Life of Faith
The parasocial power of AI
For some reason, it is sometimes easier for us to see personhood in a chatbot than in a fellow human.
The silent, suffering God
I’ve spent weeks in the hospital this year. I keep waiting for God to speak.
Pentecostalism for the people
Progressive politics can flow naturally from a life of prayer. I learned this from my Latine Pentecostal family.
When Frances Perkins took on the bigots
According to historian Rebecca Graham, FDR’s labor secretary saved tens of thousands of refugees from the Nazis—and narrowly avoided impeachment.
The rhythm of a difficult song
Recently I reread the Psalms. I could feel the turbulence of the world that gave birth to them.
Being devoted to being inspired
“We spend a lot of time identifying kids with talent and training them on technique,” says writer Carey Wallace. “But there’s virtually no rigorous thought on inspiration.”
Freedom and the price of the ticket
James Baldwin reminds us that those who seek to police the freedom of others are, ironically, the least free.
A Christian case against capitalism
Liberals, writes Phil Christman, accept the political need to keep liberal billionaires happy. Leftists don’t think there should be any billionaires.
Praying the imprecatory psalms with Bonhoeffer
How did these psalms about enemies feel in 1940? How do they feel today?
Episode 52: Brandan Robertson, influencer and author of Filled to Be Emptied
A conversation with Brandan Robertson about privilege, discipleship, kenosis, and more.
Confounding words
In the gospels, sometimes Jesus responds to questions much like the young Bob Dylan did in interviews.
The prison writings of Alexei Navalny
Patriot is a posthumous memoir of resistance to Putin. It is also, at its core, a love story.
The Kirk assassination and the scandal of enemy love
The kind of love Jesus taught may not be popular. But the alternative has already shown its rotten fruit.
In prison, Satan is real
I’ve heard incarcerated women preach about a power that demands renunciation.
A growing landscape of religious trauma
The conversation around abuse in religious contexts is intense, varied, and getting bigger.
Ride on
It’s tempting to flee the monotony of daily life. But there’s value in staying committed.
Teresa of Ávila speaks again
In a striking new translation, Dana Delibovi revives the wit, wisdom, and beauty of Teresa’s poetry.
My artificial chaplains
While recovering from a hiking accident, I posed the same theological question to multiple AI spiritual counselors.