Q: "Do you believe that deadly force was necessary?" Trump: "It was highly disrespectful of law enforcement. The woman and her friend were highly disrespectful of law enforcement…Law enforcement should not be in a position where they have to put up with this stuff."

JUST IN: Judge Mehta rules that Trump/Russ Vought's termination of environmental grants during the shutdown — targeted solely at states that voted for Kamala Harris — violated the 5th Amendment's Equal Protection clause and orders them restored. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Those ancient monks knew a thing or two about surviving empire. I need this right now and perhaps you do too. Be safe out there, my friends. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

So much news happens on the weekends — especially the stuff that some want to hide. PBS News is the gold standard for news. John Yang, we’ll miss you.

So much news happens on the weekends — especially the stuff that some want to hide. PBS News is the gold standard for news. John Yang, we’ll miss you.

Calling out Stephen Miller on his bullshit re: #Greenland. NATO service personnel have put themselves in harm’s way alongside the U.S. since its inception. They are our brothers. youtu.be/Qyzzj_a7Tnw?...

Okay, it’s been a shitty start to 2026. Needing a little bracing up, I went to the folks who knew about being human under the foot of empire. If you’ve never heard of these writers (1st-7th C.E.), welcome. Be safe out there, my loves. Safe & always courageous. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Forensic analysis of objective video evidence. This is how you serve readers searching for clarity.

This is definitely a #medsky post!

There are trolls in the world of medicine as well as in social media. They may have better credentials, but similar ethics and tactics to their basement-dwelling brethren. medium.com/activated-th...

Finland’s battle against fake news starts in preschool classrooms www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/ar...

Where is the resistance within the Christian community? Mainline Protestant denominations and Pope Leo XVI for starters. open.substack.com/pub/publicwi...

Just as 2025 leaves, I’m realizing there were no 80th anniversary commemorations of the end of World War II this year. Had other things on our minds. Happy 2026 from New Hampshire!

Humble brag here - I spent about half this year on Christmas compared to my usual. Curated list included fun stuff and needed stuff but no stuff stuff. Feels clean. Authentic.

Highly recommend NUREMBERG, which is currently streaming. Edda Göring lived until 2018. “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” — William Faulkner

In response to the question I got from the chair of a work meeting the other day -- "What's your family #tradition for #Christmas?" I was the only one around the table who didn't have a heartwarming story worthy of a Hallmark movie. Anyone out there feel me? open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Him: “Did you watch President Trump’s speech last night?” Me: “No…I know if a cow is given a microphone it will say ‘moo’.” #USpolitics

Most of us imagine God the way Renaissance art depicts the divine — a white-bearded patriarch floating above the clouds. This image isn't Biblical -- it's cultural. Archaeology tells a different story. medium.com/backyard-the... #ProgressiveChristian #ReligiousHistory

If you think about the vital government service of putting out fires, and you eventually come up with "wow, steady supply of tax revenue, we can jack up prices on these suckers endlessly," congratulations you've got a job on Wall Street for life www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/u...

Margaret Cavendish, one of the first women writers to publish under her own name, died #onthisday in 1673. Read about her proto-sci-fi fantasy The Blazing World, and what it can teach us about empire, gender + imagination in the seventeenth century: publicdomainreview.org/essay/m... #OTD

If you're having trouble forgiving, forgetting & just letting sh*t slide off your back, there's a post for you. Those ancient monks knew a thing or two re: the human condition. Surviving crappy political times? They literally wrote the book. #SpiritualSky hollypettit.substack.com/p/how-to-mak...

Andrew Tate's back in the news, and so is my piece on the roots of douchebaggery. It's got a kickass goddess and everything. Enjoy! #PaganSky #FeministSky #ProgressiveChristian medium.com/backyard-the...

I thought I’d put these out to help others in the dark part of the year… …but turns out writing these are doing wonders for shoring up my own sanity in ways I didn’t even know I needed. #Advent #InnerPeace #Spirituality open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

There are a dozen world religious festivals in December. Find one that allows guests, be respectful, & strike up conversations with congregation members when possible. You'll get a #spirituality boost in a new flavor, meet people, and have fun! #Interfaith hollypettit.substack.com/p/there-are-...

Okay, I’m tired of hearing folks blame “false religion” on whatever societal ill they’re complaining about at the moment. Life, the human heart, our #spirituality & the world itself are all more complex and beautiful than that. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Early Christian mystics taught that peace rests not on the strong but on the humble. This Advent reflection explores how yearning—not certainty—is where divine gentleness finds us. . Non-canonical texts reveal their richness again. . substack.com/profile/1194...

I’m worried an out what I was hearing coming out of the Supreme Court today. Focusing on Day 9 of #Advent. First day of the week of #Peace. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Okay, I NEVER read Revelation & consider it a waste of pulp wood at best. My random opening of the Bible today took me here: “Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile...(con't)...

Happy Friday and Day 6 of Advent. Anyone out there feeling a bit worn & gritty right now? I am, so ditched the cheery post I had prepared for this one, which is more on brand for this moment in history. Love, peace, and hope to all of you out there. We need it. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

America has always practiced a quiet form of democratic socialism — long before the word became a political weapon. We had barn raisings, free breakfast programs, Shaker equality, labor movements, Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign, and mutual aid societies. medium.com/minds-withou...

The supermoon is too bright for this to truly be a dark night—with the snow on the ground reflecting all that light, you could probably read a book in my front yard right now. If you do, make it Dark Night of the Soul by John of the Cross for the 5th day of Advent. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Those philosophical feuds of the Roman Empire were pretty serious in 248 CE. #philosophysky open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Those philosophical feuds of the Roman Empire were pretty serious in 248 CE. #philosophysky open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Jean Vanier's gone, but his words remain to show us how to face despair and live life head-on. His life is a blueprint for finding and maintaining #hope. #Advent hollypettit.substack.com/p/the-respon...

The young me didn’t want some old-school, buttoned-down #theologian casting dirt on my wild, beautiful, hard-won path to God. Decades later, I’m still wrestling with his ghost. medium.com/backyard-the...

The third day of Advent. We need this now! open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

Real #leadership points beyond itself, to something larger—to principle, to history, to helping the smallest rise up and join their fellows at the harvest table. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

1970’s version of The Game of Life — the one that allows gambling. I just lost a bet after giving everyone a long lecture on the mathematics involved in betting.

I wrote a short piece about why true power is soft — not weak, but the kind of strength that listens, makes room, and doesn’t need to dominate. Its true name is stewardship. open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

I preached one sermon in divinity school — one — and my professor shut me down, hard. I carried that resentment for decades, but now I think I finally understand what was happening in that room. medium.com/backyard-the...

My cousin 1,200 miles away, who usually hosts a mammoth celebration at her house, just texted that she’s blowing off the big fat family #Thanksgiving this year. She’s flying to #LasVegas instead, because why not? Non-traditional Thanksgivings can be the best ever! medium.com/age-of-empat...

Spiritual language is now a tool for dehumanizing others. “Demonizing” political opponents has already led to real-world violence. The Dignity Index helps disrupt that and return us to shared humanity. Read here: medium.com/counterarts/... #ChristianNationalism #Democracy #ReligionAndPolitics

“Jesus never rebuked anyone for being too inclusive. He never turned people away for loving the wrong kind of person. He spent his life moving toward those who had been pushed aside, not lecturing those who had made room for them.” #LGBTQ+ #Affirming #ProgressiveChristian medium.com/backyard-the...

Most Christians assume heaven is something that happens later. But the #GospelofMary — one of the earliest Christian texts we have — says something very different. I preached on this Sunday, and the response was overwhelming - applause & hugs! hollypettit.substack.com/p/heaven-is-...

“His mom was lying face-down in bed, as if she had fallen over while getting up. JJ ran over and tried to find any sign she was breathing. “I need you,” he shouted as he leaned over his mom, pressing down on her chest. ‘I need you!’”

Language learners — here’s a great opportunity to get familiar with a fascinating language/ history!

I'm giving away two signed copies of my (recently republished) book 21st-Century Yokel, with two postcards of this fab otters linocut by my mum, Jo. Just repost this & pop a comment below to enter. You might like it if you like: Walking Wildlife Folklore Bees Ghosts The Sea Social history Badgers

Ever read the Epistle to the Hebrews? As Prisca may be the anonymous author, our women's group dove in. It's so WEIRD. Q: "Why was this included in the canon?" The book's been given the side-eye for nearly 2,000 years. A challenge to Paul? #DivineFeminine open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...

I preached for the first time in a couple decades this morning. The reading was on the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Thomas. Afterward, the congregation clapped & several hugged me. Instead of pushback, people had been taking notes. They're hungry for #contemplative #faith