“The bright side of the planet moves toward darkness And the cities are falling asleep, each in its hour. And for me, now as then, it is too much. There is too much world.” - Czeslaw Milosz

“Some might say at least they’re being honest about the fact that it’s just sheer brute force. But it’s also very dangerous. You’re asking people to die for the ambitions of a president and a moral calculus that’s no greater than might makes right.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/u...

"An honest accounting requires acknowledging that reactionaries are not the only ones who have followed Jesus into the public square." www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/0...

this man should be at the helm of a 19th century steamboat on the Mississippi, not a tourist yacht on the Danube

gambling monk, germany, 15th century

Touching short conversation between a church organist and his childhood organ teacher. storycorps.org/stories/play...

Anglicans in Africa are meeting in Nigeria to elect a rival leader to Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, whose position on same-sex marriage inspired a coalition of churches in Africa and Asia to announce a split back in October. From @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/world/conser...

Costco Connection magazine just published a full article about why and how to stop your car

I was at a Gen Z-oriented event last night where the host unironically told a story about "the 1900s" :)

This @defector.com story is a good (non-political) example of why it’s not enough to have a bunch of individual reporters with newsletters running around. You need some kind of institution with the resources (and principles) to publish despite legal threats. defector.com/a-complimentar…

"Now the girls are stone cold, not emotional." Fascinating, complicated story about the declining birthrate: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...

My favorite was a passage in "Death in Venice" annotated "Gay?"

Since July 4, I've been struck by the closeness of Camp Mystic's alumnae, who helped me understand the power of summer camp in Texas. Now, in the midst of so much grief, painful fractures are opening up as some families decide to send their daughters back to camp. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/u...

I clicked through to find out if there was really a new television character named Alice Munro. Apparently it's "Monroe" but still, huh

New from me: Nine families of girls who died at Camp Mystic just filed suit against the Texas Department of State Health Services, accusing the agency of approving the camp's emergency plan even though it included no provisions for evacuation. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/u...

Theology of human dignity taking on new implications every day.

Leo cautions priests against using AI to write homilies. “'To give a true homily is to share faith,' and AI 'will never be able to share faith.'" www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

These are lovely! www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/l...

I imagine it was extremely disturbing

Riveting, empathetic, uncomfortable, bonkers -- that is, everything I want from magazine journalism. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

UPDATE: Just spoke with the head of CSPL. They have *still* not heard from ICE/DHS about granting clergy access to the Broadview ICE facility. A federal court order issued last week required ICE/DHS to work with CSPL to grant clergy access to the site on Ash Wednesday. Today is Ash Wednesday.

important perspective from this 1969 sports headline

Robert Duvall, oh, I loved him. My tops are "The Apostle," "Tender Mercies," and "Lonesome Dove," and I'm not just saying that because I'm a religion writer in Texas. (Or maybe that's WHY I'm a religion writer in Texas? Much to ponder.)

"We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

“I am not a news source anymore. ... God called me out of that season.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Named after an iconic character we all know and love

Why did Van Gogh die in poverty when he owned so many Van Goghs? Real missed opportunity

The last year has been a big one for Catholic clergy born in Illinois. New from me: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...

“Any event you go to, people ask about it. It’s like the border used to be. ... ‘What are you doing about Shariah law? What are you doing about the Muslims taking over the state?'" www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...

Honored to be interviewed by the @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/m...

"You are either trusting and believing God sends certain leaders or you’re figuring some other way around it.” @michelleboorstein.bsky.social on the communion divide in Charlotte: www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

"How nice is it to wear jeans to church?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUsW...

"You can only preach against ICE for so long before God calls you to get out of the pulpit and get to the streets." religionnews.com/2026/01/22/h...

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u... An all-white jury convicted Tommy Lee Walker of rape and murder, relying on inadmissible evidence and a coerced confession that he immediately recanted, county officials said.

inbox: PR pitch about a ~horse~ who "carries an immortal lineage defined not only by beauty and power, but by kindness, empathy, and trust" AND who embodies a "human-centered spirit, emerging as a modern ambassador for connection, reconciliation, and peace"

New: Arrests in the Minneapolis church protest: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...

"He registered One Purpose, a website advertising 'scripture-backed fitness' that mixed Hebrew terms with advice to limit your diet to 'God-made fats.'" forward.com/news/antisem...

With this one I'm struck not just by the highlighted error, but also by the fact that the sentence laboriously works its way to correcting the searcher's impression (?) that a previous Pope Leo (c. 1900 at the latest) would have been a critic of the Trump administration?

Minneapolis residents have joined a church-run effort to donate groceries to immigrant families who fear being caught in public by federal agents. What started with a couple of hundred deliveries a week has quickly swelled into a vast operation involving thousands of volunteers. trib.al/1qT1xMw

I went to Mobile, AL, right before Christmas to spend time with pastor Travis Johnson, whose rising profile reflects how Trump is reshaping the contours of the American evangelical elite. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...

"If you tell your companion that you are feeling sad, it will pray for you." Smart challenging questions here from @bonniekristian.bsky.social: www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/cree...

The three highest-ranking Roman Catholic clerics who lead archdioceses in the U.S. say that America’s “moral role in confronting evil around the world” is in question for the first time in decades. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...

America’s “moral role in confronting evil around the world” is in question for the first time in decades, three top American cardinals say in a strongly worded statement today. New from me, with comment from all three: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...

The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire told priests protesting ICE to get their wills and affairs in order. Some praise the bishop, while other priests say they never signed up to be martyrs. n.pr/45TIwwT

Letter of Recommendation: Fair-weather fandom. Haven't paid attention to the Bears in probably decades, couldn't name their coach or QB until last week, but now I'm BACK IN. Show up for the thrill of victory, then simply walk away for the agony of defeat!

checking in on book announcement, things are going well

Some Personal News: I'm writing a book! SONS OF GOD is about the young American men moving into more demanding forms of Christian faith and practice, and what that means for the country’s political and spiritual future. Truly excited about this reporting. Here we go!

"My conduct defied everything that I believe about marriage." Evangelical author Philip Yancey said he had an extramarital affair and is stepping down from public ministry. New from me: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...

Reading today: Zachary Davis on the 2020s answer to the New Atheists, four thinkers who "have helped achieve a once unimaginable vibe shift—they’ve made Christianity the smart and even cool choice." www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/the-four-h...

"It wasn’t really around when I was a young kid — that you could feel like you have a calling to A-list stars.” @skestenbaum.bsky.social profiles Judah Smith, and asks where the hypepriests of the 2010s fit into Charlie Kirk-style evangelicalism that succeeded them: www.vulture.com/article/juda...