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A place that lets Orphaned Believers hop off the wild ride of the algorithm.

Hello from Seattle. Yep, that is my laptop with festive gourd wallpaper. Sue me. And that’s my writing space, where I’m sending this quick message.

Maybe like you, my appetite and energy for connecting on Instagram ping pongs. I still love IG as a place to share images and ideas, but I’ve found that the comments can be overwhelming and formulaic.

When you start trying to build a platform online, there’s this template: Do a #fridayintroduction once a month, say something quirky to make you relatable (so awkward!), “heart” comments—and always ask a question at the end of each post to increase engagement.

I stopped asking questions a while ago on most IG posts, because I find the platform can be a less authentic place to interact in the comments, and honestly I’d rather spend my energy on a quieter corner of the internet.

My favorite place to read and comment on content is always the more thoughtful and quaint world of Substack. Anne Helen Petersen! Tsh Oxenreider! If you’re reading folks here and interacting, it’s probably not by accident.

And if you’re here reading Bitter Scroll, my hope is that something is resonating with these posts—maybe because you grew up evangelical, are grappling with faith and culture, nationalism, or how to move towards Jesus in the midst of a lot of complications in the church.

It makes perfect sense to me to make a place for orphaned believers outside the wild ride of the algorithm.

So let’s go. Introducing the Bitter Scroll chat.

I’ll post ideas, questions and updates that come my way, and I’d like to have you along for the conversation. Let’s try to build a smaller, more genuine, less algorithmic community of Christian or Christian-adjacent (or Christian-curious?) folks figuring it out together.

To join, you’ll need to download the Substack app (messages are sent via the app, not email). Turn on push notifications if you’d like, otherwise check in when you’re using the app. A bit more on how to begin:

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How to get started

1. Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but chat is coming to the Android app soon.

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

3. That’s it! If you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

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I started my first chat thread a few minutes ago and we have a little conversation going. See you there!