Author: Benjamin Robertson

Benjamin Robertson is a co-founder and editor of Second Nature. He has worked in advertising for the Chicago Tribune and Gannett, and now is a web developer at Up&Up. He studied Communications and Media Studies under Dr. Read Schuchardt at Wheaton College in Illinois. He has presented papers on Marshall McLuhan, media ecology, and Christianity at the Media Ecology Association, National Communication Association, and the McLuhan's Philosophy of Media Centennial Conference in Brussels. He lives with his wife, Ruth, in Greenville, SC. His personal website is benjamingrobertson.com.

An Update for Our Readers

Dear Reader, You may have noticed a slow-down in the essays, poems, and reviews that we normally offer here at Second Nature over the past several months. For those of you who looked forward to our material, I am sorry to have disappointed you. For those of you who submitted content for publication, I am […]

RIP Leonard Cohen

Rest in piece, Leonard Cohen. See these two eulogies: Leonard Cohen, the Christ-Haunted – Joe Heschmeyer My Friend Leonard Cohen: Darkness and Praise – Leon Wieseltier

New Poetry Collection by David Oestreich

David Oestreich, one of our longest standing contributors and the first poet we featured on Second Nature, has released a new collection of poems, titled Cosmophagy. From the description: If you sit up at night thinking about leaves realizing “they’re each alone / and out on a limb,” or wait for “each day to be sliced […]

Internet Confessional

Don’t forget these internet sins next time you go to confession (shared from First Things): Bless me, Father, for I have sinned; it has been one day since my last confession. Three times I participated in an argument about trigger warnings. Each time I swore it was my last. Once I replied “lol i’m not […]

Hacking Christmas in a Technological Society

How to use store check-out technology the right way:

Conference Program: McLuhan’s Faith and Works

The program for the McLuhan’s Faith and Works conference is now available. Click here to download.

Event: Seven Vices of the Virtual Life

Seven Vices of the Virtual Life: Unintended Spiritual Consequences of Digital Media ORGANIZED BY Apple Valley Presbyterian Church 2015 Summer Lecture on the Christian & Culture An evening lecture with Dr. Read Schuchardt of Wheaton College that addresses the intersection of core Christian commitments with the broader cultural instincts of consuming digital media. 6:00pm – […]

Technology Has Hijacked Family Dinner Time

Technology has hijacked family dinnertime. So to help bring families together for dinner, Dolmio created the Pepper Hacker. It cracks pepper, shuts down TVs, wipes out WiFi and disables mobile devices. Watch their experiment reclaim family dinnertime.

A Media Ecology of Theology

Please join the CCSN and Dr. Paul Soukup, S.J, Santa Clara University, for an upcoming webinar titled “A Media Ecology of Theology,” on Tuesday, March 24, 8-9 pm EST. This webinar is free and open to the public. Dr. Soukup has explored the connections between communication and theology since 1982. His many publications include Mass […]

Second Nature: Best of 2014

From all of us at Second Nature, we wish you and your families a merry Christmas and happy new year. For our newer readers or for those who might have missed them, here’s a round up of our 10 most popular articles of 2014. (And if you’re curious, here’s our list from 2013). 10. Screwtape […]