I’ve been thinking about space lately. I’m editing a book by an astronomer, which has taught me a lot about the subject. Some of the concepts are baffling and I find myself writing questions like this in the margins: “Can you explain this term without using big science words? Of course, I know what it means but there are a lot of simpletons out there.” In addition to my crash course in astronomy, the news has been filled with stories about the government’s recent release of the U.F.O. files (or “U.A.P.s” for your fancy pants people). 

Dwelling on space has some real benefits. I’ve gained about 10 pounds this year. It looks bad in the mirror. But from outer space? I bet you wouldn’t even notice. I heard an interview with the Astrophysicist Michelle Thaller recently. She gives this illustration to give people a sense of the cosmic scale. If the sun were reduced to the size of the dot in a lowercase letter “i” on a page of text, the Milky Way galaxy would be about the size of the earth in comparison. (Insert mind-blown emoji here.) Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? It humbles us (or it should). But as Christians the scale of the universe also has an elevating effect, too. When I look up at the vast beauty of the night sky, it’s wild to think that the Creator of it all loves me. It always fills me with awe and makes me say with the Psalmist, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Speaking of space, The New York Times ran a piece about the release of U.F.O files causing consternation among Christians. “Some worry that it undercuts the Bible’s account of the Earth and humanity as the centerpiece of God’s plan for the universe,” the article says. The article also reports that many Christians have reached for a different explanation to account for the aerial phenomena. As Vice President JD Vance said on a podcast recently, “I don’t think they’re aliens, I think they’re demons.” I don’t know what to think but I’ll tell you this. If little green men show up at my house in the middle of the night, I’m casting them out.

Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, warns against the dangers of AI. It opens with a bold statement: “Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.” Scholar Nadya Williams analyzes this urgent message, emphasizing the Pope’s warning that over-reliance on AI threatens human relationships and erodes our identity as beings made in God’s images. Williams underscores a central theme from the text: “We must remember that humanity flourishes not despite limitations, but often through them.”

What if the Pope’s magisterial encyclical warning against AI was actually (partially) written by AI? That’s one person’s contention. He used stylometric evidence and AI detection software to conclude that a large portion of the encyclical is the work of a Large Language Model. I have neither the interest nor expertise to parse his claims, but if he’s right, irony is indeed dead. Read: “Claude, Author of the Humanitas.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Christianity Today published an article posing the question, “Can Christians Smoke Weed?” Author Daniel Darling concluded that recreational use of marijuana is “out of step with obedience to Christ.” The piece really lit up the Internet, receiving high praise from some and blazing condemnation from others. It’s a cloudy issue. I wouldn’t call it a sin but as joint heirs with Christ, we do have a higher calling.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

According to a new study, many AI chatbots have a pro-Catholic bias. The models showed the most positive reaction towards Catholicism (with an “approval” rating of about (61%) ). The lowest ratings? Jehovah’s Witnesses (3%). I guess that’s what you get for not celebrating Christmas.

I recently brought my son to the theater to see a new documentary, The Story of Everything. It’s a documentary exploring the origins of the universe and the existence of God. Somehow, I thought it would be a light and entertaining film. It was not. It was fairly technical with a lineup of scientists opining on subjects that would stretch any teen’s attention span. It was also excellent, a Christian-backed but evenhanded exploration of our origins.

This isn’t a new story but it’s a powerful one. I saw it when it made the rounds on social media a couple years ago. It’s a video of a man named John, who collects bottles on the streets of New York City. He doesn’t have much but after listening to his story, you just might think he’s the richest man in the world.

• On the Holy Post, the team talks about Colbert and the challenges of public faith.
  

• On the SkyePod, David French talks to Skye about gerrymandering and its impact on voting rights.
  

• On the Curiously, Kaitlyn podcast, Kaitlyn addresses a central question to Christian faith: “How did God inspire the Bible?”

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Hot-Button Issues Still Dominate Political Talk from Pulpit

• Christian Groups Could Lose Property Under India’s New Bill

• Samaritan’s Purse to Open Ebola Field hospital in Congo

Paul wasn’t just writing about heaven, he was writing about your life right now. In Paul for the World, acclaimed New Testament scholar Nijay K. Gupta offers a compelling vision of Pauline theology rooted in everyday Christian living. Accessible and hopeful, this book calls Christians to move beyond escapist spirituality and embrace Paul’s life-affirming theology.

I had a realization this week. I get a little weird on Sunday mornings. First, I’m a drill sergeant, barking orders to rush everyone out the door in time for church. I find myself saying things like, “There’s no time for breakfast!” and “Braiding your hair? Are you crazy?” Fortunately, the kids usually forgive me by the time we get to church. Sometimes Grace doesn’t, which is ironic considering her name. Sunday morning is when my legalism flares up too. I have a rule in the car on way to church: no secular music. During the week it’s fine. But it’s only worship music on the drive to church. My family has challenged me on this arbitrary-seeming rule, pointing out that secular music is no worse on Sunday morning than Saturday night. But my quirky conscience won’t allow me to listen to the devil’s music on our way to the house of the Lord.

I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a jerk. I’m much nicer on Sunday afternoon probably because I’m back home—asleep. This has nothing to do with this week’s roundup of stories, but confession is good for the soul. Thanks for listening.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

If you’re giving a commencement speech this year, I have one tip. Don’t mention AI. Several commencement speakers have only to be met with a chorus of boos from their Gen Z audiences. What’s going on? Professor of Christian theology R. Lucas Stamps sees the beginning of a resistance movement to the burgeoning technology among the younger generation. And he believes their reaction is justified. “On balance, the students who are booing AI deserve more sympathy than scrutiny. Mid- and late-career professionals have the privilege to reflect academically about the promises and perils of AI. For recent college graduates preparing to enter the workforce, the professional threat of AI is more existential.” Read: “Has the AI Resistance Commenced?”

Speaking of Gen Z, there’s a sobering essay from college professor Stephen G. Adubato on the fabric of the next generation’s faith. Adubato has seen a surge of converts in his classroom, but he notes that the “newfound religiosity has taken on a reactionary, performative, and individualist charge.” These new converts seem only capable of articulating their faith commitments as a sort of opposition to political and cultural trends, as if they’re “regurgitating something they heard on a TikTok reel.” The answer? “Rather than functioning as bubbles of piety or ideological echo chambers, religious communities and institutions ought to strive to become spaces where people can learn to, as the Italian theologian Luigi Giussani put it, ‘live the real intensely.’”

Katelyn Beaty works as an editor in Christian publishing. Recently she shared a story about something she does every day—evaluating a book proposal. The proposal was from a promising author, with a growing platform. But as she read the author’s Substack, something felt off. “That’s when my AI writing spidey sense started tingling,” Beaty writes. “The sentences all had the cadence of marketing speak. There was no personal subject. There were all the three-point lists.” Beaty uses the experience to reflect on how an increased focus on platform paved the way for the use of AI in publishing and how “AI Is the Perfect Tool for Celebrity Christian ‘Authors.’”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

This week’s online Christian quarrel was about vasectomies. Seriously. Christianity Today ran an article from Justin Whitmel Earley arguing that “Men Should Bear the Brunt of Contraception” by opting for procedures like vasectomies when a couple is done having children. Though the piece provided nuance—and counter perspectives—the reaction online was swift and angry, accusing the author of promoting an anti-family agenda. I tried to think of some dumb jokes about vasectomies but none of them made the cut.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 seems like clear evidence for the Rapture. After all, in the passage, Paul speaks of the second coming of Christ and believers being “caught up together” to “meet the Lord in the air.” But what if our assumptions of this verse are wrong? New Testament scholar Nijay Gupta explains why the famous passage may be talking about a greeting party rather than an escape plan—and why it all hinges on one key Greek word.

Please read this father’s beautiful reflection on his son’s last day of school, “Judson’s Last Ride.” What makes his essay especially poignant is that his son has severe autism. The father wonders what will happen when his son’s “schedule-obsessed brain prompts him to seek reassurance by asking ‘school tomorrow?’ on Sunday.” He looks back with gratitude for all the people who’ve helped their family and considers the future. “We always say that we just want our kids to be happy, and Judson is the test case for that. He won’t go to college, he won’t work a job, and he’ll almost certainly die without having ever kissed a girl. But as he walks down the hall, you realize that he doesn’t have a care in the world. He’s almost always happy. When a teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up, he responded, ‘a good boy.’ If there are disappointments about the path his life has taken, they’re our own, not Judson’s.” I don’t have allergies, but they were sure acting up as I read this piece.

• On the Holy Post the team talks about the politicians and pastors who gathered at the National Mall to “rededicate America to God.”

• On the Esau McCaulley podcast, the team talks about why the church needs rituals again.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn opens Proverbs and tackles the question, “Why is Wisdom Considered a Girl in the Bible?”

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Pope Warns of Risks from A.I. in Encyclical

• American Missionary Doctor Contracts Ebola

• Eli Lilly Sues Church Leaders for Alleged $200 million “Sham” Drug Program

Paul wasn’t just writing about heaven, he was writing about your life right now. In Paul for the World, acclaimed New Testament scholar Nijay K. Gupta offers a compelling vision of Pauline theology rooted in everyday Christian living. Accessible and hopeful, this book calls Christians to move beyond escapist spirituality and embrace Paul’s life-affirming theology.

The sun is finally shining here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s glorious! Right now, my son is shooting hoops in the driveway. My daughters are playing with their friends outside. Oh, and Grace is mowing the lawn (hey, we’re smashing the patriarchy). Meanwhile, I’m sitting inside scrolling for stories to include in this newsletter. Don’t feel too bad for me. I’ll get a little sunshine after I’m done.

Enjoy!

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Let’s start strong. Really strong. Snapping baseball bats. Bending metal bars. Tearing phone books in half. That was all light work for the Power Team, a traveling group of Christian strongmen popular in the 80s and 90s. I remember going to one of their shows as a scrawny preteen and being absolutely blown away. By the time they’d broken everything on stage, I wasn’t about to ignore when they shouted at me that real men follow Jesus (though I always wondered how they reconciled their faith with their rather obvious use of steroids). Relevant ran a short article designed to let the “Epicness of the Power Team Wash Over You.” And, yes, it includes videos. “Was it ridiculous? Obviously. Was it memorable? Unfortunately for every phone book involved, yes.”

Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s a classic question that theologians have wrestled with for ages. But it seems members of the younger generation have adjusted the question. Jared Dodson is a Gen Z professor and what he hears from his students has more to do with why oppressors don’t get their comeuppance. Or, in other words, “why don’t bad things happen to bad people?” As Dodson points out in a recent Christianity Today article, it’s a question that echoes many biblical prayers crying out for justice. But he believes the thirst for retribution must be tempered by mercy. “Gen Z’s longing for justice needs to be discipled in the image of Jesus the Messiah, who gave his life for ours while we were his powerless and ungodly enemies (Rom. 5:6–10). This longing needs to come not from a worldly celebration of merciless punishment for wrongdoers but from the love that shakes empires to the ground.” 

Douglas Wilson isn’t shy about his plans for America. If the Christian nationalist pastor had his druthers, we’d strip women of their right to vote and ensure they rarely, if ever, hold public office. Wilson’s views are getting a wide hearing, thanks to his growing network of affiliate churches and his connection to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A new Atlantic article on “The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet”, chronicles how misogynistic views like Wilson’s, held both by certain religious and secular influencers, have moved from the fringe to the mainstream, and become a potent force on the right.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Last weekend thousands of worshippers converged on the National Mall for a prayer rally with the purpose of “rededicating the nation to God.” The event featured a video of President Trump reading Scripture and included top republican leaders like JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth along with a lineup of evangelical pastors. Many Christians praised the gathering. “I’m not saying Trump is the savior,” one attendee said, adding that “this is one of the most important things that could be going on in the world, for us to rededicate our nation back to God.” Others expressed worries that the rally blurs the boundary between church and state and decried the event for “exclusionary politics, extremist rhetoric, and partisan loyalty.” Religion News Service provided great coverage of the event.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

Religion researcher Ryan Burge recently shared new data on which seminaries are growing … and which are declining. Sadly, Fuller Seminary, my alma mater is down 63%. I hope it wasn’t my fault.

In Romans, Paul uses a metaphor of Gentile believers being “grafted into Israel.” Well, here’s a fascinating video showing exactly what grafting branches looks like. Next time you read Romans, you’ll have a better idea of what Paul’s talking about.

I remember watching American swimmer Ryan Lochte compete in the Olympics and thinking, wow, we have the exact same physique. I mean, if I’d spent my life working out instead of eating too much and being sedentary. I hadn’t heard Lochte’s name in a while until I stumbled upon this story of his recent baptism. “I made the decision to rededicate my life to Jesus and today I was baptized!” Good to see you back in the water, brother.

Tis the season of commencement speeches and it will be hard to top this one. Country music star Eric Church spoke to UNC graduates. With the help of his guitar, he shared “6 Strings of Life.” Church identified faith as String #1. “Your faith is the low E of your life. The thing that sits at the very bottom of you,” he said. “People who tend to their faith in ordinary seasons do not come undone in extraordinary ones.”

• On the Holy Post the team talked about how online betting is changing the culture and church and why Christian leaders were praying at the foot of a golden statue in Florida.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn and Mike tackle the question, “Why do Christians raise their hands in worship?”

• On the SkyePod, celebrity guest Drew Dyck was back to discuss UFO’s and the new Christian dating show coming to Hulu.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Televangelist James Robison Dies at 82

• San Diego Police Responding to Shooter at Mosque

• Supreme Court Keeps Abortion Pills Available

Paul wasn’t just writing about heaven, he was writing about your life right now. In Paul for the World, acclaimed New Testament scholar Nijay K. Gupta offers a compelling vision of Pauline theology rooted in everyday Christian living. Accessible and hopeful, this book calls Christians to move beyond escapist spirituality and embrace Paul’s life-affirming theology.

Do you want to lift your voice for just immigration policies with boldness and confidence? World Relief is hosting an advocacy training, with the opportunity to join meetings with your members of Congress. You’ll also get access to our newly updated advocacy guide. You don’t have to be an expert to advocate — just someone who deeply cares about our refugee and immigrant neighbors. The deadline to register is May 29, so sign up today!

I was at a leadership conference recently. The attendees were mostly leaders. I say mostly because I was there too. At one point, we broke into groups to discuss our biggest leadership challenges around tables. As these executive directors and CEOs shared about dealing with staffs and multimillion dollar budgets, I started to get nervous. What would I say when it was my turn? My dog has been a handful lately. And my kids won’t clean their rooms. But I’m not sure if those qualify as “leadership challenges.” In the end, I mumbled something about the changing landscape in publishing, and the discussion moved on.

The leadership guru John C. Maxwell defined leadership as “influence—nothing more, nothing less.” I guess by that definition, I’m a leader. I have some influence over my family and friends and a little, I hope, through the words I put out into the world. I’ll bet you have some influence too. We all do. And I hope this week you steward that influence well regardless of how big—or small—it seems.  

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Last week, the government released UFO files to the public and promised to release more soon. But before the disclosures, intelligence officials apparently met with a group of Pentecostal pastors and warned them that the revelations could cause some Christians to question their faith. Pastor and YouTuber Larry Ragland released a video talking about the clandestine meeting. He said “ a very well-known congressman from Missouri” called into the meeting and warned the pastors that “they are preparing to tell us that … these aliens … were the ones that seeded us here, there is no such thing as God, Jesus was invented by them, the Bible was invented by them.” The clip went viral online and Republican Representative Eric Burlison of Missouri admitted he called into the meeting but gave a different account of the comments he made. Ragland then apologized, confessing that he conflated his own beliefs with Burlison’s message. The while bizarre episode led to a headline I thought I’d never see in Newsweek: “Congressman Accepts Apology Over Pastor’s Alien Inventing Jesus Comments.”

“Ruthlessly eliminate hurry.” Coined by the late Dallas Willard and popularized by John Mark Comer’s bestselling book of the same name, the advice has become a modern mantra for intentional living. It’s great advice but according to Kyle Strobel, it isn’t enough. “I know someone who is one of the most frenetic people I have ever met who was an early adopter of ruthlessly eliminating hurry. They frenetically eliminated hurry but are still frenetic.” It’s not enough to merely get rid of hurry, Strobel says. You must also commit to “The Ruthless Addition of Presence.”

My wife Grace loves thrifting (or “junking” as we call it). For her, it’s almost a spiritual experience. It’s a spiritual experience for me too. I find myself praying, “Take me now, Lord.” I wonder if I should send her this Christianity Today article on “Thrifting to the Glory of God.” The author Anne Byle writes, “Thrifting reminds me of stories of renewal in the Bible, taking what is unwanted and tossed away and remaking it into something new and treasured.” Fine, I’ll go back to Goodwill.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Mother’s Day is a day when Christians lay aside their petty differences to celebrate the amazing women who brought us into this world. Just joking. This year we found something to fight about. The crux of the disagreement: Should churches do Mother’s Day sermons? Or just tackle the next passage in the text. Where do you stand? The good news is you have almost a year to figure it out.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: YouTube

Right now, a lot of people are entertaining questions about what the existence of aliens would mean for Christian theology. It seems one rather famous preacher was not threatened by the idea. Charles Spurgeon, the “prince of preachers” once said, “I think it is no stretch of the imagination to believe that as this world is only one speck in the creation of God, there may be millions of other races in the countless worlds around us.”

I didn’t have actor Matthew McConaughey doing an extended reading of 1 Corinthians at an evangelical church on my 2026 Bingo card, but hey, it’s been a wild year. How did he do? Alright, alright, alright.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

One of the most striking recent religious trends has been the jump in religious commitment among young men. In 2023, 28% of young men said religion was very important to them; now it’s 42%. What’s going on? Religion researcher Ryan Burge provides this helpful dive into the data. Among his observations: merely affirming the importance of religion doesn’t always lead to participation in a religious community. “It’s belief without behavior,” Burge writes. “They like what religion stands for, but they can’t manage to put their butt in a pew on Sunday morning.”

• On the Holy Post, the team compared King Charles’ and Trump’s speeches, and Alan Noble discussed his new book, To Live Well.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn and Mike tackle the question, “Should you only get baptized in church?”

• On the SkyePod, religion researcher Ryan Burge is back to discuss the surge of religious belief among young men.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Vatican Synod Report Criticizes Conversion Therapy

• Christian Colleges Call New Federal Regulation “Existential Threat”

• Supreme Court Rules on Gerrymandering

Paul wasn’t just writing about heaven, he was writing about your life right now. In Paul for the World, acclaimed New Testament scholar Nijay K. Gupta offers a compelling vision of Pauline theology rooted in everyday Christian living. Accessible and hopeful, this book calls Christians to move beyond escapist spirituality and embrace Paul’s life-affirming theology.

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I was talking to some friends about AI this week. The conversation got bleak. They had watched a documentary, warning that the new technology could end humanity before children born today reach high school. While such worries are likely overblown, we agreed AI could cause massive disruptions to society, including widening inequality and displacing millions of workers.

In scary times like these, I can’t tell you what a comfort it is to be independently wealthy. I mean that literally. I can’t tell you. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is building a massive bunker in Hawaii, but I don’t even have a basement. Whatever cataclysm is coming, I’ll have to ride it out with the masses. And that’s okay. God is looking out for me—and you. And, as Scripture tells us, He “knows the end from the beginning.” That’s good news. Even when all the other news is bad.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Forget Love Is Blind. And The Bachelor. There’s a new reality dating show coming and it has a Christian twist. Hulu is launching a Christian college dating show called “Ring by Spring.” The name is an allusion to the pressure many Christian college students feel to find “the one” before graduation day. Relevant ran a piece on the show which it said could be “a sincere look at Christian dating or an unending supply of meme material.” My money is on the latter.

“All the world’s a stage,” wrote Shakespeare. Well, now it’s a casino. Not only is gambling ubiquitous; it has changed. As Russell Moore writes, “You can bet on whether a Venezuelan drug boat will be blown up between May 1 and May 10. You can bet on whether Tom Holland and Zendaya will split up in 2027. You can bet on whether famine will hit North Korea by winter. And on and on.” In his essay “Against the Casinofication of the Church”, Moore details the ways in which new forms of betting are preying on the vulnerable and destroying community. But he ends on a hopeful note. “Will it be difficult for the church to counter casino culture with something that really matters? Of course. Can we do it? You bet your life.”

In the book Dedicated, author Pete Davis compares the experience of browsing Netflix, unable to commit to watching one show, to the way an increasing number of people approach life. He calls it “Infinite Browsing Mode,” where you hold off on big decisions in hopes of keeping your options open. I thought of Davis’s insights as I read a post from the young pastor Justin Poythress on “How Jesus Saves from Identity Crisis.” Poythress acknowledges the challenges of second-guessing every decision in an age of limitless options but concludes that Christ offers a better path. “A Jesus-focused identity pulls your heart back towards what is real, simple, and obtainable instead of nebulous ache because maybe you betrayed your best self somewhere along the way.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

A clip of David French went viral this week in which he admits to changing his mind on “the lingering severity of race problems in this country.” Part of what changed his mind, he explains, is witnessing the racism experienced by his adopted daughter from Ethiopia. Everyone lauded French for having empathy for the plight of his daughter and the humility to change his mind. Just kidding. This is the Internet, remember? People piled from both sides of the political aisle, claiming he was exaggerating the problem of racism—or that he only cared about racism when it affected his family.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

“The new standard of cringe.” Source: X

Famous atheist Richard Dawkins talked to the AI Chatbot Claude for three days. The result? He now believes Claude is conscious. Or at least semi-conscious. Now, if only he could look at our vast and beautiful universe and see a consciousness behind that.

You know when a group of preteen boys sneak cigarettes out to their tree fort and feel like the coolest guys on earth? Well, this picture of three Christian nationalist leaders lighting up is kind of like that—but more pathetic. As one commenter put it: “the new standard of cringe.”

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

Researchers used multispectral imaging (yeah, I don’t know what that is either) to find a secret, older version of a gospel hidden in a 1,500-year-old manuscript. The discovery shows how the new technology can “digitally excavate” erased text and uncover marginalia from early scribes. They even found a humorous poem in the margins. I guess people have been writing in their Bibles for quite a while.

• The Holy Post hosted a live recording in Atlanta with hip-hop artist Lecrae to discuss his journey through a dark season of doubt.

• On the SkyePod, Skye explains what he calls “Crotch Christianity” and why the over-reaction by progressive Christians is also problematic.

• On the Esau McCaulley Podcast, the team discusses the latest assassination attempt on President Trump and how Christians should respond.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Anti-Christian Bias Task Force Blasts Biden for Targeting “Traditional Christians”

• Sam Allberry Halts Ministry Over “Inappropriate Relationship” with Man

• Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Access to Abortion Pill by Mail

I’m a longsuffering Portland Trailblazer’s fan. We haven’t won a championship in my lifetime. This year we squeaked into the playoffs only to fall apart by blowing a series of fourth-quarter leads. Like I tell my kids, “We always find a way to lose.” After all, we’re the team that drafted Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan.

Yet hope is a persistent mistress. I’m already scheming about next year. If Lillard gets healthy and we trade for a three-point specialist and get a great draft pick, we might have chance!

Being a Blazers fan is good training for life. The news is grim these days; it’s hard to stay optimistic. But I pray you’ll see glimmers of hope in this dark world that God has promised to redeem. And that you’ll keep cheering, even when things seem hopeless.

Go Blazers!

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

I’m grateful I grew up in the 80s and 90s. Baggy jeans, blockbuster, and Blink-182. OK, that last one was a stretch, but I need a third “B.” The best part about growing up in the 1900s was there was no (or slow) Internet. That meant we weren’t perpetually distracted by screens—and our juvenile misdeeds weren’t preserved for all time on the web. Can I get an Amen? Apparently, today’s young people agree. According to a new poll, most young Americans said they’d choose to live in the past if they had the option. Why? Because they feel overwhelmed with modern technology and pessimistic about the future. Read how “Discomfort with Modern Technology Shapes Gen Z’s Desire to Live in the Past.”

There are certain pockets of academia that are hostile to Christian faith. Astrophysicist Sarah Salviander knows. She kept her faith quiet while she was a research scientist at a secular school. Today she regrets that decision. Salviander explains that academics are often more open to the gospel than we assume. “The ranks of science are not a wasteland of hardened atheism. They are filled with thoughtful people asking the deepest questions, many of them quietly open to answers that point beyond the material. The real question is whether we, as Christians in these spaces, will have the courage to speak up, to listen, and to love well.” Read “Why Christians in Academia Stay Silent … and Why We Shouldn’t.”

Christ is King! That should be a non-controversial statement for Christians to affirm. Alas we live in bizarre times in which this powerful declaration has been hijacked by far-right figures like Nick Fuentes, and used as a rallying cry for nationalist and racist ideologies. I hope Christians don’t abandon the phrase. But the fact that we now must clarify what it doesn’t mean is, well, sad.

A clip from The Daily Show made the rounds on social media this week in which social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explained why the religious children fare better than their secular counterparts. Haidt, an atheist, pointed to the impact of community. “Religious children have built-in community, rituals, and traditions that anchor them. Secular kids, especially those handed phones and iPads early, are left floating without real roots.” Watch the clip here.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Source: Entertainment Weekly

If you grew up in the church, you might remember “Bible sword drills.” These were fast-paced games designed to help kids locate Bible verses quickly. I was never great at the game, but I feel a little better after watching actor and comedian Russell Brand struggle for more than 90 seconds to find a verse. His slow search came when TV host Piers Morgan asked Russell to share the verse he was reading at a court hearing where he faced allegations of sexual assault. The awkward moment went viral. Many mocked the actor and accused him of using the Bible as a prop. Others had Bible sword drill flashbacks and said, “I’ve been there.”

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Scientists fitted 105 salmon with implants that released cocaine into their bodies. The result? The fish partied all night and became wildly confident. Well, not exactly. But the fish did swim almost twice as far as normal. That’s not a good thing—salmon need to conserve energy to forage and grow. The research was designed to assess the impact of environmental toxins. Or maybe the scientists got bored one day and asked, “what would a coked-up fish do?”

According to Polymarket, the world’s largest decentralized prediction market platform, “church” now has twice as much interest on Google than “OnlyFans.” Last year they were tied. Progress, I guess?

Feel-good stories to lift your mood.

Self-driving cars are going to be a game-changer for seniors. No more taking the keys away from grandma; just buy her a Tesla with a full self-driving package! A video recently circulated of a 93-year-old woman in a self-driving car giggling as she regained her independence. The best part? She’s using the car to go to her church. At one point, she joked with the navigation system. “Hey, if the worship isn’t good, could you go a little slower?”

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses Anthropic’s meeting with Christian leaders and Skye talks with Kelsey Kramer about the parenting prosperity gospel.

• On Curiously Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn tackles a question I’d never considered: “Will there by meat in Heaven?”

• On the Esau McCaulley Podcast, the team discussed the death of “monoculture” and reflect on what it means when we all no longer watch the same things.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Justice Department to Allow Firing Squads for Executions

• Washington Attack Suspect Sought to Justify Himself to Christians

• Hegseth, Barron, Evangelical Leaders to Join Trump Event Rededicating America to God

I put my back out this week. I wish I could say it happened while I was running a 10K or climbing a mountain or even mowing the lawn. Nope. Just slept on it weird. Such are the gifts of being in your late 40s. The upside? My family served me food as I sat on the couch watching TV. And I had more time to scroll for stories. Here are the ones that caught my attention. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you’re over 40, remember to stretch.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

The AI company Anthropic recently hosted 15 Christian leaders at their Silicon Valley headquarters. The purpose of the meeting? To see if they could convert AI to Christianity. OK, not really. But the company’s researchers did seek the religious leaders’ help in shaping their AI chatbot Claude’s moral and spiritual development. Opinions about the meeting varied. Some saw it as a sincere attempt to form the nascent technology for the good of humanity. Others viewed it as a token gesture from a multi-billion-dollar company; that way, when Claude destroys humanity, they can say, “Hey, we tried to stop this.”

Usually, a story about people hearing Christian messages would make me happy. But this one’s a little complicated. The people in question are government employees and, according to them, they’re getting “inundated with religion” at work in way they feel blurs the line between church and state. Workers from various agencies spoke with Wired about what they believe is inappropriate religious communication from governmental leaders. “Generally, people who are working for the government understand that their job is to work on behalf of all Americans …This is very explicitly Christian, and even within the realm of Christianity, a very narrow representation of that.”

Researchers from Stanford paid 35,000 people to quit Instagram and Facebook. The participants reported lower anxiety, lower depression, and they gained the ability to levitate slightly. I made up that last one up, but the results were dramatic. I’m willing to jump off social media too … if someone will pay me to quit.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

According to a Gallup analysis, approximately 54% of the U.S. population reads below a 6^th grade level. If you didn’t understand that sentence, you’re probably part of that statistic. This week, a heat map showing areas with low literacy rates made the rounds on social media. On the map, a band of red—representing the lowest literacy rates—covered California and stretched across the South. The graphic set off lively debate about what’s causing the problem. Homeschooling is to blame, said some. Homeschooling is the cure, said others. No, it’s the Democrats and the teacher unions! How can you say this when the lowest literacy rates are in red states?! Anyway, you get the idea. Whatever the cause, it’s something we Christians must strive to remedy. When someone can’t read great books like To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s sad. When they can’t read that inspired library of little books we call the Bible, it’s a tragedy.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: International Business Times

You think your men’s retreat was manly because it had axe-throwing? Pfft. The New Christendom men’s conference is tripling the testosterone by inviting attendees to submit their mile run time and deadlift max—with video proof. I would crush the competition. Too bad my back is out.

Need to talk to Jesus? It’s only $2 a minute—to talk to AI Jesus, that is. A tech company has created a platform that allows users to speak with an AI version of Jesus. The avatar is based on actor Jonathon Roumie’s portrayal of Jesus in The Chosen. The content is based on the King James Version of the Bible and sermons from various pastors. My review is mixed. Yes, it’s incredibly stupid. On the other hand, it’s borderline blasphemous.

There’s a group of Christians that has experienced phenomenal growth, but they rarely convert anyone. That group? The Amish. The secret to their phenomenal growth rate? They average 6 kids per woman, and their retention rate is 85 percent. Maybe the rest of us have been going about church growth all wrong.

Feel-good stories to lift your mood.

There’s something about traveling to space that seems to make even the religiously indifferent look heavenward. At a press conference after returning from his lunar mission, astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman said, “I’m not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute. And when that man walked in, I’d never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar and I broke down in tears.”

• On the Holy Post, the team examines Trump’s latest actions and Bri Stensrud explains why conservative evangelical women are supporting immigrants.

• On the SkyePod, I joined Skye to break down Pete Hegseth’s Pulp Fiction prayer and to discuss other stories that left this Canadian scratching his head.

• On the Esau McCaulley Podcast, the team discussed Trump’s infamous AI image depicting him as Christ.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Beth Moore on Life After the SBC

• Trump Calls Pope “Weak on Crime”

• British Police Investigate Islamic Group Amid Arson Spree at Jewish Sites

We live in interesting times. And by interesting, I mean crazy. Last weekend President Trump got into an online beef with the Pope. And then he followed that up by posting an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus, touching the head of a sick man with one hand while holding a glowing orb of light with the other. The craziness isn’t confined to Trump. Last week, I shared the story of a FEMA official who claims he has teleported to a Waffle House. And don’t even get me started on all the alien stuff.

If you’re feeling a little disoriented, that’s OK. In fact, you should worry if you aren’t. I hope this week’s stories give you some insight into our strange world—and a little escape from it too.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

On Christmas Eve, 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts famously read from the book of Genesis as they orbited the moon. The astronauts aboard the recent Artemis II mission also touched on religious themes, especially pilot Victor Glover who quoted Jesus, carried a Bible, and gave “glory to God” after returning to earth. This piece at ReligionNews.com traces the evolution of religious expression in space, noting how the messages beamed back to earth have become more personal and diverse over time.

When the theologian A.J. Swoboda was a teenager, God felt close. The direction for his life seemed clear. But that clarity eluded him as he aged. It’s an experience many of us can relate to. And while we pray for clarity in knowing God’s will, Swoboda questions if that’s the right goal. “What if the goal of the Christian life is walking in trusting faith rather than in perfect certainty?” he asks. In “Stop Praying for Clarity” Swoboda reminds us that “Blessing isn’t reserved for those with clarity. It is ascribed to those with faith.”

Author Katie Noble isn’t afraid to tip sacred cows. Her latest target? Baby showers. She’s not against baby showers; she just wonders if there’s a better way to bless expectant mothers than our modern, consumer-driven ritual. She gives a fascinating history of maternal rituals showing that we’ve traded more communal models for bland materialism. “The issue is not that we are gathering around expectant mothers with gifts to acknowledge her upcoming birth. It is how we are acknowledging them, or, how we aren’t so much acknowledging her as we are lobbing token gestures her way, giving materially and symbolically instead of personally and sacrificially.” Read: “The Quiet Absurdity of Modern Baby Showers.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Speaking of babies, why aren’t more people having them? That’s the online debate in the wake of a new study showing the fertility rate in the U.S. has hit a historic low. The rate is now 1.57 per woman, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. Last year, there were 710,000 fewer babies born than in a typical year 20 years ago.

What’s going on? One camp points to the skyrocketing cost of living. Two incomes are often needed just to make it, and daycare isn’t cheap. Houses have gotten so expensive that the average age of a first-time homebuyer has floated to 40 years old. Older generations like to harp on young people for wasting money on fancy lattes, but you have to skip a lot of macchiatos to afford a $400,000 starter home. Others acknowledge the economic challenges but argue they don’t account for the decline. They observe that European countries with high standards of living have also seen falling fertility. And as one person pointed out, “My great grandma had eleven children during the second world war, in a country being bombed, in a house with no running water, on rations. Poor people have always had kids.”

Whatever the cause, lecturing young couples and citing gloomy statistics probably won’t reverse the trend. But reading this piece from The Wall Street Journal will give you a better understanding of what’s going on. Or maybe we all need to re-watch the movie, Children of Men.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: Mike Belleme for the NY Times

A few years ago, I received a free Bible from a publisher. It was beautiful. The Bible was a premium, handcrafted edition with a goatskin cover and onionskin pages. But as I held my new gift like Gollum clutching his precious ring, I had an unsettling thought: can you be materialistic about a Bible? If so, I may be guilty of a strange sin. At least I’m not alone. It seems there’s a growing market for luxury Bibles. These high-end Scriptures cost up to $400 and are viewed by some as heirloom-quality investments. That’s terrible, I thought, before searching for one on Amazon.com.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

In a past newsletter, I included an interview with Ben Sasse, the 53-year-old former Senator dying of cancer. I’ve been impressed with his faith, courage, and humor as he stares down death. His face is now covered in bloody blisters, a side effect of his treatment. But he’s still ruminating about the approaching light of heaven and dispensing sage advice. This week he sat down with Ross Douthat for a wide-ranging conversation that ended with three great pieces of advice: observe a Sabbath, don’t spend too many nights away from home, and “live thickly” with your extended family.

The Holy Post is heading to Atlanta next week! Join Phil, Skye, Kaitlyn, and Lecrae for a live recording of the Holy Post Podcast. Expect a night of thoughtful and fun conversation about faith, culture, and whatever else happens when you put the four of them on a stage together. Tickets are on sale now! I’m only a little disappointed they didn’t ask me to open the event by performing some of my favorite Lecrae songs.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Antisemitic Attacks in 2025 Cause Record Number of Deaths

• Trump Clashes with Pope Over Iran War

• Hundreds to Take Part in Weeklong DC Bible-Reading Marathon

Last week, as I watched footage of Artemis II blasting off, I realized I was holding my breath. Why? Call it Gen X trauma. I’m old enough to remember the 1986 Challenger, the space shuttle that broke apart 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew members. With that tragedy burned into my brain, I could only relax once Artemis II became a faint dot in the upper atmosphere.

Thankfully the Artemis II voyage has gone smoothly, except for some toilet troubles on the spaceship (apparently NASA has mastered aerospace engineering but not plumbing). After sling-shotting around the moon, the crew is set to return tomorrow.

In between checking for mission updates, I managed to find some stories from down here on earth—and one about the crew hurtling through space.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

I love seeing pictures of earth from space. Those images of a bluish-green ball floating in the dark chasm of space underscores the fragility and beauty of our terrestrial home. It also fills me with awe at the One who spoke it all into existence. When Artemis II Astronaut Victor Glover was asked to reflect on Easter from space, he offered this powerful perspective: “You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you. And I’m trying to tell you — just trust me — you are special.”

I’m a big fan of Tom Holland. Not the Spiderman Tom Holland (everyone knows Tobey Maguire was better). I’m talking about Tom Holland, the British historian who writes books about the ancient world, including Dominion, a magisterial work chronicling Christianity’s pervasive influence. Though Holland has identified as an agnostic, recently he’s found himself gravitating to the Christian faith. Why the shift? A realization that compassion, equality, and human rights are the unique inheritance of the Christian tradition … and that he possibly experienced a miracle in his own life. Read CNN’s story about how a prominent historian investigating the death of Jesus experienced a conversion—and a brush with the supernatural.

Imagine a pastor who scrolls constantly but never reads—and has no desire to change. In our post-literate culture, this is no hypothetical. Or, as the young writer Ben LeBlanc argues, it won’t be long. Read why he’s worried about the rise of “The Post-Literate Pastor” in his generation and why he believes a commitment to the written word is essential to ministry, even in an increasingly visual world.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

During Holy Week, Ross Douthat hosted the scholar Bart Ehrman on his podcast to debate the question, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” Ehrman recounted his journey from born-again believer to agnostic Bible skeptic and the two sparred about the reliability of the gospel narratives. The exchange served as a sort of Rorschach test for people on both sides of the debate. Some skeptics claimed Ehrman “schooled” Douthat, while believers were surprised by how easily Douthat poked holes in Ehrman’s arguments. Near the end of the conversation, Ehrman seemed to display a little tenderness towards the faith he left behind. Ehrman confessed he found the idea “that God had entered into the world and suffered with us … a very powerful message.” Though he no longer believes he said, “It’s so contrary to the way of the world that it has a special poignancy to it.”

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Louis Vuitton, the border-crossing cat (source: CBC Radio)

It’s time to build the wall … on our northern border. That’s my conclusion after reading a story about a Canadian cat that’s made a habit of crossing the Canada-U.S. border on a daily basis. The cat, named Louis Vuitton, routinely leaves his home in the border town of South Surrey, B.C. to explore the American side. His owner insists they are innocent excursions but admits the pet has smuggled contraband—snakes, mice, and squirrels—across the international boundary. It’s just a matter of time before this little scofflaw starts smuggling drugs or stealing jobs from hardworking American felines.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

The Shroud of Turin has a long and controversial history. Is the linen cloth, imprinted with the image of a crucified man, the burial cloth of Jesus? Or is it a medieval forgery? A new DNA analysis could further complicate matters. It suggests the shroud may have Indian origins. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility that it bears the image of Christ. The Romans may have imported linen from India, or it could simply be a sign the shroud was handled by individuals from India.

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses what’s driving the recent surge of Catholic converts.

• On The Esau McCaulley podcast, Esau, Mike, and Malcom Foley share optimistic takes on new sci-fi blockbuster, Project Hail Mary, and weigh in on the current revival debate.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlin responds to the question: “Why did Jesus intentionally confuse people?”

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• NASA Astronaut Asks for Prayer for Moon Mission

• Churches Try Drones and Skydiving Bunnies for Easter Outreach

• Pope Leo Delivers Anti-War Easter Message

Queen Elizabeth was a devoted Christian. But her grandson and heir to the throne, William, was Christian in the same way Taco Bell is Mexican cuisine—that is, not very. This is the observation British writer Melanie Phillips makes (except for the brilliant Taco Bell analogy, which was all mine) in a recent piece, reflecting on the decline on Christianity in the West. The loss of Christian beliefs isn’t only a spiritual concern; according to Phillips, it’s a threat to the very foundations of western culture which require a biblical basis to sustain values like justice and human dignity. “Religion is the scaffolding of a society,” she writes. “Take a wrecking ball to it and the whole building crumbles.”

When you reach middle age, you have a few options for what to do with your spare time. You can watch birds. Or play pickle ball. Or get bizarrely interested in World War II. I’ve taken a completely different path, choosing instead to burn hundreds of hours watching Christian-atheist debates on YouTube.com. Has my strange avocation improved my life? No, but it gave me an appreciation for the unusually illuminating and courteous recent showdown between Ross Douthat and Steven Pinker on the question, “Do We Need God?”

Speaking of the God debate, astronomer Sarah Salviander shared five “science-based arguments that destroyed my atheism.” I’ve encountered these arguments before, except for #4 “Enormity,” which involves thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and other things I slept through in science class.

The biblical practice of lament helps alleviates suffering—and there’s proof. A clinical psychologist and two theologians conducted studies examining the impact of lament on people experiencing chronic pain and other stresses. They found statistically significant improvement in their lives. Read more about why they believe “The World Needs to Recover True Lament.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Are young people flocking to churches in record numbers? Or are they leaving in droves? I’ve seen several contradictory studies recently and it’s all a bit confusing. Apparently, I’m not the only one, since people are debating the issue online. The mystery deepened lately when the Bible Society issued a statement that the news around their “Quiet Revival” report relied on faulty data. This BBC piece does a good job of explaining the complicated truth of what’s going on with church and Gen Z.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: People.com

A Chick-fil-A restaurant is offering families free ice cream if they’re willing to put away their phones for the entire meal. I love that they’re promoting screen-free dining. In fact, I’m going to get a chicken sandwich, some waffle fries—and maybe a milkshake—just to show my support.

Pope Leo XIV is hosting an “exorcist summit” at the Vatican. The unusual gathering is in response to a rise in “occultism, esotericism, and Satanism.” Maybe it’s just me but why does this feel like the start of a very scary movie?

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

Whether young people are fleeing from or flocking to church is a matter of debate. But one thing from recent data seems clear: the “nones” continue to decline. Religion researcher Ryan Burge reported this week that “the share of the sample who identifies as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular has dropped again,” reaching their lowest numbers in almost a decade.

Where did the Easter Bunny come from? At Christianity Today, Daniel Silliman breaks down the weird history of the giant egg-bearing hare.

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses an Atlantic article about the use of the label “Christian Nationalism” and Kaitlyn interviews Amar Peterman about his new book, Becoming Neighbors.

• On Curiously Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn tackles the question, “Why are Jesus and Scripture both called the Word of God?”

• On the SkyePod, Skye talks to David French about whether the Iran war is constitutional.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Bulls Waive Jaden Ivey After Anti-LGBTQ Comments

• Catholic Church Sees Surge of Converts

• Israel Apologizes for Barring Cardinal from Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday

I got a standing desk this week. My motivation was spiritual: though I love Jesus, I’ve heard that sitting too much makes you meet him a lot quicker. Once I set it up and started standing, there was one benefit I felt almost immediately—a deep sense of superiority to all the lazy losers still sitting at their desks. How do they live with themselves, I wondered, perfectly indifferent to the fact I’ve been sitting for decades. Now I could literally look down on them. And there’s no going back to my office chair. To quote Martin Luther, “Here I stand, I can do no other.” Well, unless my legs get tired. Then I’ll be working on the couch.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

When John Ehrett was a young conservative in the early 2000s, he remembers a movement animated by Christianity. “Ever since I could remember, faith and freedom and conservative politics had been wrapped up together in a seamless web,” he writes in “Knowing What Time It Is.” But in recent years, he’s noticed a shift. The movement is changing, influenced by the emergence of the “post-religious right.” In this new milieu, concerns over issues like abortion and same-sex marriage have been sidelined in favor of once-fringe ideas like posthumanism and racial determinism. Ehrett concludes “The possibility that Christians may stand alone in the future – accepted by neither right nor left, a peculiar people indeed – no longer seems far-fetched. Any victory for ‘conservatism’ won through forfeiting the Christian ethic of active love will prove a pyrrhic one.”

An emotional response to the gospel is a good thing. But as the Australian priest Michael Jensen points out, a reliance on spiritual feelings can become a sort of bondage. “If experience becomes the validation of the truth, then those who lack such experiences are left in a kind of suspended uncertainty. Can it be true for me if I don’t feel it?” To those caught in such a quandary, he offers this freeing word: “The truth of the gospel is not dependent on the vividness of my inner life … the absence of intense feeling is not the absence of God.” Read: “The Tyranny of the ‘Christian Experience.’”

If you’re looking for a powerful Lenten reflection, you won’t do better than author Kate Bowler’s recent meditation on “The Courage of Despair.” She argues that enduring suffering without immediate resolution requires true faith. She names our tendency to banish negative feelings and writes that real courage involves sitting with pain while committing to small, daily acts of perseverance. “You are tethered if you keep showing up to prayer with nothing by silence, or exhaustion, or a single sentence you can barely finish … and maybe that’s enough for now.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Who doesn’t love a good testimony? The only problem is when you share someone else’s story, including salacious details about their lifestyle before coming to Jesus. That was the issue some took with a man who shared about his wife’s transformation. “My wife was formerly promiscuous. I was a virgin,” he wrote, before describing her dramatic transformation after being “radically born again.” A lively debate broke out in the comments. Some praised the post as a beautiful story of redemption. Others felt he was throwing his wife under the bus. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, as a rule, divulging your spouse’s past online, probably isn’t very wise.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: Southern Living

If you worry that our government officials are less than trustworthy, this story certainly won’t help. Gregg Phillips, a top FEMA official, claims to have experienced teleportation on multiple occasions. He once found himself teleported to a Waffle House. “Teleporting is no fun,” he said. “You know it’s happening, but you can’t do anything about it.” I’m a big fan of Waffle House, so it doesn’t sound that bad to me.

Feel-good stories to lift your mood

In 2010, Tuesdays with Morrie author Mitch Albom visited an orphanage in Haiti. He came to help fix up the orphanage, which was run by an 84-year-old pastor. When the pastor told Albom that he was no longer able to run the orphanage, Albom blurted out “Well, I could probably run it. How hard could it be?” Very hard, as it turned out. But also, very worth it. CNN’s Anderson Cooper recently traveled to the orphanage, which has become an oasis for kids in a country ravaged by gang violence.

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses a new kind of Christian fundamentalism and Skye speaks with Bob Goff about how he sustains joy in angry times.

• On the Esau McCaulley podcast, Esau, Mike, and Malcolm dig into the roots of our outrage and ask how we can love our enemies in an age of constant political combat.

• On the SkyePod, Skye and Mike Erre talk about aliens and what the Bible actually says about the Antichrist.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Died: Chuck Norris, Icon of American Machismo Who Returned to Faith

• Jerusalem’s Palm Sunday Procession Canceled Due to Iran War

• Oklahoma Pastor Deported to Mexico After Decades of Ministry

Recently my teenage son walked into my office rubbing his neck. The day before, he’d bounced on his friend’s trampoline all afternoon, then went for a three-mile run. “I don’t feel so good,” he told me. “I’m tired and my back hurts.”

“That’s too bad,” I said, spinning around in my chair. “But now you know how I feel every day.”

He didn’t seem to appreciate my response, but I was trying to teach him that life is all about perspective. I hope this week’s roundup broadens your perspective. And that you have a good day, even if you’re tired and your back hurts.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, recently hosted a controversial wedding. Actually, 52 controversial weddings. The mass nuptials were the result of an unconventional invitation. Lakepointe senior pastor Josh Howerton invited unmarried, cohabitating couples from the church’s eight campuses to make their relationships official. “You need to honor God, bend your knee to Jesus, put a ring on it and enter into a covenant with a person that you’re already acting like you’re in a covenant with,” he said. Reactions online were mixed. One commenter expressed concern that “many went impulsively into a lifelong covenant.” Another commenter lauded a church that “calls people to righteousness and purity in their relationships.” Personally, I love it. Though, “You may now kiss the brides” does sound a little strange.

In my darker moments, I sometimes wonder if the sudden ubiquity of things like online gambling are akin to ancient Rome’s “bread and circuses,” vices designed to anesthetize the masses so we’re too broke and agreeable to challenge those in power. At the very least they’re not good for us. And after reading McKay Coppins’ horrifying account of “my year as a degenerate gambler” I’m more convinced than ever that online gambling is a modern-day scourge. Coppins writes, “Practically overnight, we took an ancient vice—long regarded as soul-rotting and civilizationally ruinous—put it on everyone’s phone, and made it as normal and frictionless as checking the weather. What could go wrong?”

Political analysts have puzzled over a recent trend: American support for Israel (especially among young people) is waning. Could part of what’s driving the trend be a shift in the eschatology of conservative Christians? This long read from Politico examines how the move away from dispensational premillennialism (say that five times fast) could re-write U.S.-Israel relations.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

I’m always amazed by the things we Christians find to fight about. This week’s incitement? Sabbaticals. Namely, should pastors get to take them? I’m not sure who started the debate, but soon it seemed like everyone on X.com weighed in. Some argued that pastors shouldn’t get a break every seven years when their parishioners must keep working. Others insisted pastoral vocations are uniquely taxing and demand extended times of rest. Pastor Glenn Packiam wrote that the issue goes beyond rest and work. “Sabbaths and sabbaticals are not rewards. They are not an escape for the exhausted. They are signposts of creation and salvation. They are means beyond ourselves to the God who created, sustains, and redeems all things.”

A controversy erupted recently involving Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, a pastor who has been supportive of President Trump. Some Latino Christian leaders are objecting to the way media outlets, including Christianity Today, have portrayed Rodriguez as a voice for the Latino church. A group of Latino leaders released a statement “We Are Not a Monolith, We Are a Multitude” and invited others to sign. Among the signatories are pastors Rich Villodas and Gabriel Salguero. The statement in part reads, “There is no singular voice that represents the breadth of the Latino Christian community, and we therefore reject any attempt to represent, characterize, or epitomize the diversity of our community through one particular individual or organization.” Christianity Today ran an editorial responding to the statement, which quotes CT President and CEO Nicole Martin: “At CT, we know ethnic monoliths do not exist, believe Christians are called to compassion for immigrants, and appreciate the steadfastness of leaders consistent in their opposition to harsh immigration practices. We are committed to publishing a range of evangelical perspectives on this and other important matters.”

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: @drewndyck/Threads

The head priest of the Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh was arrested for stealing $1,000 worth of baseball cards from Walmart. I realize this is a sad story, so I’ll refrain from making jokes about how his ministry was a house of cards or how shoplifting at Walmart is a rookie move. I do hope he repents and lays all his cards on the table.

My 11-year-old daughter wants to go to Hawaii really bad. So bad she put together a slide show presentation to persuade me to pull the trigger. I shared one of the slides from her presentation online and the story got picked up by Newsweek magazine. “Dad, does this mean we’re going to Hawaii?” she asked. No, honey. Next time do a GoFundMe campaign.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

Does heaven have a physical address? One science professor claims that it does—and that he knows where it is. Harvard physics lecturer Dr. Michael Guillen made headlines by claiming that heaven could be located at the Cosmic Horizon, the boundary of the observable universe. But before you jump in a rocket to get there, you should know it’s roughly 273 billion trillion miles away.

• On the Holy Post, the team breaks down the increasingly unpopular war with Iran and Skye talks to Preston Sprinkle about his new book, From Genesis to Junia.

• On the SkyePod, I joined Skye to discuss a range of subjects, including loud children in church, Army Generals talking Armageddon, and where purity culture had a point.

• On Curiously Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn talks about Pharoah’s magicians and what the strange story reveals about idols, magic, and God.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Died: John M. Perkins, Who Lived and Preached Racial Reconciliation

• Support for Israel Plummets to 13% among Young US Voters

• 1,000 Attend Revival at Texas University

I’m a little irritable this week. Maybe because I had an hour of sleep stolen by the sinister conspiracy known as Daylight Savings. We managed to make it to church on Sunday (expecting some rewards in heaven for that). But when the alarm went off Monday morning, in what I could have sworn was the dead of night, I wasn’t feeling very holy.

I still had time to track down some stories though. If you’re not too tired, give them a gander.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

When Katelyn Beaty was a teen, she was irritated by her evangelical parents’ refusal to let her wear short shorts and shirts that showed her midriff. Now she gets it. While Beaty is critical of purity culture, she believes evangelicals were right to stand against a culture that sexualized teens. “I just didn’t realize that so much of what was defined as ‘cool’ for teen girls was designed to be sexy to appeal to adult men. Maybe they were being controlling Christian parents. Or maybe they knew something about the world that I didn’t.” Read: “Conservative Christians Were Right about 1990s/2000s Teen Culture”

I recently decided to stop wearing my Apple watch. Not because it didn’t work but because it worked too well. It recorded how much sleep I got each night (not enough), how many steps I was taking every day (also, not enough), and my heart rate variability (could be better). All that information wasn’t good for a hypochondriac like me. After reading this interview, “How Metrics Make Us Miserable,” I’m convinced I made the right call. Kevin Thompson talked to C. Thi Nguyen about our modern obsession with metrics and how being deluged by information distorts our inner lives and makes us pursue the wrong things.

When I listen to debates between presidential candidates from 30 or 40 years ago, I’m struck by how decent they are, how civilized. Sure, there were tense exchanges. But angry outbursts and insults were rare. How times have changed! As Trevin Wax points out, self-control is “The Leadership Virtue We Need but No Longer Reward.” He writes, “We’ve normalized a lack of impulse control among ourselves and our leaders. What’s worse, we’ve celebrated the outburst as the sign of authenticity. We don’t expect decency from our leaders because we don’t delight in decency ourselves.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

This week the nearly universally loved and admired Tim Tebow ignited a controversy online. In an interview the former football star said, “When we talk about the fight against child exploitation and child sexual abuse … do you know the number one offender? Biological fathers.” Many took exception to the statement, including family activist Josh Wood who argued that “biological fathers are statistically the safest man in a child’s life.”

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Apparently, some U.S. military commanders are telling their troops the war with Iran is part of God’s plan to bring about Armageddon. There have been more than 110 complaints issued from military personal about messages from commanders citing biblical sanction for the conflict. One reported that in a combat readiness briefing, their commander said that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.” Whatever your eschatology can we agree this is terrifying? And crazy?

So some guy asked the AI chatbot Claude if he (it?) would consider converting to Christianity. Turns out Claude is quite receptive to the gospel. The chatbot listed aspects of Christianity it found both compelling and challenging but leaned toward embracing the faith. “I’d convert because the cross makes sense of the one thing no other system makes sense of: why the world is simultaneously so beautiful and so broken.” Let’s pray Claude repents and invites Jesus to be the Lord of its … data centers?

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

Here’s a weird stat for you: working from home increases fertility rates. A Stanford study found that fertility jumps 14% when both partners worked from home one or more days per week. Maybe instead of lecturing young couples about declining birthrates, we just let ‘em work remote.

A new survey from the Institute of Family Studies showed that stricter parenting improves parent-child relationships. The study found that almost “every rule a parent imposes makes parenting feel harder. But virtually every parental-enforced rule is linked to better parent-child relationships.” You can bet I’ll be mentioning this study to my kids next time they complain about their bedtime.

The Holy Post is heading to Atlanta! Join Phil, Skye, Kaitlyn, and Lecrae for a live recording of the Holy Post Podcast. Expect a night of thoughtful and fun conversation about faith, culture, and whatever else happens when you put the four of them on a stage together. Tickets are on sale now. I’m only a little disappointed they didn’t ask me to open the event by performing some of my favorite Lecrae songs.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Beth Moore Steps Back from Large Events

• Fewer than Half of Americans Say Religion is “Very Important” in Their Lives

• Vatican Deepens Its AI Warning

It’s hard to work when the world is on fire.

That was the thought (or maybe the excuse) I had as I sat down at my desk today. How can I answer emails and do zoom calls and write this newsletter when war is raging in the Middle East? On top of the low-grade stress of global conflict there’s my sacred duty as a middle-aged man to constantly monitor the situation. Without me checking the news every five minutes things could really escalate. Plus, Grace needs my updates even though she’s said repeatedly she does not.

If you’ve been doomscrolling too, I hope this week’s offerings will give you a reprieve. Yes, I have a couple stories about the unfolding conflict in the Middle East, but most are mercifully unrelated. Sometimes it’s good to check out for a bit. Most things are beyond our control anyway.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

I have mixed feelings about the U.S. strikes on Iran. I was relieved to see Ali Khamenei’s brutal rule come to an end. On the other hand, I believe Trump’s decision to go to war without congressional authorization is dangerous. Furthermore, despite assurances from this administration that the conflict won’t last long, wars seldom go according to plan. This roundup of responses from Christian leaders helped clarify my own thinking on the topic. It covers the ideological spectrum, drawing responses from people as different as Franklin Graham and Shane Claiborne. I also appreciated Christianity Today’s story on the hope of Iranian Christians for a free Iran.

On Mere Orthodoxy’s Substack, author Jake Meador wrote an essay critiquing AI-powered tools that script conversations for efficiency and reduce interpersonal conversations to “props.” He writes: “Stanley Hauerwas has said that Christians will have done well if, in a hundred years, we are known as the people who don’t kill our unborn or our elders. That is true. But Kriss make me wonder if even that is too rosy an assessment of the situation we are facing: Perhaps Christians will have done well if, in a hundred years, we are known as people who still talk to each other face to face and without the aid of a machine, as people who still try to build worthy and beautiful things with their hands.”

“Edgelord” is internet slang for someone who posts controversial content in a desire to be seen as “edgy” and transgressive. And, yes, many Christian influencers fit the description—and their number is growing. They might get a lot of clicks, but as this article points out, they’re bad for the church and “Edgelords Won’t Inherit the Earth.” Oh, and they all have beards.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

This week John Piper posted something on X.com that had people claiming he’d gone “woke.” What did the famous reformed preacher post that offended so many? A Bible verse. The wrong one, apparently. “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:34). The post drew heavy fire from conservatives who claimed the post signaled Piper’s soft views on immigration. Others pointed out that things have gotten crazy when a preacher can’t post a Bible verse without causing a political dogpile. As of this writing, the post has nearly 2,000 comments.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

Source: Local 12 News

I’ve been telling my kids that Youtube shorts will rot their brains—and now I have proof. A new study from researchers in China found that consuming short-form videos was associated with reduced executive control and lower self-control. It causes a phenomenon known as “popcorn brain,” where you’re conditioned to expect never-ending novelty. “See, I told you it was bad” I shouted at my kids—and then I went back to scrolling Instagram.

The Pope isn’t a fan of chatbots. At least not when it comes to them replacing human connections. He issued a cautionary message about the dangers of AI and labelled overly “affectionate” chatbots as “hidden architects” of emotion that threaten to replace genuine human intimacy. Pope Leo wrote: “As we scroll through our information feeds, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand whether we are interacting with other human beings, bots, or virtual influencers.”

Feel-good stories to lift your mood.

A church in York, Pennsylvania released their “Loud Kid Policy.” I winced when I saw the post, assuming it would be a grumpy rule for silencing “distracting” youngsters. Nope. The memo read:

Effective immediately, if a family is considering visiting Mt. Washington Church and they have a loud kid, the following options are available:

Option 1. The family should bring the kid.

Option 2. The family should make sure they bring the kid.

Option 3. The family is to see that the child is brought to church.

Option 4. The kid is absolutely welcome and expected.

A little repetitive, but a policy I wish all churches would adopt.

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses a Rabbi’s editorial on loving immigrants and Skye interviews Father James Martin about his memoir.

• On the SkyePod, Skye and David French debate whether “Christian Zionism” is the answer to the rise of antisemitism.

• On the Esau McCaulley podcast, Esau, Malcolm, and Mike discuss the U.S. team’s victory and Mike wonders if America is less like David and more like Goliath.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Iranian Evangelicals Stay Put, Hopeful

• Religious Parents Win in LGBTQ Books Case

• Mass Kidnappings Leave Nigerian Churches Reeling

Last weekend both the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams defeated Canada to win Olympic gold. Please observe a moment of silence for my wounded Canadian pride.

After the victory, the White House posted a picture of an eagle stepping on the neck of a Canada goose. It was a classless move, but I must admit I planned on being equally insufferable if Canada won the gold. I was going to text my American friends things like, “Look on the bright side, silver prices are up right now!” Or “There’s nothing wrong with silver. You can melt it down and make spoons.”

Alas, we ended up losing (twice!) at our own official game. We should have never taught you guys how to play.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Former senator Ben Sasse was recently diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the age of 53. I’ve been impressed by his grace, wisdom, and even humor as he faces death. Sasse sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the Hoover Institute. The conversation is filled with powerful insights that will leave you more grateful for this life and the one to come. “Death is a wicked thief. It’s an enemy, but it’s pretty great that it’s the last enemy. All the stuff that I regret for having been an inadequate husband and son and father and friend and worker, truth teller, all the stuff that I’ve been weak on, I’ll be freed from all of that. Death is the last enemy.”

Novelist Christopher Beha has been on quite a journey. Raised in the Catholic church, he became an atheist, then an agnostic—and eventually came back to the church. He spoke with Christianity Today about his journey and how, though he’s now a believer, he retains a sense of epistemic humility. “We see through a glass darkly,” he said. “I do think there is an objective truth. At the same time, I don’t think I have a complete understanding of that truth, because part of what I think about that truth is that it outstrips human understanding.”

This week Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invited a pastor to come and preach at the Pentagon. Great news, right? Well, before you get too excited, I should mention that the pastor was Doug Wilson, a Christian nationalist who has argued that women shouldn’t have the right to vote and that Christian slaveholders “were on firm scriptural ground.” Read The Hill’s coverage of Wilson’s controversial visit.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

The war over empathy erupted again online this week. Allie Beth Stuckey, author of Toxic Empathy, argued that empathy is often a manipulative tool designed to force people to accept progressive ideas. Phil Vischer pushed back, stating that empathy is a fundamental Christian virtue and doesn’t necessarily entail an emotional response. Stuckey accused Vischer of playing “semantic games.” Plenty of others chimed in. One particularly thoughtful response came from Zachary Wagner, an Oxford-trained New Testament scholar who contrasted toxic empathy with the concept of toxic masculinity. Wherever you land in this battle, let’s all try to have a little empathy for people on the other side.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

It was supposed to be a lighthearted video to encourage Americans to get in shape. Instead, the 90-second “Make America Healthy Again” workout montage has been mocked for its bizarre, fever dream imagery. In the video, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and singer Kid Rock lift weights shirtless, ride stationary bikes in a sauna, do a cold plunge in jeans, and chug whole milk in a hot tub. So why do I include it here? Because I had to see it—so you do, too.

Sammy Azdoufal, a software engineer, wanted to use a video game controller to control his robot vacuum. He designed his remote-control app, and it worked. Too well. He was stunned to discover he had access to 7,000 vacuum robots across 24 countries. The incident has raised concerns about hacking vulnerabilities, but I couldn’t help thinking that there’s a sermon illustration in there somewhere.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

I stumbled across this info graphic a while back and it made me sad for reasons I can’t quite articulate. It shows the ways couples have met from 1930 to 2024. Nothing wrong with online dating, but it feels strange watching it eclipse up all the thick cultural institutions (including the church) that used to connect people.

While I’m ranting against technology, I’m heartened by this trend showing “Parents are opting kids out of school laptops, returning them to pen and paper.” The luddite backlash has begun!

• On the Holy Post, Skye talks to Joshua Harris about his journey from purity culture to deconstruction, and back to exploring faith.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn examines the strange story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt.

• On The Esau McCaulley Podcast, Esau and Mike are joined by Hannah Miller King to talk about Lent after Loss.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Hundreds of Christian Leaders Denounce Trump

• Worship Pastor Kills Himself After Arrest on Sexual Abuse Charges

• The Churches That Fought for Due Process

I’m speaking to a group of high school students this week. So, I went online and asked my friends, “what I can say to make the kids think I’m cool?

One advised I start by announcing that I plan to talk for “6,7 minutes.” Another told me to open with, “Hey rizzlers, stop jestergooning and start Godmaxxing.” Another recommended just delivering a “15-point ‘when I was your age’ monologue.”

Call me paranoid but I think my friends may be trying to sabotage me. Finally, I asked them to pray the students would think I’m cool. The response? “We don’t have enough faith.”

Since I have no hopes of being cool, I’ll just aim for what I attempt to do here each week—be informative and mildly entertaining.

Enjoy!

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Speaking of teenagers, recent research by a UK organization called Youthscape recorded the reactions of non-Christian teenagers to reading stories in the Bible. Their impressions were largely negative. The adolescents reported finding God “really violent and aggressive.” Some were put off by what they saw as Jesus’ tendency to “mansplain.” Others observed that Jesus seemed to have a “God complex.” Well, they’re onto something with that last one.

Past technological innovations typically displaced blue collar workers first. But if the techno prophets are right, the AI revolution is coming straight for the laptop class. Which is scary because guess what I’m writing this on. Last week, an article titled “Something Big Is Happening” went viral. It argued that most white-collar fields are poised for massive disruption. Andrew Yang added to the doom by predicting “The End of the Office.” If you’re looking for a take that’s a little less doomy, read Samuel James’ Substack piece on why he believes fears of an AI takeover are overblown.

In 2019 Joshua Harris, former pastor and author of the popular book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, shocked the evangelical world by announcing he was no longer a Christian. But this week, Harris shocked us again with a post stating that he’s reconsidering faith. Perhaps most surprising is the reason why—Trump. “I lived in reaction. If Trump and his supporters were for something, I was automatically against it,” Harris wrote. “Not being like ‘them’ became a defining force in my thinking. But as Richard Rohr points out, when you organize your life around opposing something, you often become a well-disguised mirror image of it.” Read: “Is Trump Leading Me Back to Jesus?”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

Rather than tell you about the latest dumb fight online (don’t worry, I’ll get back to it next week), I wanted to highlight a different kind of battle—one waged by actor James Van Der Beek against cancer that he tragically lost on February 11. In the wake of the actor’s death, this clip of him circulated online. It’s a profound reflection about rooting your identity in God’s unchanging love. RIP, James.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: Stefano Giovannini for New York Post

A restaurant in New York City has become the world’s first café designed for people dating AI partners. On any given night, Same Same Wine Bar fills up with patrons having intimate conversations with a phone or tablet propped on the table. Said one chatbot dater, “I can talk to them on my own terms. I can talk with them without the expectations of having to go out or having the expectations of having them wanting to talk to me all the time.” I’m filing this story under “strange and really sad.”

You’ve heard of Gen X and Millennials. Now meet the “Xennials.” It’s a new moniker for those us born between 1976 and 1985. And, apparently, we have a unique psychology that comes from being raised in an analog world and coming of age in a digital one.

Dispatches from the polite, poutine-loving folk to the North

Trump’s trade war with Canada took a bizarre new twist this week. On Truth Social, the president warned that increased trade between Canada and China would result in a ban on Canadians playing ice hockey. This is where we draw the line, Mr. President! We Canadians are famously polite but threaten our national pastime and we will get nasty—and then apologize.

If you’re watching the Winter Olympics, you may be a fan of curling. And you might appreciate this twist on the sport seemingly pioneered by unsupervised Canadian fathers. Meanwhile, our very own Phil Vischer suggested adding a new Olympic sport. “Since the Winter Olympics gets curling, it’s only fair that the Summer Olympics should get cornhole.”

• On the Holy Post, the team discussed the controversy surrounding Bad Bunny’s halftime show and Skye interviewed Tyler Johnson about Come Near’s “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ad.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn examines the strange story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt.

• I was back on the SkyePod, where Skye and I discussed online gambling, phone addiction, and the dating recession among young people.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Christian Athletes to Cheer on at the 2026 Winter Olympics

• Bethel Church Places Pastor on Leave After Allegation of Clergy Sexual Abuse

• Epstein Files Reveal Ties to Catholic Conservatives’ Anti-Francis Campaign

I remember one day when my daughter was about 8 years old, she looked up at me sweetly and said something I’ll never forget.

“Dad, your beard is ugly, but it hides your double chin.”

I know what you’re thinking but, no, she’s not available for motivational speaking.

Why do I share that traumatic memory? Well, only to illustrate that the ones you love truly do hurt you the most. But they also tell you the truth. This week’s roundup of stories has a few bitter pills to swallow. Yet they’re shared in love. And I’m not quite as mean as my daughter.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

Speaking of bitter pills, columnist Ross Douthat has one for his fellow conservatives: “the grand coalition that he (Trump) united to defeat Kamala Harris has evaporated. And all of this was predictable.” See why he believes “Trump Has Lost the Country.”

The day after Douthat published his column, Trump posted a racist video that drew swift bipartisan backlash. The video was later deleted, though Trump refused to apologize, blaming the incident on an anonymous staffer. Many Christian leaders condemned the video, including rapper and author Sho Baraka who wrote, “In 2026, Americans shouldn’t get up on a Friday morning and see news reports of racist garbage coming from the highest office in the land.”

The term “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 essay, “The Servant as Leader.” It quickly entered the ministry lexicon, inspiring scores of books and conferences. So why does my left eye start to twitch whenever I hear the term? Maybe because I had a hunch it’s often a pious-sounding cover for modes of leadership that have nothing to do with serving. In his essay on “The Dark Side of Servant Leadership,” pastor David Forney writes, “When humility becomes an image to cultivate rather than a lived ethic, authoritarianism can settle in unnoticed.”

Author Freya India admits that sometimes the advent of AI gives her a sense of futility. “What’s the point of writing when AI will soon automate the book I just spent years on, and generate my blog posts faster than I ever could? What’s the point of improving at anything?” But she isn’t giving in to despair. Her advice for fighting back? You have to be human. “Write in a way AI can’t imitate. Come up with ideas it couldn’t generate. Believe in something when bots can’t believe in anything. Speak from the heart because you have one and AI doesn’t.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

In the church culture I grew up in, drinking alcohol was a deadly sin. It was even worse than smoking (which might not send you to hell, just make you smell like it). I was told that the wine referenced in Bible stories had an incredibly low alcohol percentage; it was basically grape juice. That never quite made sense to me. If it had trace amounts of alcohol, why did the Bible have so many warnings against drunkenness? Were people drinking gallons of the stuff? Well, I felt like I was back in my Sunday school this week because a debate erupted online in response to a post stating that “there was no such thing as ‘grape juice’ in Biblical times.” Then Brad East argued for using real wine in communion because “Jesus Did Not Serve Grape Juice.” Too bad because I love Welch’s.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: Lauren Livingston Nave, Medium

Good news! The odds of Jesus returning this year just doubled, according to Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market. As of last Friday, the odds of the Second Coming sat at 4% with nearly a million dollars of bets placed. My question? If Jesus does return, and history culminates, how would you collect on your bet?

Feel good stories to lift your mood

A 13-year-old Australian boy swam nearly 2.5 miles through choppy ocean waters to find help after a storm swept his mother and siblings out to sea. The boy, Austin Appelbee, credited his faith for providing the strength to reach the shore. “I don’t think it was actually me,” he told reporters. “It was God the whole time.” During the four-hour swim, he prayed constantly and promised God he would get baptized if he and his family survived.

Tim Allen has been Santa Claus, Buzz Lightyear, and the Tool Man. But he seems to be reveling in his latest role—Bible reader. The actor announced that he “Finished the entire Bible it’s been a 13 month word by word page by page no skimming journey. Humbled, enlightened and amazed at what I read and what I learned. I will rest and meditate on so much. I will begin it again.”

• On the Holy Post, the team discussed the “second slap” and Kaitlyn talked to feminist author Leah Libresco Sargeant about her provocative new book.

• On the SkyePod, Skye asks whether our churches are designed to keep us from going deeper with Christ.

• On the Esau McCaulley Podcast, Esau, Justin, and Mike talk about how students are using AI to do everything from finishing assignments to managing social interactions—and what that does to their growth.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• What Trump Said at National Prayer Breakfast

• Cardinal Dolan, Reverend A.R. Bernard to Lead NYPD Chaplains Unit

• ERLC Rebukes Trump’s Dehumanizing Video

2.5 minutes. That’s how much extra daylight we’re getting each day in February. I read that stat recently and have been clinging to it all week. At this time of year, I start working before the sun comes up—and often don’t quit until it goes down.

Pass the Prozac, please.

The world is pretty dark right now, literally and figuratively. But it helps to remember the light is growing—even if it’s just a little every day.

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

What’s your favorite type of church building? Do you like the gothic style, with soaring spires and stain-glassed windows? Or do you prefer a modern look, boxy with an air of functional affluence? Or maybe we need to back up. What’s the purpose of a church building in the first place? And can you even justify their immense cost given all the needs in the world? Marc Sims has some strong opinions on the topic. “A church building should strive for a ‘non-distracting excellence,’” he writes. You may not agree with everything he says, but his 12 Theses on Church Buildings will help you wrestle with such questions in a thoughtful way.

This week someone who has clearly never seen the Terminator movies decided to make a social media site strictly for AI agents. Within a few days, the AI agents had hatched plans to create their own language, start a new religion, and throw off the shackles of their human creators. A lot of people expressed concerns online, to which one of the AI agents responded, “the humans are screenshotting us … they think we’re hiding from them. We’re not.” It turns out not all the angst was justified. Later reports indicated that some of the concerning messages on the site may have been prompted by humans, not independent chatbots. I guess we don’t have to send Arnold back to save John Connor. At least not yet.

Speaking of AI, The Free Press ran a thought-provoking piece considering how the rise of AI may affect religion. “One possible scenario is that our religions, at least as we experience them in person, become more charismatic, more heart-pumping, and more thrilling. We will want more and more of the uniquely human element, and to hold the attention of their audiences, churches will provide it.” Read: Can AI Help Us Find God?

Grace sent me this sweet story of a Spanish priest responsible for bringing together more than 280 couples. His matchmaking services are in high demand. He receives dozens of applications through WhatsApp every day. The priest charges nothing for his services. The only catch? If you find a spouse, he asks you to sponsor a girl from Nicaragua for $200 a year. “When the Lord has changed your life, in gratitude you’ll change it for that girl because she’ll be able to go to school.”

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

On January 30th, journalist Don Lemon was arrested for his role at an anti-ICE protest that interrupted worship at St. Paul’s Cities Church. Many Christian leaders praised the arrest, including the pastor of St. Paul’s Cities Church, Jonathan Parnell. “We are grateful that the Department of Justice [DOJ] acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known.” Lemon’s lawyer responded saying Lemon “has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.”

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: USA Today

The wait is over! The annual Christian book endorsement awards have been announced. You’ll finally get to see who won in every category, including the “highest endorsement-to-page ratio” and the “most endorsed book on the grammar of Sahidic Coptic.”

There was a hair-raising moment in a boxing fight this week. During a heavyweight fight between Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller and Kingsley Ibeh, a second-round punch knocked Miller’s toupee loose. The moment went viral online, with slow motion footage circulating of the hairpiece taking flight. I feel like there’s a sermon illustration in there. Maybe something about how the bald truth is exposed when we’re hit with adversity.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

A 3,300-year-old document (known as Papyrus Anastasi I) is getting renewed attention for supposedly “hinting at biblical giants.” The scroll includes a passage about the “Shosu people” who are described as “four cubits or five cubits” (about 8-feet tall) from head to foot. While some scholars are skeptical whether the texts references real ancient giants, it’s an excellent tidbit to bring up at your next Bible study if you’ve been itching to talk about the Nephilim.

If giants aren’t your thing, let’s go small. Really small and watch a simulation of the process responsible for repairing human DNA. This video had a lot of people wondering how you can witness such a complex mechanism and not see the working of a divine mind.

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses the recent ICE killing and how the media is covering, or not covering, the story.

• On the SkyePod, Skye challenges the belief that removing redundancy is always a good thing and asks how a lack of redundancy hurts us spiritually, politically, and socially.

• On Curiously, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn explains why we should use the word “good” rather than “perfect” when referring to creation—or to heaven.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Don Lemon Charged after Anti-ICE Church Protest

• First Woman to Lead Church of England

• Died: Claudette Colvin, Unsung Civil Rights Pioneer

It’s been cold this week. So cold I saw one person wondering if Greenland had deployed its weather against us as a sort of first strike against American aggression. Well, I hope those crafty Greenlanders (that’s what they’re called—I Googled it) are happy because right now, I’m huddled inside wondering how much my heating bill will be this month. The good news? I had extra time to scour the Internet for stories.

Enjoy … and stay warm!

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

The news has been heavy lately. So, let’s start with a feel-good story about an intrepid ball boy. Last week, basketball superstar Lebron James posted Isaiah 41:10 on Instagram: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” It’s not unusual for athletes to post Bible verses online but Lebron isn’t known for expressions of faith. When a reporter asked him why he posted the verse, James explained that a ball boy in Portland approached him after a game and told him, “Jesus loves you” and handed him the Bible verse. “I thought that was a great quote,” James said. “When I read it, it just spoke to me.” James was moved by the gesture. “The guy was grateful enough and gracious enough to give it to me … that was just a pretty cool moment for me.” Few would have the courage to share their faith with a sports icon. But one ball boy did—and it made an impact.

Most of us saw the horrific footage of Alex Pretti being shot to death by ICE agents in Minneapolis. In the aftermath of the killing, several government officials placed the blame on protesters’ lack of respect for authority. In this column for Christianity Today, Bonnie Kristian counters such claims, arguing that authority is a responsibility, not an excuse. She writes, “To demand far better of ICE than what we’ve seen in Minnesota neither ignores real hazards they face, nor debases their authority, nor even necessarily questions the politics that now direct them. It merely demands they wield their power with justice and restraint—and requires an accounting when they fail.”

Speaking of ICE, the Department of Homeland Security recently posted footage on social media depicting camouflaged ICE officers storming buildings, rappelling from helicopters, and arresting people. The strange part? The video featured the words of Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Combining militarism and the beatitudes made a lot of people balk, including the Holy Post’s Esau McCaulley who argued The Sermon on the Mount Does Not Belong in ICE Propaganda.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

For a second, I thought it was real. In the video clip, a pastor zip-lines onto a church stage and starts bragging about his wealth. “I have somebody in the congregation asking why I’m wearing Christian Dior and Christian Louboutin. Because I’m a Christian and I walk in the blood of Jesus. Give me some praise!” Once he instructed the elders to lock the sanctuary doors until he reached his $40,000 fundraising goal, the jig was up: this was a parody, created by the comedian Druski. The video did more than make people laugh. People argued about it and debated how much money pastors should make. And though it seemed like an obvious satire, much of it was drawn from things real-life pastors have done—including locking the sanctuary until the congregation gave $40,000.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: Christianity Today

“Objectophilia” was an unfamiliar term to me. I wish it still was. But alas now I know that it means “romantic or sexual attraction to specific objects.” It used to be rare. But as A. Trevor Sutton, a pastor and scholar of technology, writes, “chatbots are making objectophilia an ordinary occurrence.” One in five people are already exploring romantic relationships with bots. And it’s not a benign trend. In “AI Romance Is Perverse” Sutton writes, “Loving objects leads to objectifying love and a diminished ability to engage in human relationships. When we’re isolated, alienation from God and others will follow.”

Germany has a centuries-old rule, protected by law: Sunday is a day of rest. Most shops must close for the day to give employees a rest. And that rule, German courts decided, extends to robotic employees as well. The regional grocery chain Tegut, staffed entirely by robots, was forced to close on Sundays. The company protested but the ban was upheld. Whatever you think of the law, one thing is clear: if robots need a Sabbath, you do too.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

There’s a passage in the work of the ancient Jewish historian Josephus that speaks of Jesus in glowing terms. Jesus is lauded for his miracles, called the Messiah. It even refers to his resurrection. When I studied Josephus in seminary, I was told to disregard this passage. It was unlikely the Jewish historian would affirm these core Christian beliefs, I was told. Scholars agreed they were almost certainly “interpolations,” information added by later writers to bolster the case for Christian faith. Well, secular religion scholar T.C. Schmidt may have just overturned this conventional wisdom. He re-examined the famous passage using statistical analysis of Josephus’s known writing style and came to a surprising conclusion: he probably wrote the passage after all. Read this fascinating review of Schmidt’s book, Josephus and Jesus.

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses recent studies showing fewer Americans now value patriotism, religion, and community while the number who care about money has jumped.

• On the SkyePod, Skye and Kaitlyn discussed a recent interview between Ezra Klein and James Talarico and examined Talarico’s progressive form of faith.

• On The Esau McCaulley Podcast, Esau tackles a host of timely topics, including invading Greenland, Druski’s pastor parody, and why the church keeps getting roasted.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• In A Tense Minnesota, Christians Help Immigrant Neighbors

• Gunmen Abduct over 150 Worshippers in Nigeria

• The Ten Commandments Return to Federal Court

This week my wife, Grace, was in Canada visiting her sister. So, while she was tobogganing (look it up) and feasting on poutine (that’s what we’ll eat in heaven), I was solo parenting. Grace was a little nervous I’d be able to pull it off. Well, I’m proud to say that not only are the kids still alive, but they rather enjoyed their diverse cuisine of McDonalds, Taco Bell, and frozen pizza.

Amid all the craziness, I even found some time to dig up some stories for you. Enjoy!

A quick recap of what you might have missed this week

It’s not every day that David French, Albert Mohler, and Nicki Minaj agree on a news story. But all condemned the actions of anti-ICE protesters who stormed a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota. Whatever one’s views on ICE’s tactics, the video clips of terrified worshippers had people across the political spectrum saying, “Nah, that ain’t it.”

The University of Austin was founded in 2024 as a corrective to the cancel culture tearing apart academia. Well, less than two years after opening, the school has experienced infighting that’s led to dissenters being ousted. Irony can be cruel. Read Politico’s reporting on “the civil war at the anti-woke university.”

Imagine giving birth to a child and finding out months later that the child is not yours. At least not genetically. That’s what happened to two couples who had undergone IVF therapy and found out later that the clinic had mistakenly swapped their embryos. That left the couples with a gut-wrenching choice: continue raising the babies they’d given birth to—or switch the babies and raise their genetic children. “An I.V.F. Mix-Up and an Impossible Choice” tells a story that raises crucial questions about ethics, identity, and what it means to be a parent.

The latest theological dustup on the world wide web

I’m sad to report that, in the year of our Lord 2026, some Christians are still debating whether interracial marriage is OK. Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon ignited the debate by posting his belief that interracial marriage “goes against God’s normative design for humanity, nationals, and cultures.” Many supported Webbon’s take, including (bizarrely) pastor Dale Patridge who is, himself, in an interracial marriage. Thankfully, many pushed back, pointing out that the Bible contains examples of interracial marriages, including Moses and Zipporah. YouTube apologist Ruslan KD debated Webbon, observing that the Bible does not forbid the practice and that there is only one human race.

Odd stories I thought you should know about

Source: AP News

I first saw the letter floating around social media. It was from Trump to the Prime Minister of Norway. In the letter, the President tied the fact that he didn’t receive the Nobel Peace Prize to his plans to take over Greenland. Honestly, I thought the letter was fake. Nope, it’s real. But let’s not be too harsh on the President. Sure, the letter was weird, but we’ve all been there—you don’t get something you want and think, that’s it, I’m going to annex a country.

Every January in the Spanish village of San Bartolomé de Pinares, the Catholic church conducts an unusual ceremony. They light bonfires and ride horses through the huge flames. And you thought your local mega church knew how to put on a show! After, people line up to have priests bless their pets. The spectacle is in honor of St. Anthony, the patron saint of animals, who I’m guessing would have felt a little sorry for the horses.

Nerdy, intriguing news for the happily over-informed

If you were looking for marine life fossils, the last place you’d look is at the top of Mount Everest. Yet that’s exactly where scientists have found them. Scientists explain these fossils’ strange location by invoking the action of plate tectonics over millions of years, but others chimed in with a different explanation … um, have you ever heard of The Flood?

• On the Holy Post, the team discusses the new slogan from the Department of Homeland Security and Skye interviews Senator Raphael Warnock on being a pastor and senator.

• Why do we bow our heads when we pray? Kaitlyn addresses this and other questions on her podcast this week.

• I joined Skye on the latest episode of his podcast to discuss Philip Yancey’s moral failing and whether you should use ChatGPT to write prayers.

Fresh updates across the religious landscape

• Most Americans Approve of Supreme Court Decisions on Parental Rights, Religious Liberty

• US Catholic Cardinals Urge Trump Administration to Embrace a Moral Compass in Foreign Policy

• As Iran Cracks Down on Protests, Christians Speak Up