Most of us shouldn't be writing for the "average reader."

Make that guy suffer, make him pick up a dictionary.

When you don't punish an attempt to overthrow an election, you lose the ability to hold people accountable for a really long time.

George was just trying to get to work.

ICE pepper-sprayed him, dragged him from his car, locked him in a detention center, and placed him on suicide watch. He even missed his young daughter’s birthday in the process.

This man is a veteran and American citizen. Don't look away.

#MorningPrayer
Keep our focus on you, Lord,
that we may place our trust
in your faithful love,
rather than in things that are
passing and temporal,
however solid and secure
they may seem to us.
Guide us to those things
which help us to encounter,
reveal, and embrace
your kingdom.

Speak up for those
who have no voice,
for the justice of all
who are dispossessed.
Speak up, judge righteously,
and defend the cause of
the oppressed and needy.
—Proverbs 31:8-9

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

Christian nonviolence is not a strategy to rid the world of violence, but rather the way Christians must live in a world of violence... faithful followers of Christ in a world of war cannot imagine being anything else than nonviolent.

~Stanley Hauerwas

Things to consider:

Document the violence & violations--on camera, w/photos, saving images--any way you can. Speaking as a historian- it will matter

Point out violations--w/images & text--even if you think it won't matter. It will. It needs to be called out & exposed

You are a witness.
Expose it.

If U.S. states have any degree of sovereignty, if there’s any states’ rights at all, it is the right not to be invaded by the armed forces of another U.S. state.

Christian nationalism bases many of its theological and ethical ideals on the Torah, not the Gospels. But even there they get it wrong. The Torah points toward a society in which the poor are cared for and immigrants are treated as neighbours.

Monk or Missionary: Christian Approaches to Social Media Given the now obvious dangers inherent to social media use, two primary options remain for Christians: to become a digital missionary... or digital monk.

“I’m increasingly convinced that most people should delete their social media and the ones that stay must adopt a more active posture toward it and not allow themselves to become a passive user that is subject to the whims of the algorithm.” @ianharber.bsky.social
mereorthodoxy.com/monk-or-miss...

An excellent piece from Ian. Thanks for sharing.

In Jesus there is hope.

In Jesus there is healing.

In Jesus there is comfort.

In Jesus there is freedom.

In Jesus there is peace.

It’s the duty of all theologically trained clergy to expose error and denounce heresy.

Christian Nationalism is syncretism. It is error. When it is embraced willfully, it becomes heresy.

Clergy, let’s do our job. This is on us.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to love.

Not tolerantly.

Not in spite of.

Not with secret bitterness.

But to love.

Following Jesus means loving everyone.

They do not have enough popular support.

So they are trying to outlaw / silence opposition.

And that’s where we are.

Pushing back has never mattered more.

Never forget!!

“The president should be removed from office because he is plainly insane.”

I mean, there is no war in Portland. There just isn’t. You can’t & won’t avoid reporting this story. But you’ll still find a way to try to report it in a way that gives him the benefit of the doubt.

And that’s wrong.

Amid an ongoing wave of conspiracy theories and bogus claims about Jan 6, I’ll note this from our reporting:

Rioters made all kinds of claims and defenses in court … and jurors convicted 100% of the defendants who went to trial

100%

Here's Why - Teri Kanefield * * * Welcome! If you’ve already read Part I, click here to skip to Part II: We Are Forever Stuck in a Cycle * * * Part I: Why Intolerance and Extremism Happen Introduction In September 2024, I visite...

"She (Arendt) argued instead that evil is committed by people who don’t think critically or consider the moral implications of their actions."

terikanefield.com/heres-why/

There will always be neighbours here in the Empire who are servants, apologists, disciples, & prophets beholden to the Empire’s evil.

They will always see disagreement with their idolatry as heresy.

But there are enough neighbours who see how we live & love—they know the truth.

“I want to say to you that nobody who is fighting the battle in our own generation can float by on a Beautyrest mattress. If you love God and love men and have compassion for them, you will pay a real price psychologically.” -Francis Schaeffer

In the Wake of Charlie Kirk's Assassination, Get Your Kids Offline Help them live in the real world

“Charlie Kirk's murder and other recent acts of violence should warn us as parents that we need to opt out for our kids. But we don't have to despair. It is possible to choose a smartphone-free life for our kids. And the time is now.” -Clare Morell

open.substack.com/pub/claremor...

The Empire way of the world is a powerful political force for evil.

Standing up against it will always be seen as political & divisive.

And responding Jesus’s call to turn away from the Empire & follow His narrow way will always be decried as heresy by the Empire Church.

If we choose the language of war, we will get a war.

If we choose the language of civil disagreement, we will get a society.

The choice is always and forever ours.

The killing of Charlie Kirk was sheer wickedness as is any glee in response to it.

The US president trafficked & raped underage girls, the evidence is overwhelming, everyone knows it, and this country's elites & institutions are so broken, so insular, so decadent that we can't even bring ourselves to state it clearly, much less do anything about it.

Contemptible & pathetic.

The Christian religion in America looks more like American values (guns, flags, freedom, prosperity) than like Christ’s values.

The Empire faith that has often called itself Christianity throughout history is still alive & well—& still nothing like the narrow way of Jesus.

You think all this mess is what Jesus has in mind? Honestly?

If it’s true that GOP reps are scared for their lives if they oppose the president on any vote, maybe veterans could volunteer to protect their families? Just spitballing now. Odd times call for odd measures.