30 Christian Substacks I Read and Recommend in 2026

Substack

Description

Stephen McAlpine

Stephen McAlpine

Stephen is an Australian “public theologian and author who explores the current cultural moment in the West through the lens of orthodox Christian theology and ethical practices, with an emphasis on equipping the church to navigate rapid and unsettling change.” He writes a few times a week and usually covers contemporary cultural issues. Some of his articles are only for paid subscribers. (Also see Stephen’s blog where he shares equally good content.) The Christian Air is Running Out In the West Jelly Roll, Billie Eilish and Jesus Christ

Digital Liturgies

Samuel James

Samuel, who has written an excellent book that shares a name with his Substack, says his newsletter is “an attempt to express the intersection of a robustly evangelical, Reformed Christianity with life in a modern, technological society.” Where our age is fractured, algorithmic, and reactive, “Christian wisdom calls us to reflection, truth-telling, and humility.” He attempts to recover and model those virtues. Reaching the Lost Young Men—Part 1: Holistic DepornificationHow Sports Betting is Like AI

Lost Arts

Michael Jensen

Michael writes thoughtful articles on a variety of subjects, many of them related to Christian living. He says, “Modern life has made us faster, louder, and more efficient. It has not always made us wiser. … This is not a Substack about outrage, culture wars, or hot takes. It is an attempt to step back from the noise and name what is worth recovering. The aim is not nostalgia, but retrieval: learning how to be human again under modern conditions.” How to Read BetterAgainst the Algorithm: In Praise of the Parish

Biblical Theology

Mitchell Chase

Mitchell is a pastor and a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He says that in his writing “I want to read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old. I want to marvel at the truth, beauty, goodness, and depth of Scripture.” Mostly he wants to celebrate the person and work of Jesus Christ. His content, a mix of paid and free, will be interesting to anyone who loves Scripture. The Regulative Principle of WorshipJesus Is the Lamb of God

You Are Not Your Own

Alan Noble

Alan says his Substack “is a weekly newsletter with short essays, notes, and extended arguments from Alan Noble, associate professor of English, author of [several books], and frequent speaker on the topics of secularism, technology, culture, and Christianity.” He tends to share several articles a week, some of which are free to everyone and some of which are for paid subscribers only. The Great Cultural DivideWhy Motherhood Can Feel Impossible

Further Up

Bethel McGrew

Bethel writes long and thoughtful pieces that tend to focus on matters of contemporary importance. Some of her content is free, but much of the best of it is for paid subscribers. N. T. Wright and The Inner RingThe Passion of Jordan Peterson

Mere Orthodoxy

Various

Mere Orthodoxy is an online publication that covers church, culture, formation, family, theology, technology, and more. “Through faithfulness to Christ in every square inch of life, we seek the renewal of the Church and culture in our lifetime.” Gen Z and the Search for StatusThe Goodness of Caring for Other People’s Children Much of the material requires a paid subscription, so you may prefer to track with mereorthodoxy.com where it may not.

From Glory to Ordinary

Brianna Lambert

Brianna’s Substack features articles on a wide variety of topics, many of them related to her life and interests. Let’s Stop Straining for ShortcutsI Wish I Could Go Back

Et Cetera

Mark Sims

Sims is a talented writer who offers thoughtful pieces on a wide variety of subjects. 12 Theses on Church BuildingsThe Only Way Out Is Through

Aaron Renn

Aaron Renn

Renn is “a writer and consultant in Indianapolis, and author of the book Life in the Negative World” whose writing has appeared in many Christian and general market publications. He posts several times a week—typically one podcast, one article, and one digest of interesting material from across the internet. He often features guest writers. Some of his articles are for paid subscribers only. Dying to GiveThe End of the Middle-Class Magic Kingdom

Thomas Kidd’s Substack

Thomas Kidd

Kidd is Research Professor of Church History at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Kidd writes occasionally and often covers areas related to history and academia. (He also blogs from time to time at TGC’s Evangelical History blog which he co-authors with Justin Taylor.) What To Do with Your Christmas BreakThe Beauty of Manual Work

Write to Understand

Scott Hurst

Scott, who pastors a church in the Toronto area, says, “I learn as I write. Understanding the important truths of life—who is God, who am I, what is the gospel etc.—will always be an ink and paper (and their digital equivalent) pursuit because, for me, writing is thinking.” God’s Wrath is Not a ProblemWhat Exercise is For

Wyatt Graham

Wyatt Graham

Wyatt, a Canadian pastor and theologian, says, “I make sense of today by drawing on past wisdom. In particular, I write on philosophy, religion, and culture. What sets this Substack apart is its unique emphasis on citing, reading, and discussing sources directly rather than relying on second or third-hand accounts.” How John Mark Comer’s View of God Shapes His Spiritual FormationWhat Does the Bible Say About Remarriage?

One Little Word

Daniel Darling

Daniel is the Director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has written for a wide variety of Christian and mainstream publications. His writing focuses on “insights on faith, politics, and leadership, lessons from history, and writing and publishing tips.” OK, ZoomerScottie’s Secret

One Thing Necessary

Casey McCall

Casey is a pastor-historian with a wide variety of interests and, therefore, a wide variety of articles. He also writes with Jake Stone at Elephant in the Room which engages “the contemporary church and culture from the confessional Baptist tradition.” Let’s Stop Praying “in your name”Don’t Fight the Wrong War

Theology and Life

Blake Long

Blake’s writing is similar to a traditional blog—reflections based on his life at work, home, church, and in the wider community. 10 Brief Thoughts on Church LifeSetting Fires with our Tongues

FYI with Chris Martin

Chris Martin

Chris, a creative director at Moody Publishers, says his Substack is “a newsletter that serves as a window into the creative test kitchen and mad science writing laboratory of Chris Martin.” Chris has written two excellent books on Christians and technology, so much of his writing is on that subject. (He also maintains The Funnies, which is a modern-day equivalent to the Saturday comics of former days.) Beware the ‘Current-Events Man’Light Little Fires

Fields and Valleys

Vanessa Doughty

Vanessa writes reflective and devotional articles that are often focused on growing in godly contentment. Her articles also reflect her love of gardening, nature, and reading God’s Word. The Time Jesus Left the 99The Darkness of Winter

New Grub Street

Andrew Roycroft

Much of Andrew’s Substack focuses on poetry, both his own and others, but he also writes on other themes. He is an exceptionally talented writer, so even if you are not particularly interested in poetry, you may still benefit from his newsletter. His older articles are behind a paywall. All of Those Undone Days

The Bard Owl

Nicholas McDonald

Nicholas survived deconstruction and has written a book about that very thing. On his Substack, he writes about a wide variety of subjects at The Bard Owl, typically sharing new content a couple of times a week. Four Unexpected Traits of Great Writers and ArtistsStranger Things Promised More Than Self-Expressive Individualism Could Deliver

Counsel the Word

Tom Sugimura

Tom is a pastor and Christian counselor who writes about applying the Bible to everyday life so Christians can live with wisdom, endurance, courage, and hope. Hence, “Counsel the Word is for those seeking to apply the principles of Scripture to their everyday life.” Is Fear a Sin?The Permanence for a Lifetime

The SubZak

Zak Mellgren

Zak shares about one piece a week and writes about good books and various topics related to the Christian faith. Death, Grief, and Frodo’s Incurable WoundThe Return of the Hymnal

Sacramentality

Various

This group effort covers a variety of topics. The vision of the authors “is to offer a prophetic, insightful, Christian voice which analyses both church and culture in a manner that is both lucid and distinct. Whether covering Reformed Paganism, astrology, or simply ‘God’s mum’, we want to inspire our readers to think, laugh, cry, and—above all—praise Christ.” Share your wealth, not just your moneyAre Evangelicals Obsessed with Sex?

Spiritual Theology

J.A. Medders

Medders maintains a focus on Charles Spurgeon (since he is, after all, a self-professed Spurgeon fan). But he writes about other subjects as well. Many of his archived articles are behind a paywall. One Word for Your Spiritual Formation in 2026Lord, Deliver Me from Stupidity

Pursuing Perfection

Tessa Lind

Tessa writes a wide variety of articles with the ongoing theme of God’s grace in her life. Why I Chose Not to Believe in Jesus

From the Wildwoods

Esther Roth

Esther is a poet—a talented one—who shares some of her work through her newsletter. When Peter Walked the Stormy SeaBe a Man, My Son

The Peace of Presence

Pierce Taylor Hibbs

Pierce is a prolific author who writes about many subjects at his Substack. Finding God in Words: Way10 Truth Bombs from David Powlison

Treasuring Christ

Brittany Allen

Britt says, “I write a lot about suffering, chronic illness, miscarriage, motherhood, theology, and whatever else the Lord lays on my heart. When I’m feeling brave, I might publish some poetry.” Please, Don’t Say These Things to Women Who Have MiscarriedHello, I Want Your Life

Think Twice

Kara Dedert

Kara’s blog is for “those who want to live thoughtfully and faithfully in a distracted world — to see modern life through the lens of the gospel which brings clarity, joy, and certainty.” A good bit of her content is for paid subscribers only. The Songs I Once Found DrearyThe World Runs on Urgency. God’s Kingdom Does Not

Murray’s Substack

Murray Campbell

Murray, who is from Melbourne, Australia, focuses much of his writing on his local context. However, the majority is relevant even to those who live beyond Melbourne and beyond Australia. Playing God with ChildrenBlood soaks into the sands of Bondi Beach

Notes, caveats, and explanations:

I am certain I have missed some worthy writers whose work I enjoy very much. Just know I did my best. I apologize profusely to those who ought to have been on this list, yet are not.

I have generally omitted writers who use their Substack primarily to direct readers to articles they have published elsewhere. Jonathan Van Maren is an example. I follow and appreciate his writing, but he largely points to his full-length articles at other sites.

Obviously, this list contains only Substacks. I will try to follow up in the near future with a similar list of blogs.

I recently wrote that the best way to learn to use AI well is to disclose when you’ve used it. To that end, I created this table and all its information myself, but then used Claude to improve the layout. By way of experiment, I also had it create the graphic at the top of the article.

See AlsoOne for the Substackers To ConsiderA La Carte (October 21)A La Carte (June 27)