Zachary Davis
- Executive Director, Faith Matters (2)
- Executive Producer and Host, Ministry of Ideas
- Writer, Wayfare
Cambridge
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Articles by Zachary Davis
Hyping Nuclear Threats Is Counterproductive
Hyping threats of nuclear proliferation to justify war undermines legitimate counter-proliferation policies and paradoxically incentivizes proliferation. The Trump administration’s effort to justify the Iran war as a means of saving the world from a nuclear armed Iran rings as hollow as George W. Bush’s similar claims about Iraq a quarter century ago. Both threats were real, until the United States and the international community reduced them.
Raising Children Up
For a decade, young people have been suffering a mental health crisis. A major driver of this crisis has been a misunderstanding, by well-intentioned parents, of the best way to protect children. As psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues, we have over-protected children in the real world and under-protected them in the online world. This episode of Article 13 offers guidance for parents seeking a way forward.
The Wayfare Festival 2025 Recordings
On July 12th, 2025, Wayfare held its second annual summer festival. You can find recordings of the talks, conversations, and musical performances below. And don’t miss the absolutely hilarious film at the end, Java Jive. We also invite you to register for our next Faith Matters gathering, RESTORE, happening September 25-27. Learn more and register here. Use the code WAYFARE for a discount. REGISTER FOR RESTORE Share
Spiritual Survival at the End of the World
Powerful forces have converged to make contemporary life uniquely hostile to spiritual life. The post-WWII consensus is ending and the birth pangs of a new age are disorienting. And digital distraction, political rancor and a culture of workism fragment our experience and leave us disconnected from ourselves, each other, and the beauty of creation.
From Utah to Utopia
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -45:57 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. American Primeval on Netflix. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu. Ballerina Farm on Instagram. American culture is living through a Mormon moment. It is a sign that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing in confidence and strength. But what are the drawbacks to becoming mainstream? What are the trade-offs involved in American liberalism?
Good News
Most of the news we see each day is negative. This constant stream of bad news fuels news avoidance, anxiety, and animosity — all of which harm us at a spiritual level. This episode proposes a new, spiritually healthy way of engaging with the news, looking at how we can use our media diets to help us fulfill our personal vocations and cultivate the virtue of hope.
Seventy Times Seven
Feeling overwhelmed by conflict—at home, in your community, or in today’s political climate? Join Chad Ford, author of the new book "Seventy Times Seven" for a thought-provoking discussion on how Jesus’s example can guide us in transforming conflict. When: Thursday, May 22, 6pm Where: Harvard Divinity School, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave, Cambridge Bio: Chad Ford is an international conflict mediator, peace educator, and author with extensive experience in peace-building.
The Wayfare Festival 2025
Join Wayfare for our second annual summer festival. This year’s gathering features Adam Miller, Terryl Givens, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, Chad Ford, Esther Candari, James Goldberg and many more. Come and be uplifted by inspiring ideas, insightful conversation, contemplative experiences, beautiful music, and delicious food. The festival will take place amid the sublime splendor of Midway, Utah and there will be ample opportunities to experience the peace and restoration of creation.
Caesar or the Cross
In 58 BC, the Helvetii, a Celtic tribe living in what is now Switzerland, attempted to migrate westward to a more fertile area in Gaul. Their route would take them through Roman territory, and so they sought safe passage from the governor of the province. Unfortunately for them, the governor was a highly ambitious, deeply indebted man—Julius Caesar.
Wayfare Issue 5 Release Party
To celebrate the release of Wayfare Issue 5, we gathered on Friday May 2, 7pm at The A-Frame in the Provo Tree Streets.
Announcing Issue 5
Dear Friends, We’re delighted to announce Wayfare Issue 5. Thanks to our partnership with the One America Movement, this is also our first issue with a theme: PEACE. Paid subscribers receive beautifully bound copies of the magazine. Become a paid subscriber today! Your support will help us pay our writers, artists, and editors and the cost of printing and shipping. These print volumes are gorgeous and inspiring objects, worth holding in the hand and keeping for generations.
The end of nonproliferation?
The Trump administration’s abandonment of alliances in favor of a transactional, unilateral foreign policy portends the end of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. The main reason that Germany, Japan, South Korea, other states have not developed independent nuclear forces is the U.S. security commitment. Now that the United States has weakened, questioned, or rejected those commitments, the rationale for nonproliferation has disappeared.
Issue 4 Preview
Dear Readers, Wayfare Issue 4 has just been sent to the printer! đ đ đ Highlights include: Melissa Inouye on belonging to a ârealâ church Terryl Givens on love as a creative force Samuel Brown on the atonement Elizabeth Oldfield on overcoming distraction through holy habits An interview with the philosopher Charles Taylor Plus stunning artwork by J.
Our God is an Artist
The God we worship and emulate is an artist. The first thing we learn about our heavenly parents is that they make beautiful things: stars, suns, planets, oceans, sky, sunsets, mountains, cherry trees, blue whales, herons, leopards and the crowning creation: the bodies our spirits were given to dwell in. The rapturous splendor of our world and our bodies are works of art that reveal the love God has for us. A love so great they sent us to a home of overwhelming beauty.
The Wayfare Festival
Join Wayfare for a joyful summer gathering in the Uinta mountains and be uplifted by inspiring ideas, insightful conversation, beautiful music, and delicious food. The festival will take place amid the sublime splendor of the Uinta mountains and there will be opportunities to experience the peace and restoration of creation. Much of the Wayfare editorial staff will be in attendance, as well as many of the writers, poets and artists who have contributed their gifts to Wayfare so far.
Issue 4 Call for Submissions
We are starting work on Wayfare Issue 4 and invite you to send us your pitches and ideas for essays. You can learn more about what we're looking for in our pitch guide. Get in touch at wayfare@faithmatters.org. And if you're an artist or poet, we'd love to hear from you too! The deadline for Issue 4 consideration is June 1. Share
Faith and Progress
On April 6th, 2024 Tara Isabella Burton, Susannah Black Roberts, Murtaza Hussain, Joseph Keegin, and Zachary Davis discussed the relationship of faith and progress. The follow are the introductory remarks by Zachary Davis. Nobody seems that happy. Nobody appears to be invigorated with purpose, vision, creativity and abundant life. Instead of moving forward in confidence, our culture, our civilization seems stagnant, exhausted and full of doubt. What is wrong?
Issue 3 Preview
Dear Readers, We’re putting the finishing touches on Wayfare Issue 3 and will be sending it to the printer soon. If you are a print subscriber, you should expect your issue to arrive in early March. And if you aren't a print subscriber yet, subscribe today! You’ll directly support our work and receive a beautiful, lovingly crafted magazine in the mail to boot. You can use the promo code FRIEND for 20% off a subscription.
Celestial Navigation
When European explorers first chanced upon the islands of Polynesia in the sixteenth century, they were confronted with a puzzle. These mariners from Spain, Holland, and England had themselves only recently developed the ability to cross the oceans and reach these remote islands.
Our 1st Birthday
Dear Friends, Wayfare was born a year ago with the hope of becoming “a companion and guide on the journey of faith.” Since then, we have published 217 essays, poems and stories both online and in two beautiful print issues.
At-One-Ment Book Launch Party
Dear Friends, Our next gathering will be an evening with Thomas McConkie who will discuss his new book, At-One-Ment. When: Friday, Nov 10, 8pm (free street parking) Where: Braun Room, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave Instructions: Bring food to share and a friend or two! About At-One-Ment At the heart of the gospel is a radical message of hope: we are capable of unlimited development, of becoming even as Christ is.
Write for Wayfare! Work for Wayfare!
We are starting work on Wayfare Issue 3 and would love to include new voices. We invite you to send us your pitches and ideas for essays. You can learn more about what we're looking for in our pitch guide and topics of interest. Get in touch at wayfare@faithmatters.org. And if you're an artist or poet, we'd love to hear from you too! The deadline for Issue 3 consideration is Nov 15. Would you be interested in contributing to Wayfare as a member of the staff?
Romney: A Reckoning
Join McKay Coppins and Jane Clayson Johnson for a discussion of his new book Romney: A Reckoning. When: Monday, October 30, 6pm Where: Cambridge Public Library RSVP Afterparty: 7:30pm at Zach and Mariya’s house, 31 Vinal Avenue #3, Somerville, MA Afterparty Instructions: Bring food and drink to share and a friend or two! About Romney: A Reckoning Few figures in American politics have seen more and said less than Mitt Romney.
A New History of Mormonism
Dear Friends, We are bringing Second Sunday back! Our hope is to meet monthly to discuss topics of faith and life surrounded by good food and friends. Our next gathering will be with Benjamin Park who will discuss his new book, American Zion. American Zion is the first major history of Mormonism in a decade, drawing on newly available sources to reveal a profoundly divided faith that has nevertheless shaped the nation.
Generation, Artifice, Intelligence
On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT; two months later, it had nearly 100 million monthly active users, making it perhaps the most repeated and least understood acronym in the history of consumer applications. For the record, ChatGPT stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer but what it means is still very much up in the air. Fueling this meteoric rise was the palpable feeling that something long promised and much debated had entered the world: artificial intelligence.
What is Faith Matters?
Since its founding in 2016, Faith Matters has reached more and more people through its podcast and written content. Between the podcast, YouTube, social media, and written content, there are now millions of engagements per year. I’m no longer on the advisory board at Faith Matters, but have enjoyed many warm and wonderful relationships with people involved.
Announcing Issue 2
Dear Readers, We are delighted to announce that Issue 2 of Wayfare is coming soon! We can’t wait to share the beautiful essays, art, poetry and fiction we’ve been working on. We’ll be printing and mailing Issue 2 in late July, so if you aren’t already a print subscriber, consider becoming one today. Not only will you directly support Wayfare’s mission to publish spiritually uplifting writing and art, but you’ll receive beautiful print issues right in your mailbox.
A Feast of Friendship
In November 2003 I was serving as a missionary in Málaga, Spain, when I received a new assignment to the mission’s most unusual area: Gibraltar. An enormous, iconic rock on the southern tip of Iberia, Gibraltar was captured by the British navy in 1704 and has remained a British territory ever since. After passing through customs my new companion and I walked across the surreal airport landing strip dividing Spain and Britain and then up to our flat at 4 Engineer Lane.
Journeys of the Spirit
“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel My hopes for the future began in the center of a labyrinth. It was December 2010, and I had flown to Paris to meet my girlfriend Mariya, who was finishing a semester abroad at the Sorbonne. I suggested we take a day trip to Chartres Cathedral to see the stained-glass windows.
On James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time"
Josef Sorett Dec 5, 2022 A Discussion with Josef Sorett New Books Network 2022 The writer and activist James Baldwin grew up in a majority white America that saw white American lives as standard and universal, and Black American lives as different and particular. But in his 1963 book The Fire Next Time, Baldwin showed that his life as a Black man in America was universally human. Josef Sorett is the Professor of Religion and African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University.
WAYFARE
Wayfare seeks to be a companion and guide on the journey of faith. We publish a range of original writing: essays, interviews, dispatches, profiles, poetry, miracles, sermons, and works of book, film, and art criticism. The Restoration began with a sincere question and the reception of divine truth. Wayfare embraces that hunger for new light with the conviction that our Heavenly Parents always desire to reveal more to their children.
On Frantz Fanon's "The Wretched of the Earth"
Manan Ahmed Nov 29, 2022 A Discussion with Manan Ahmed New Books Network 2022 In 1925, on the French occupied island of Martinique, one of the most prominent voices in post colonial theory was born, Frantz Fanon. He was born to parents of both African and French descent, and was brought up in the ways of French culture. For most of Fanon’s life, he identified with French nationality. He even fought for France in WWII.
On Michel Foucault's "Discipline and Punish"
Camille Robcis Nov 22, 2022 A Discussion with Camille Robcis New Books Network 2022 We moderns often tell ourselves a story that goes something like this: The past was barbaric, especially when it came to punishing criminals or persecuting minorities. Legal punishment used to include hanging, chopping off a head, burning at the stake, quartering, stoning, drowning, and crushing. Eventually, we tell ourselves, we learned to be more humane.
On Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis' "The Posthumous Memoirs…
Sidney Chalhoub Oct 24, 2022 A Discussion with Sidney Chalhoub New Books Network 2022 The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas is such a complex and clever allegory of Brazilian society that many readers didn’t initially understand just how searing its critique really was. Its author, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, was the grandson of former slaves writing to and about the slaveholding class at the time and is widely regarded as the most prominent Brazilian writer of all time.
On Edwin Hubble’s "The Realm of the Nebulae"
Marica Bartusiak Aug 22, 2022 A Discussion with Marica Bartusiak New Books Network 2022 Until the publication of Edwin Hubble’s 1936 book, The Realm of the Nebulae, astronomers believed that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the universe. Hubble infinitely expanded our understanding of the cosmos and showed that what scientists thought was everything, was really just the beginning.
On Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God"
Joshua Bennett Aug 9, 2022 A Discussion with Joshua Bennett New Books Network 2022 Zora Neale Hurston was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance, but her novels didn’t conform to the style of her contemporaries. As a result, her work was almost lost—until the writer Alice Walker found her unmarked grave in 1974. Now, Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is on high school reading lists across the US.
Radiant | Zachary Davis | Substack
Radiant illuminates the human experience by the light of the Restoration. We publish a range of original writing: essays; book, film, and art criticism; interviews; dispatches; profiles; poetry; miracles; sermons, and more. The Restoration began with a sincere question and the reception of divine truth. Radiant embraces that hunger for new light with the conviction that our Heavenly Parents always desire to reveal more to their children.
1984 - Writ Large
In 1948, English author George Orwell wrote what would become one of the defining novels of the 20th century, 1984. He was writing in the years following WWII and the beginning of The Cold War. It was a tense time, full of uncertainty and the spectre of Soviet communism loomed.
Black Elk Speaks — Writ Large
In many ways, Black Elk and John Neihardt lived very different lives. Black Elk was an Oglala Lakota holy man. Neihartd was a European-American literary critic. Black Elk performed for Queen Victoria with Buffalo Bills’s Wild West Show. Neihartd was Poet Laureate of Nebraska. But in other ways, they weren’t different at all. “By all accounts, they really, truly felt like they had a kind of spiritual affinity for one another,” says Harvard Professor Philip Deloria.
Trailer - Writ Large
Introducing Writ Large, a podcast about the books that changed the world. In each episode, Zachary Davis interviews one of the world’s leading scholars about how one book shaped the world we live in—whether you’ve heard of it or not. Transcript Zachary Davis: Scholars don’t know much about Thomas of Monmouth. He was a monk who lived in England during the 12th century, and, as his name suggests, he was likely born in the Welsh town of Monmouth.
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