Scot McKnight is utterly stunned by the sycophantic behaviors of our nation’s senators and representatives. And he’s just as stunned by the political loyalty of Christians who do not see what is actually going on. He urges pastors to take it on the chin and speak up. … More Pull the Plug on Bystanding
In the past few weeks, the president has posted an Easter messagethat used profanity and threatened civilizational genocide, has issued threats to the pope, and has posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus. (He now says he was portraying himself as a doctor.) After all this, even some of the president’s supporters feel humiliated and angry. I think it’s worth asking what exactly is coming to light in this moment and whether it could disrupt a means-to-an-end cultural Christianity. … More Trump’s AI Jesus (Russell Moore)
Earlier this week, the president posted a profanity-laden Easter message promising that Iranians would be “living in Hell” if they did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. After that, he threatened to wipe out “a whole civilization” in what would have been at best a war crime and at worst a genocide. We have crossed a scary threshold in American life. And in this flurry of words, there is one Christians especially should not miss: hell. … More All We’re Saying is Give Hell a Chance
Below Scot McKnight once again reiterates why I and so many colleagues find it increasingly difficult to use the name Evangelical and why I only rarely refer to our denomination’s full name when identifying my church tribe. Theologically, I still very much resonate with the classic definitions of Evangelical, but the word means something else entirely now. McKnight is blogging through Ryan Burge’s latest book. … More Idolatry in the Camp
Stephen Colbert hosts outspoken Christian seminarian and Texas State Rep. James Talarico for an online-exclusive interview that touches on the issues raised in Talarico’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for Senate including the separation of church and state, the dangers of consolidated corporate-owned media, and the fabricated culture wars pushed by Republicans in states like Texas. … More Rep. James Talarico Talks Christianity & Politics on Colbert
What we are witnessing is not merely a political failure. It is a spiritual crisis. Why isn’t every Christian in the United States asking with a broken heart, how has the church arrived here? It reveals how easily American Christianity is tempted to trade its witness and its integrity for proximity to wealth and power. We are watching faith be hollowed out and repurposed, not to follow Jesus, but to shield cruelty, excuse racism, and sanctify domination. … More National Prayer Breakfast: A Den of Thieves
Tripp Fuller, born and raised a Southern Baptist with a love for Jesus and the Bible, like many, has watched in disbelief as very same people who taught him that “character counts” have become the most willing to defend and rationalize the immoral behavior of Trump and his movement. If you want to make sense of how we got here, this is one of the clearest and well-researched presentations I have seen. … More The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism
Jesus is meddling in politics again. Why doesn’t he just preach the gospel? To “go and do likewise” in this moment for many Jesus-followers in Minnesota means moving toward those who are being harmed and mistreated, showing mercy and standing in solidarity with them, being the healing presence of Jesus and bearing witness to those being left devastated (and sometimes dead) by the side of the road. … More Being a Neighbor, Showing Mercy in Minneapolis
I’m not prophesying the imminent downfall of the political establishment or the nation as a whole. I am offering a timeless warning that reckless, animal-like behavior and a lack of “humanity” in places of power and influence can set in motion a slow downward spiral into self-destructive chaos—personal and societal. Exchanging “the mind of a man for the mind of an animal” is, after all, Paul’s diagnosis of sin-infected humanity in his great letter to the Christians in the capital city of Rome. Where does this lead? Read on. … More Planet of the Apes & Politicians
I reject dismissively labeling a fellow Christian as “woke” or “brainwashed by mainstream media” or a “lefty” just because they may critique the Right or fall left of center on certain issues. Why? Because many like me have come to hold their views by virtue of being a faithful Bible-believing, Evangelical Protestant upholding the conservative value of standing on the ancient text and testing (and often changing!) one’s views in light of the teachings of Jesus. … More Drinking the Kool-Aid
My wife and I moved to the Twin Cities 20 years ago. It’s the place where we’ve lived the longest, where we’ve raised our kids, where I have taught theology and pastored churches and grown rich in friendships. People sometimes ask me: Do you ever want to move back to Texas? Get out of that Minnesota weather? I always answer the same way (with no offense to my Texas roots). … More A Timely Word
Over the weekend dozens of refugee families in Minnesota who have fled war, violence and religious persecution were cruelly and unjustly detained. U.S. federal immigration agents, some in plain clothes, deceitfully lured them — including children — from their homes. They were placed in detention, many transported to holding facilities out of state. Every one of these families used legal pathways under the Refugee Act of 1980, completing one of the world’s most rigorous vetting processes. … More The Least of These Are Crying Out
A trusted ministry partner of the Northwest Conference and MainStreet Covenant, Transform MN, has put words to this moment in which we find ourselves in the following essay, “This is Why We Pray.” Mission Friends, let’s seek the Lord together in our time of need … urgently, fervently, continuously, desperately. … More This Is Why We Pray
I’m a pastor in a multiethnic denomination of immigrants, where my brothers and sisters are being terrorized by ICE raids and growing hostility and fear caused by this administration’s rhetoric and tactics. Our immigrant churches are half empty on Sundays, as families are afraid to leave their homes. No presents are under the tree, and cupboards are growing bare as they are afraid to go shopping. … More Beware of ICEy Conditions
American culture is as distinct as that of any other nation, but it’s the only one that comes from an idea. That idea is the equality of all human beings; their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the form of self- government that secures their rights, including the right to change their government if it becomes tyrannical. … More We (No Longer) Hold These Truths
The controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson’s platforming of neo-Nazi apologist Nick Fuentes has revealed concerning ideologies among young evangelical leaders. Critics argue that the normalization of such views undermines the church’s moral authority and complicates the interpretation of key Christian principles. This poses a significant threat to the church’s future and its core beliefs. … More Nazification and the Church (Russell Moore)
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” But in today’s political landscape, it’s so easy for our hearts to become clouded. Anger, partisanship, bitterness, self-righteousness – these things creep in and blur our vision. We can’t resist this on our own. We need His help to keep our hearts pure. … More Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
On The Joe Rogan Experience last week, songwriter Bono laid out for Rogan the very human results of the Trump administration’s drastic spending cuts that will put an end to one government program that has actually worked: that of saving people in Africa from dying with AIDS. Rogan seemed convinced—even concerned. … More 1.6 Million Deaths
The election of the first American pope, Leo XIV, and getting to hear the pope speak into our politically idolatrous Christian landscape in plain English, is going to be revealing. I dare say “apocalyptic” in the literal sense of deeply revealing. He’s not going to line up on Team Blue or Team Red. He will speak for Team Jesus, and be labelled Woke for following the historic social teachings of the Catholic church. … More A Woke Pope?
This sober undressing of some of the hidden realities behind our nation may offend, and if it rattles our bones to see this earthly nation critiqued by the Bible, that might indicate we have made it an idol. Revelation is an ‘apocalypse,’ and that word means to pull back the curtain on the uglier realities that prefer to stay hidden behind the shiny surface. Revelation is an invitation to political resistance, not End Times speculation. … More Babylon in America
For the past 10 years, my go-to media outlet for nuanced, sane, Biblically grounded, Jesus-shaped, and good-humored perspectives on Christianity, history, culture and politics, has been the Holy Post. Everyone podcast and media outlet has an angle. Everyone has a bias. Nobody is really all that “balanced” — whatever that means. … More My Media Outlet of Choice
Revelation is not a key to unlock some future prophecy timeline; it’s a key to understanding our current times, unmasking true allegiances and calling Christians to follow the Way of the Lamb while resisting the ways of Babylon. Today, my teacher, Scot McKnight, posted chapter 5 of his timely book, “Revelation for the Rest of Us”, on his Substack. Read. If. You. Dare. … More Unmasking Babylon
This week’s featured conversation is from “The Good Faith Podcast.” Host Curtis Chang is joined by David French and Russell Moore to unpack what Trump’s agenda and executive actions demand from people of faith. From foreign policy chaos and attacks on democratic institutions to political fatigue and Christian witness, this conversation gets real about the cost of following Jesus in a divided America. … More The First 100 Days
David Brooks is one of my go-to sources for reasoned political commentary and analysis. Give 14 minutes to consider his speech at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Brooks’ speech is challenging and thought provoking, calling for us to reassess what we think cultural renewal looks like and to reconnect to our spiritual roots. … More David Brooks: Rupture, Repair & Societal Change
There is nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism. It’s a capitulation to the Way of Barabbas over the Way of Jesus. It’s waving palm branches for Judas “The Hammer” Maccabeus on his warhorse over Jesus on a donkey. We are faced with the same question as the crowd that first Holy Week: Who do we want to go free and to follow, and who do we want to send to the cross to be rid of? … More We Still Choose Barabbas
Kingdom Harbor 