious Studies Is in Trouble
As colleges plan to make cuts, departments in this field are finding themselves on the chopping block.
352 0
Reposted by Kelsey Hanson Woodruff
Annette Yoshiko Reed @annetteyreed.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
“Chicago has long helped to keep alive tiny fields & esoteric areas of humanistic study... Without the univ’s support, & the continued training of grad students who can keep these bodies of kn going, entire spheres of human learning might eventually blink out.” www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
theatlantic.com
If the University of Chicago Won’t Defend the Humanities, Who Will?
Why it matters that the University of Chicago is pausing admissions to doctoral programs in literature, philosophy, the arts, and languages
626393 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
It’s on the syllabus! I agree it’s a fantastic chapter.
010 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
My Celebrity course is reading it this fall!
000 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
We read presidential addresses in one of our required PhD courses as well. We also read some of the award-winning books in the field of the last year.
020 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Haha! Next time, celibacy and charisma.
110 0
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff @khansonwoodruff.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
I’m excited to teach my new course, “Celebrity and Charisma in American Christianity,” this fall at Harvard Divinity School!
2110 0