“The deepest betrayal performed by Christian nationalism is not that it is politically harmful, though it is. It is not that it is unjust, though it is. It is that it leads Christians to draw lines through the church Christ purchased with his blood.” substack.com/@keithljohns...

Today is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. It’s good to pause and remember that the Holy Family worked. Yes, they kept Sabbath and stopped for prayer. But, like most of the world’s poor, they had to work very hard just to make ends meet. 1/2

Marking my last week in South Bend at the Fiddler’s Hearth. I’m deeply grateful for my time at @notredame.bsky.social and the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. Cheers! 🍻

My sermon from Sunday on 1 Peter 1:17–25: "Because Christ is risen, you can trust the triune God will take your short and, yes, difficult life and make it everlasting and imperishable by the Spirit." www.christouradvocate.org/blog/fear-an...

I was a guest speaker for Bethel University (IN) chapel a couple weeks ago. I chose to speak on the witness of St. Joseph, whose feast day was the day before. The saints, quiet faithfulness, orthodox christology, Die Hard, and doing the next right thing. www.youtube.com/live/vQQ4Ibk...

I really enjoyed Amy Peeler's excellent "Women and the Gender of God" & was honored to contribute to the Syndicate Network's symposium on the book. Mine is the first response, "The Male Savior and the Mother of God," followed by Drs. Lindsey Hankins, Nijay Gupta, & Christin Fort. Link below.

Sunday's sermon: "God reveals himself in Christ, which compels us to trust in what he’s done & testify about him to the world. But when we do so, it will be inconvenient & disruptive to Serious All-Knowing Leaders. We must trust Jesus & testify anyway." www.christouradvocate.org/blog/trust-a...

"The good news of Lent is that our vindication comes from the triune God. [...] So, as gently as I can manage, I invite you to loosen your grip on being “one of the good ones.” Let go of the notion that you’re not one of them."

My sermon from Sunday: "Lent is the communal enactment of the good news. It’s an opportunity for us as a church to return to the old, old story of the gospel." www.christouradvocate.org/blog/the-goo...

Friends, I'm going to be a lot more scarce on social media for a while. I want to make good use of the last few months of my fellowship and do what I can to protect my peace of mind. Grace and peace to all.

A collect for the feast of St. John Chrysostom

These words from Fannie Lou Hamer haunt me today. She & so many others have testified faithfully, with words & flesh & blood. But the majority would not listen. We would not listen bc then we’d have to repent & be healed. ”I’m never sure anymore when I leave home whether I'll get back or not... 1/3

"How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?" 1/2

Sunday's sermon: "Worship is never apolitical. So whom one chooses to worship, whom one chooses to serve, matters immensely. The world wants us to tremble before Herod; God calls us to swear allegiance to Christ, the poor Palestinian Jew born in Bethlehem." www.christouradvocate.org/blog/the-pol...

Wake Up Dead Man is fantastic. Not only a beautiful and entertaining movie, but also as good a portrayal of the gospel embodied as I’ve seen in a long time. Reminded me what I believe and why I became a priest.

Arlie Coles reporting on the Ruch verdict for the Living Church. A good summary of things for anyone unfamiliar.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

Preachers know (or should know) that they’re always preaching to themselves, but it still surprised me just how on the nose this sermon was for me this week. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

I’m deeply disappointed in the decision of the ACNA court in the trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch. I’m also heartbroken and angry for the way survivors and their advocates are characterized in the court’s summary. 1/2

My sermon from Sunday on trusting God through our ambivalence: “A Messiah who can be misunderstood and rejected; a kingdom that can be missed and despised. These realities are wondrous to our eyes; and they can be deeply disappointing.” www.christouradvocate.org/blog/trustin...

Twenty-five years ago today, I went on a date with a gregarious Baptist preacher boy from Texas. It consisted of Italian food and walking around a bookstore. When we first met, we hated each other. But we had mutual friends and didn’t have much choice but to spend time together. 1/3

The Muppet Christmas Carol is the best Christmas Carol, and it’s not even close. It’s also an excellent Advent film. I think John the Baptist would approve.

All I want for Christmas is this Advent calendar…

Our little church, @advocatewheaton.bsky.social, which is only three years-old, has gotten significant online attention recently. Much of it has been positive, focusing on the activism of our lay people... 1/5

A collect for the feast of St. Ambrose of Milan:

I enjoyed being interviewed by Jennifer Schroeder at the Siburt Institute about my book, Households of Faith. Listen at siburtinstitute.podbean.com or wherever you stream podcasts.

"The Christian Church is the community of brethren in which, in Word and Sacrament, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ acts in the present as Lord. With both its faith and its obedience, with both its message and its order, it has to testify in the midst of the sinful world... 1/2

“As Jesus Christ is God’s comforting pronouncement of the forgiveness of our sins, so, with equal seriousness, he is God’s vigorous announcement of his claim upon our whole life. Thru him…comes to us joyful liberation from the godless ties of this world for free, grateful service to his creatures.”

I really enjoyed this conversation with Ann Boyd at InterVarsity's The Well about my book and life in general as a woman pastor-scholar. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

“Jesus Christ, as he is attested to us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God whom we have to hear, and whom we have to trust and obey in life and in death.”

I really enjoyed this conversation with Ann Boyd at InterVarsity's The Well about my book and life in general as a woman pastor-scholar. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

I'm grateful for this recognition from Christianity Today for my book, Households of Faith, a finalist in their marriage, family, and singleness category. FWIW, I think it'd make a great Christmas gift for your Christian friends and loved ones. 🎄🎅📚 www.christianitytoday.com/2025/12/chri...

“The church lives in Advent. . . . We live at what the New Testament depicts as the turn of the ages. In Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God is in head-on collision with the powers of darkness. The point of impact is the place where Christians take their stand.” - The Rev. Fleming Rutledge, “Advent”

I’m not sure there’s any more relatable scene for parents-of-teens in Stranger Things than Hopper talking to El/Jane in season 5. Him: You drove with Nancy?! In the open?! You know we don’t do that! You know we use the tunnels, we never go above ground! Her: I wore my hoodie!

Ditto. 🙏🏼❤️

Took a year after high school to study Bible & theology “just to get it out of my system.” Co-authored & presented an academic paper yr 1. Got published yr 2. Corresponded & wrote with Clark Pinnock (lovely human) & graduated yr 3. 22 yrs, MDiv, & PhD later, never did get it out of my system.

What’s it felt like for the past two months to have our neighbors hunted down and kidnapped all around us? My friend, Connor Brown, explains better than I ever could. Gracias, hermano. open.substack.com/pub/kingfish...

“Apologies have only come from bishops after significant public pressure has been applied. These are the right actions, but they’ve only come under duress… There has to be more than apologies. They have to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” livingchurch.org/news/news-an...

Last night I got to see the newish play “John Proctor is the Villain,” written by Kimberly Belflower, performed at ND. It was outstanding. If you ever have a chance to see a local production, I highly recommend it. More info about the Broadway show here: johnproctoristhevillain.com

My ND office has the best view. The best.

According to DOJ records (see link for more), 97.4% of the people ICE arrested in Chicago during Operation Midway Blitz are NOT criminals. I am a pastor-theologian. Words matter a lot to me. They are the means by which we name reality and come to see it clearly. 1/4

“Jesus has not yet uttered his last Word.” - Karl Barth Amen. Thanks be to God.

Around 10 years ago, when I first became aware of the many accusations of sexual assault and rape against then-candidate Trump, I believed the survivors’ stories and considered him unfit for any position of power, let alone president. 1/4

ACNA update: Archbishop Wood has been inhibited, Bishop Sutton has resigned as Dean of the Province, Bishop Dobbs has assumed the position of Dean of the Province. mailchi.mp/anglicanchur...

We prayed for our Christian siblings in Charlotte at church tonight. May they uphold their baptismal vows and bear witness to Christ amid state-sponsored terror.

“Never mind about public opinion. If we speak out, we are misjudged; if we are silent, we are misjudged.” Sister Dorothy Day, pray for us.

This article accurately describes what happened at Broadview yesterday. “[T]he cruelty that goes on at that facility … must be 100 times worse.” religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...

I was there this morning alongside many other faith leaders. We are not imbecilic morons, nor were we violent rioters. But that didn’t stop the police from behaving violently. It was brutal, unnecessary, and unprovoked.

Yes and amen. Thanks be to God. 🙏🏼

If only those who have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised to life in new creation would refuse to acquiesce to state-sanctioned terrorism.