Rushing to judgment: What the 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 side is always guilty of

A timely word from Francis Schaeffer: “If there is no absolute beyond man's ideas, then there is no final appeal to judge between individuals and groups whose moral judgments conflict. We are merely left with conflicting opinions.”

I'm glad a friend asked me this week if I had read this. I hadn't. It's about more than you might think from reading the title and it's very good. www.challies.com/articles/the...

“The agreement was one of five lawsuits that the companies agreed to settle this week in Florida, Texas, Colorado and New York, where families claimed their children were harmed by interacting with Character.AI’s chatbots.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/t...

“AI turns reading and writing into automated industrial routines, optimised for speed and efficiency. It instrumentalises intellect, allows the critical and creative work of the mind to be outsourced to machinery.” -Nicholas Carr unherd.com/2026/01/how-...

Truth doesn’t bow before (D) or (R).

not saying it can't get worse but this week really feels like a straightforward depiction of what worst-case 'post truth' information apocalypse ppl were warning of in the late 2010s

Worth reading open.substack.com/pub/dearchri...

“If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.” (Proverbs 25:16 ESV) Ancient wisdom for the Information Age

Isaiah 40. Might 𝘢𝘯𝘥 tenderness, not might 𝘰𝘳 tenderness

Low on the list but something to look forward to nevertheless—no ads in the eternal state!

"Several students participating in the fast said they could feel their focus sharpening." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/s...

Nice to see 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 included in this list. firstthings.com/diagnosing-a...

Then: Seeing is believing! Now: Seeing is deceiving?

“…we can’t assume that something has value—internal or external—simply because it captures our attention.” www.christianitytoday.com/2025/12/ai-m...

“The fear of the Lord causes people to run to God, not away from Him but away from evil.” -Brian Toews, 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴: 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦

“An outstanding book on grief I’ve recommended and given to many over the years. Looking expectantly for the day it won’t be needed.” a.co/d/2x4SOZ6

“Jesus is the sage-king, the source of wisdom. He Himself is the path that the wise walk upon (John 14:6). Unlike all the sons of David and Solomon, Jesus begins wisely and ends wisely: He thoroughly keeps the wisdom of God and embodies wisdom itself.” - Brian Toews

“The flood of nearly nude images of real people has rung alarm bells internationally.” www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

Sycophancy, whether from man or machine (but especially from man) is ugly and deceptive.

“…I want to point out two things: first, that the loss of certainty brought about by AI media is real; and second, that the possibility of discerning other paths to reality may now emerge.” open.substack.com/pub/wyattgra...

As intolerance for long form material increases, so too will the inability to elaborate and the tendency to bloviate.

Starting the year with this work by a friend and former colleague.

I'm always pleased to find fellow appreciators of John Newton. @adrianwarnock.bsky.social is such. An early access Kindle preview version of his modern English rendering of some of Newton's key works is free for a limited time. a.co/d/2TDwc0H

"A secret dependence upon prayers, tears, resolutions, repentance, and endeavour, prevents us from looking solely and simply to the Saviour, so as to ground our whole hope for acceptance upon his obedience unto death, and his whole mediation." -John Newton

Gospel music played a vital role in my conversion as in college I apprehensively joined a choir led by students who I thought were “too religious” but whose music I loved. We sang a good deal of Richard Smallwood’s works. Grateful for this brother now in Christ’s presence.

A John Newton hymn for the year’s end: See! another year is gone! Quickly have the seasons passed! This we enter now upon May to many prove their last: Mercy hitherto has spared, But have mercies been improved? Let us ask, Am I prepared, Should I be this year removed? 1/4

“And the Rabshakeh said to them, ‘Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?’” (2 Kings 18:19) Everyone trusts (i. e., exercises faith). At issue is whether that upon which its weight rests can bear up under it.

“And [Hezekiah] broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).” (2 Kings 18:4b ESV) How readily do we turn what the true God graciously gives for our good into gods.

One mom interviewed for this piece calls it “a global crisis.” I don’t think she’s wrong. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/w...

“You could say that we’re living in a stalker’s paradise.” I don’t think this was the kind of publicity Meta wanted for its glasses. www.dailydot.com/culture/woma...

“And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Acts 9:4) “Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.” (1 Cor 8:12) A grave implication of union with Christ

We did a special State of the Union about the future of AI Here are the segments, ICYMI:

“If a pastor is constantly being trained by social media to speak on issues with little local relevance, then he is being pulled, at least mentally, away from the very place God has put him. He is locally present in body, but not in spirit.” Outstanding counsel! open.substack.com/pub/wemadepe...

“The future of education will be written by leaders bold enough to say, ‘This isn’t working. We can do better.’”

By themselves, distraction and the desire for notoriety can be deadly. How much more when combined? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/u...

“If we want to reclaim our schools for learning, then we must reclaim effort and rigor. Any tool that eliminates the need to think does not belong in education.” -Jared Horvath, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯

Hearing these elementary & high school teachers explain their frustrations and, in some cases, why they’re leaving, is hard but worth listening to. They seem to really care. No single cause but several factors recur and therefore shouldn’t be ignored. youtube.com/watch?v=IwfH...

Quoted in Jared Horvath’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯:

“At one point…a student piped up with a common refrain: ‘Don’t trust anything you see.’ That sentiment worries Ms. Ziegler. Fact-checkers and disinformation analysts have cautioned for years about a creeping sense of nihilism toward reality.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/b...

I’m thoroughly enjoying Dr. Jared Horvath’s book and grateful that he’s agreed to speak with me about it for the podcast. Looking forward to recording with him next month.

"The Maker of man became Man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be nourished at the breast; that He, the Bread, might be hungry; that He, the Fountain, might thirst; that He, the Light, might sleep; that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey; (1/4)

“For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning [Yahweh], to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.” (Isaiah 32:6 ESV)

“When too much information destroys coherence, meaning soon follows. And when meaning collapses, the world begins to feel chaotic.” -Jared Horvath, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯

From a chapter on responding to EdTech apologists in Jared Horvath’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯:

Watching Michael Crawford, the original Phantom of the Opera, listen to beautifully sung renditions from the musical at the Kennedy Center Honors was moving. I love that musical.

Every day is filled with lessons that the next one is not promised.

Samuel Parkison’s comments on Paul’s exhortation to Christians to put to death what is earthly in us (Col. 3:5ff) are insightful and encouraging: