David Dault, editor of The Commonweal Podcast and a professor of Christian spirituality at Loyola University Chicago, recently spoke with Publishers Weekly about his book The Accessorized Bible, which is forthcoming from Yale University Press. In the book, Dault draws on new research in biblical studies and ethics to explore how Bibles both shape and are shaped by contemporary cultures. "Part of the book's concept is looking at the way we use the Bible to accessorize our identities and our lifestyles," Dault told the widely read trade magazine, "but also at the ways in which the Bible is an accessory to our violence and an accessory to the harm that we continually seem to think that we are authorized to do to one another."

Author and Commonweal contributor John Dominic Crossan praised the book in advance of publication, writing, "The Accessorized Bible does not invite us to think outside the box. Instead, provocatively, powerfully, and persuasively, it asks us to consider boxes we have never imagined and then to think outside them." According to Publishers Weekly, Dault "demonstrates how the Bible, as a material object, has bolstered identities and positions of power, raising questions about who benefits from specific interpretations and who is excluded. "

Since The Commonweal Podcast debuted in September 2018, Dault has served as editor, sounding board, and audio engineer for every episode. He has helped editors and contributing writers produce 157 episodes, or nearly ten thousand minutes of interview, discussions, and profiles of men and women working at the intersection of politics, religion, and culture. Associate editor and podcast producer Griffin Oleynick recently shared in the fall "Associates Newsletter" that "The Commonweal Podcast would not be possible without David. He works behind the scenes on every single episode, which means he's fitting all the pieces together, adding the music, and regularly repairing damaged audio that arrives in all manner of recorded formats. Beyond that, he regularly offers suggestions for making conversations and interviews flow more naturally, bringing a level of human attention and analog care that is increasingly rare." 

You can red Dault's interview with Publishers Weekly here.