In this episode of the Going Deeper podcast, I sit down with my own acquisitions editor, Eddie Larow of Baker Books. We talk about what an acquisitions editor actually does, how he helps authors connect with the readers who need their message, and how my own unexpected journey into authorship was guided by God’s timing.

From there, we widen the conversation to the cultural landscape shaping Gen Z: their longing for home, the pull toward community, and the deep sense of spiritual homelessness many young adults feel in a secular age. We explore how modernity and mobility have created restlessness, why “nomadic modernity” captures so much of our cultural moment, and how the return to historic churches reveals a desire for structure, order, and rootedness.

We end with a call to localism—pursuing embodied, committed community right where we live.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JustineCheri

Subscribe to The Digest: https://justinecheri.kit.com/ab6b561afa

Eddie's Article "Gen Z Longs for Home": https://firstthings.com/gen-z-longs-for-home/ 

Eddie's Substack: https://substack.com/@eddielarow

Timestamps:

00:00 — Introduction
 02:05 — Understanding the Role of an Acquisitions Editor
 04:30 — The Journey to Authorship
 09:45 — Cultural Observations: Gen Z’s Longing for Home
 13:10 — The Impact of Modernity on Community and Belonging
 19:07 — Exploring Nomadic Modernity and Its Implications
 27:20 — Cultural Shifts and the Search for Authenticity
 31:21 — Nostalgia and the Desire to Return to Simplicity
 33:46 — The Skills Gap and Superficiality in Trad Aesthetics
 37:32 — Spiritual Homelessness and the Need for Community
 41:24 — The Search for Objective Truth in a Postmodern World
 47:04 — The Longing for Tradition and Authenticity in Faith
 52:51 — Ecumenical Unity and the Pursuit of Christ
 01:00:47 — Localism and the Call to Community Engagement