Life Update
Hi friends,
The Whitaker family has been having a jam packed and fun summer. We spend the weekends with my family at the shore (the beach for you non NJ residents) and my family is doing great. Our oldest, who is on the spectrum, started ABA therapy and our youngest will start pre-school this year. Sarah is looking forward to the quiet during the school day as you can imagine what life is like raising two boys who are 4 and 6.
Speaking of Sarah, we celebrated 10 years of marriage in July! Time really does fly but my gosh I love her more and more every day.
On a personal note I started a new medication for ADHD. I got diagnosed formally last year (although every person who ever met me was not one bit surprised) and after trying some different medications like Strattera, I opted to try adderrall and WOW what a difference. That AM static in my brain has subsided and suddenly I can hear my own thoughts clearly. I’m less than a month in but overall I’m pleased with the results. One downside is that is has affected my creativity. Part of the reason why is because for so long I operated with an insane sense of urgency out of fear that I’d be left behind, would lose followers or lose subscribers which would then impact my ability to provide for my family financially.
That sense of urgency is greatly reduced. That’s a new feeling for me. For the first time in 6 years I’m able to actually rest and enjoy time with my kids without feeling the incessant pull of checking my phone, making a post or doing something work related. In fact yesterday, I took the day off and went swimming with my kids.
Not my pool, for the record.
I’m Not Going Anywhere
At the same time, I know the urgency this moment demands. The situation in America grows more dire every day. We are now getting reports of sailors jumping overboard on navy ships due to the conditions of the Iran war.
Trump enriched himself to the tune of 2.4 billion dollars through crypto scams.
Bombs are still dropping in Iran and Gaza.
Our LGBTQ+ neighbors face more attacks.
The economy is not growing.
Christian Nationalism isn’t a distance threat. It is here and we are seeing the brutal effects of its ideology as its implanted at the highest levels of our government.
One of the commitments I made to you was more content on YouTube and Substack and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I love to create long form content. It’s where my focus will continue to be. Written pieces and video content are key to helping people understand how dangerous the threat of Christian Nationalism really is.
I’ve committed my life to this work because as we are all witnessing, when Christian Nationalism gets power it brings hell on earth for everyone who’s not like them.
Now, more than ever I believe we need independent creators to expose how Christian Nationalism is animating so much of the hatred we’re seeing and how the logic of it works. So many people miss this part of the equation and I would argue it’s one of the biggest and most important pieces. I saw this not only from the experience of growing up deeply embedded in white evangelical spaces but as someone who tracks the movement and is in conversations with the scholars researching it.
I’m going to be completely transparent with you. There are two platforms I’m focusing my energy on . It’s a risk, especially financially and in the spirit of full transparency I’m nervous. But at the same time I’m grateful. So many of you have become paid subscribers to support me and my family so I can keep going and I truly can’t thank you enough for it. (I’ll put a few family pics on the bottom of this piece so you can see what you support).
The truth is that small independent creators like me don’t get offered brand deals and much to most people’s shock, you don’t get paid automatically for posting content. I wish I got paid per view but that’s just now how it works.
So I’m asking for your help
My Three Asks
To keep my content accessible here are my 3 calls to action—I hope you choose to complete at least 1 of them. I’m going to shoot straight with you. Your support is critical to the future of Tim Whitaker Speaks as we face one of the most dehumanizing regimes fueled by Christian Nationalism in our lifetime.
Jump in. Become a paid subscriber at a cup of coffee ($6) a month or $50 a year.
Grow our community. Gift a subscription to a friend or loved one
Reach a broader audience. Share this post on your social media, in your family group chat, or simply like and comment. Engage and help boost its visibility.
A Final Word
Doing this work is the privilege of my life and I don’t say that lightly. We live in an attention economy and the fact that thousands of you give me your attention is something I don’t take lightly. I am committed to being as radically transparent with you as one can be behind a keyboard. I didn’t plan to become a content creator. It just happened when I started asking questions about my faith and it turned out there were millions of you asking the same questions. I don’t take the trust you have in me lightly and that is precisely why I do these updates periodically. So you can see my life behind the scenes and also so you know that you’re supporting a real person with a real family who’s doing everything he can to expose the extreme danger of our current political moment.
Not many creators focus exclusively on Christian Nationalism but not many creators were born on the inside of this movement, defected because of their allegiance to Jesus and spent years studying the history of how we got here. But I have. And your support makes this work possible.
My mission remains clear and unwavering—To help you better understand the threat Christian Nationalism poses to American Democracy so you can better advocate for your neighbors. I’m not funded by billionaires nor do I have access to wealth. I refuse to paywall content as incentive for people to pay for access. Instead, I am putting my trust in your generosity to support this work This is why I seek and want your support. Help me build a future more committed to the human flourishing of all our neighbors by exposing Christian Nationalism and the danger it poses to society.
Subscribe, share, and let’s remain relentless in our mission for a more beautiful world
Thank you for being here.❤️
Tim
Glad to see you taking time to enjoy your family. That’s the good stuff and reminds us what we’re fighting for in the first place. There’s a lot of us exvangelicals in the fight with you. Thank you for your hard work!
Thank you, Tim, for your work and for your honesty. I read all of your Substack work and I plan to continue! Blessings to you and your family.