iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

David Bentley Hart's endorsement of my new book Between Interpretation and Imagination, which is now available on Amazon:

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

I so enjoyed getting to know Nadya Williams, host of the Christians Reading Classics podcast @mereorthodoxy. We talked about C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce and my new book from Eerdmans on Lewis and the Bible. The podcast is available on Apple and Spotify. #booksky sites.libsyn.com/587875/cs-le...

sites.libsyn.com

Christians Reading Classics

Christians Reading Classics is a podcast about classic books being read through a distinctly Christian lens. Hosted by author and classicist, Nadya Williams, Christians Reading Classics introduces—or ...

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

My forthcoming book on C. S. Lewis and the Bible is now the #1 top new release in its category! Wow!

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Janet Spittler @janetspittler.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Two kinds of people don’t get why we study religion: people who think religion is bad and not studying it will make it go away and people who think religion is good—but just their own—so keep your critical hands off it. Both are wrong about what religious studies is. (See first comments on op.)

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herenowandthere.bsky.social @herenowandthere.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

“It is a hallmark of failing societies, I’ve learned, this requirement that one always be in possession of a valid reason to exist.” -Omar El Akkad

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Body-clipped my horse for the third time ever today. The first time I was afraid the other horses would make fun of him. Today he looks almost decent.

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J.M. Berger PRE-ORDER THE POPE'S HITMAN @jmberger.com · 10/08/2025

Berger's three laws of chatbotics: 1) The bot should never express emotions. 2) The bot should never praise the user. 3) The bot should never say it understands the user's mental state. There's no use case for these things, and they're obviously problematic. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...

nytimes.com

Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.

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Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

You know how people called women hysterical for predicting the right wing would take down Roe v. Wade (which they've done) and then attack access to birth control (which they're doing)? Hear me when I say that women's very right to vote is next. www.npr.org/2025/08/09/n...

NPR: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposts video of pastors saying women shouldn't vote

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Jon Cryer @mrjoncryer.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

A chief executive publicly cheering for the firing of a critical media personality is a common feature of authoritarian states. I hate to break it to everyone, especially since it’s been evident for a couple of months, but… America is an authoritarian state.

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 15/06/2025

It is really really sinking in for me the degree to which LLMs are the ultimate expression of right wing anti-intellectualism. Its proponents are literally mocking the idea that anyone would ever want to learn anything, know anything, develop any actual skill, or have a thought of their own.

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Yes, and my inner George Tyrrell, who anticipated Bultmann in his 1910 Christianity at the Cross-Roads. C. S. Lewis attacked Tyrrell on the Ascension to poor effect in his essay "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism," which I critique in my book on Lewis and the Bible (I hope to better effect).

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Its wonderful to see my forthcoming book on C. S. Lewis and the Bible (Eerdmans, Nov. 4) already sitting at #43 in Amazon's "Best Sellers in Religious Literature Criticism"! Go take a look, check out the great endorsements, and pre-order!

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Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 12/05/2025

Some sad confirmation from @bcgl.bsky.social while I was at UW last week—the National Digital Newspaper Program—which builds Chronicling America—has been shut down Historical newspapers are probably the archival material most used by the general public—for genealogy, local history—it’s such a loss

loc.gov

About this Collection | Chronicling America | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

Search America's Historic Newspaper Pages through 1963 Please Note: The Library of Congress has transitioned the longstanding Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers website to this new digi...

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Drew Magary @drewmagary.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

“And so the Greeks send me this horse, we’re talking about one of the most beautiful horses you’ve ever seen. So big. So strong. Normally they keep this kind of horse for themselves but they were such big fans they said sir, please take our big wonderful horse we’ll even bring it to your house”

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Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

The cost of the 4 F-18 planes lost in the Red Sea ($240 million) is now greater than the 2025 NEH Budget ($200 million)

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Lisa Reyna Loe @lisaloe.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

Having zero clue what the Declaration of Independence means, Trump told ABC’s Terry Moran it stands for “unity and love.” No. It’s the exact opposite. Here’s an actual excerpt from the document. Who does it remind you of? #NoKings #Voices4Victory

I want to take a moment to share an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence's grievances against
King George III.
Remind you of anyone?

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Just a reminder that most of Trump's executive orders are nothing more than press releases. After he ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to pull funding for NPR and PBS, the CPB responded that it is authorized and funded by Congress and is not subject to the president's authority.

WASHINGTON, D.C, (May 2, 2025) — Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement today regarding the President’s Executive Order on public media:

“CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.

“In creating CPB, Congress expressly forbade ‘any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over educational television or radio broadcasting, or over [CPB] or any of its grantees or contractors…’ 47 U.S.C. § 398(c).”

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Ashley C. Ford @smashfizzle.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

I think the worm in RFK’s brain is planning to make sure we all have brain worms via food borne illnesses. This is an invasion.

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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

DHS has admitted in court it doesn’t have authority to terminate student non-immigrant status, even when it changes or terminates their SEVIS status, contrary to the info provided by unis to affected students. This admission, a tactic to evade a lawsuit, is grounds for schools to defend students.

THE DEPARTMENT OF Homeland Security said this week in a Michigan court that the agency does not have the authority to terminate students’ immigration statuses by terminating their records in the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System. Known as SEVIS, the database allows both universities and authorities to track information about international students on visas in the U.S.

Homeland Security’s changes to SEVIS, the Trump administration said, have no bearing on a student’s lawful nonimmigrant status.

“Terminating a record in SEVIS does not terminate an individual’s nonimmigrant status in the United States,” said Andre Watson, assistant director of the national security division for Homeland Security

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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I urge faculty members to join the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). We have few organizations that represent us and offer us collective power. #Yale has a new chapter. You can start one if your campus doesn't have one yet. And you can join now too. www.aaup.org/membership/d...

aaup.org

Join

See dues rates categories based on your annual academic income. Show your support with a lifetime membership! Please contact membershipservices@aaup.org with any questions.

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Paul Gowder @gowder.io · 13/03/2025

Other countries are fully targeting US academics with social media ads now, basically of the form "we still have inclusive liberal democracy and academic freedom here"

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Coach Finstock @coachfinstock.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Absolute must read. Wired kicking so much ass.

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Jan Machielsen @janmachielsen.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Spotted on campus this morning. Thanks to the person who posted this.

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 05/03/2025

As President Trump walked into Congress, Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat from New Mexico, held up a sign that said “This is not normal.” Follow the scene from Trump’s joint address to Congress: wapo.st/4hpeB2V

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for his speech to a joint session of Congress as Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) holds a sign reading "This is not normal" at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

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Maria Hearing @mariahearing.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Boosting

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Rick Pidcock @rickpidcock.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Despite everything I know about my past, it still boggles my mind when I see people I used to think were cool and wise post on social media how Trump is a genius. The way they don't just settle for him, but look up to him, it's like they're under a delusion. 1/4

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Gwen Snyder is uncivil @gwensnyder.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

You know THEY know it's bad because they did it late on a Friday

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

As long as Missouri State is open tomorrow, this is happening. I'm looking forward to a fun conversation with my religious studies colleagues on C. S. Lewis and the Bible. Spoiler alert: Lewis strongly and consistently opposed the notion of scriptural inerrancy.

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Fred Wellman @fpwellman.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

We are gathering the real stories of Americans affected by the outrageous actions of Trump, Musk, and their DOGE minions. Send us your story.

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James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Wow! My book A to Z of the New Testament is 33% off and so just over $14 on Amazon at the moment! It is a really fun and readable way to get an introduction to the academic study of the New Testament.

amzn.to

The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too

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Ashley C. Ford @smashfizzle.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

We could just be reading great books, watching good movies, and eating fruit. Instead we have to survive/fight miserable power hoarders. What a waste of limited time.

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Ryan Geddie @ryangeddie.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

I just lost my job, along with most of my coworkers, due to the illegal grant freeze. I worked at an organization that -helped veterans who have lost a limb -Assisted elderly and disabled people -Helped hospitals better treat people who have lost limbs

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

And we have a cover! I can't express how happy I am to share this with you! The book comes out with Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company this June; please share it far and wide! The cover copy:

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

I’ve been contemplating the parallels for years, but this author wrote it up, and his rewriting of 1 Corinthians 13 is scarily accurate.

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Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

"Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on Wednesday rolled out the Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating Unethical State Kleptocracy (ELON MUSK) Act, which would ban 'special' government employees like Musk from having federal contracts."

politico.com

New Democratic bill targets Elon Musk

Rep. Mark Pocan's ELON MUSK Act takes aim at the billionaire's federal contracts.

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Jorts (and Jean) @jortsthecat.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

I sincerely don’t know why people aren’t physically stopping those dorks. Move shit. Lock doors. Lose the keys. Everyone switch seats. Turn off all the lights. Switch the signs on the elevator lobby. Make the settings all silly. Use a different language. Wear costumes. Fill rooms with balloons

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

It seems like in lots of areas, including higher ed, our cultural moment should be named “self-sabotage”

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Dr. Chance Bonar @chancebonar.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

My @cambridgeup.bsky.social Element, “The Author in Early Christian Literature,” is officially out and free to download for the next 4 weeks! I hope you enjoy these thoughts on Paul, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Eusebius, and a host of other ancient folks. www.cambridge.org/core/element...

cambridge.org

The Author in Early Christian Literature

Cambridge Core - Biblical Studies - New Testament - The Author in Early Christian Literature

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Justin @sitkaworldsfair.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

When Musk denies that he did a big ol Nazi salute during the inauguration, remember this, from Jean-Paul Sartre, 1944.

Never believe that anti-
Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

It all feels like a family with a genuinely abusive family member choosing to just carry on with the holiday traditions, hoping to create normalcy through sheer will and denial.

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Christina Warren @filmgirl.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Something fitting about all of this being relegated to being indoors. It feels so claustrophobic and also like a funeral

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Rachel Wagner @drrachelwagner.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Here's a code for 30% off my book, releasing in February. Want to understand more about the relationship between guns, media, and apocalypticism in America? I spent 10 years thinking about it. Review for a journal or a podcast or a news outlet? Let me know and I can probably get you a free copy.

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Leslie Baynes @lesliebaynes.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Students have always been sensitive to receiving constructive feedback, but everyone who teaches is seeing them become ever more so. I'd love to talk about how we're handling it--how do we balance giving loving encouragement with upholding realistic standards of excellence?

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