My newsletter tomorrow is called “The Upside Down Reign of Christ.” In it, I invite us to contemplate the way Christ’s power is described in Luke 23:33-43 and see how it contrasts so starkly with the way we define power. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

If Jesus said his disciples would be known by their love for others, then when we claim to follow him but we are known for our bullying, our mockery, our callousness, and our contempt for others, we are actively taking his name in vain. Love must be our reputation.

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My new advent devotional is now available. It is a collection of readings in an ebook that begin November 30th and concludes December 25th. You can read more about it here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/products/sol...

When Christians tie Christianity to a particular political figure and party, not only do they fuse the reputation of Christianity to everything that political movement does, they become more shaped by the ways of that political movement than they do by the ways of Jesus.

Friends, My ebook devotional comes out this Friday. If you are interested and woule like early access as well as a 25% discount code for when it launches, tap here:https://benjamin-cremer.kit.com/58041cce51 Thanks for being a meaningful part of my online community.

My newsletter tomorrow is called “When Hate Masquerades As Christianity.” In it, I invite us to ponder some of the deeply unsettling supremacist mindsets that are being advocated in certain Christian circles and consider some practical ways forward. Join:https://benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

One of the greatest deceptions of our time is the false narrative that we should somehow be more concerned about how a poor person uses the welfare system than we are about the ultra wealthy swaying the highest positions or power in our country to their favor.

A Christianity that makes the ultra wealthy and powerful feel safe and supported while making the poor and powerless feel unsafe and unsupported is a Christianity that is following someone other than Jesus.

My newsletter on Sunday is called, “Blessed are you who hunger, for you will be satisfied.” In it, I invite us to reflect on how the poor and hungry are being treated by the current status quo and how Jesus’ words in Luke 6:20-31 call us to respond. Join: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile?fbcl...

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When modern Christians say “it’s not the government’s job to help the poor,” they’re not echoing Jesus, Paul, the prophets, or the early church. They’re echoing figures like Ayn Rand, who despised Christianity’s communal ethic of compassion and called altruism a “moral evil.”

Notice how it’s somehow the government’s job to legislate a few Bible verses on human sexuality over our entire country, but it’s suddenly “not the government’s job” when it comes to the +2,500 Bible verses calling for a generous use of wealth that prioritizes the poor.

Notice how quickly “we want our nation to uphold Christian values” turns into “it’s not the government’s job to feed the hungry or help the poor!” which are actually things Christ taught his followers to value.

“He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” -Mary, the mother of Jesus in the gospel according to Luke (1:53) Now compare this with the actions of those in power who claim to follow Mary’s son.

The arrogant disregard of critical thinking, painstaking research, and humble discernment has been rebranded as “common sense.”

Hope is not a sentimental optimism that things will somehow work out; hope is the subversive conviction that injustice and death will not have the final word and acting on that belief. Hope is not passive waiting it’s active persistence. Hope prays, peacefully protests, weeps, and keeps showing up.

A Christianity that causes the hungry to go without food, the sick to go without healthcare, the stranger to be mistreated, and God’s creation to be ravaged, all while the greedy and cruel satisfy their every desire, is a Christianity that can no longer claim to follow Christ.

My newsletter this Sunday is called, “The Freedom to Love in a World of Fear.” In it, I want to invite us to reflect on what we mean by the categories of truth, freedom, and liberation through the conversation that takes place in John 8:31-36. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

My recent article: open.substack.com/pub/benjamin...

Notice how it’s always, “the Bible must inform our laws!” until it comes to the +2,000 verses in the Bible that discuss the generous use of wealth and possessions in a way that prioritizes the needs of the poor, this sick, the stranger, the vulnerable, and the oppressed.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public" - Theodore Roosevelt

My newsletter this Sunday is called, “The Widow’s Prayerful Protest.” In it, I invite us to consider what persistence looks like when we are caught between hope and the face of injustice. All through the lens of Luke 18:1-8. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

A Christianity that believes it needs a president, legislation and a government to ensure its survival is a Christianity that is centered on the worship of its own power rather than faithfully relying on the power of God. God is just its mascot for its political ideology

A people who refuse to despise one another are immune to authoritarians because an authoritarian’s power depends on certain groups of people despising other groups of people. This is why there’s so much power in Jesus’ words, “love your enemies.” It is an act of resistance.

Many of us grew up in the church being taught to root for Moses, Daniel, and John the Baptist in the Bible, only to grow up and have our churches question our faith for not cheering on the Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzars, and Herods in our world today.

My newsletter tomorrow is called “They Are Us. We Are Them.” In it, I invite us to ponder the concept of “foreigner” through the lens of Luke 17:11-19 and how God consistently calls us to be in solidarity with all who the world considers “foreign.” Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

A Christianity that is known for its cruelty is a Christianity that no longer knows Christ. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -Jesus

It doesn’t matter what your politics are regarding immigration. If they do not begin and end with human beings needing to be treated with dignity and respect, especially when it comes to the enforcement of the law, your politics are wrong.

CW: protester being struck in the head by a pepper ball Footage I took earlier of the moment Reverend David Black, a regular protester outside of the Broadview Detention Center, was shot in the head with a pepper ball by ICE agents on the roof of the facility.

The point of Jonah is not Nineveh’s repentance but Jonah’s fury at God’s mercy. It is a scathing parody of nationalistic religion that wants God on 'our side' and cannot stomach the possibility that God’s love extends beyond our religious and political borders, especially those considered 'enemies'.

I spoke to a Venezuelan woman who was arrested in this raid and later released with her 4yo son. She said agents broke down their door, pointed guns at them and made sexualized remarks about Venezuelan women. When she returned to her apartment it was boarded up and all her possessions were gone.

When you demonize and mistreat the immigrant, the poor, the starving, and the marginalized, I'm not interested in hearing about your religious beliefs. You've already shown me what they are by how you're demonizing and mistreating the immigrant, the poor, the starving, and the marginalized.

My newsletter this Sunday is called “Jonah: A Prophetic Critique of Religious and Nationalistic Arrogance.” In it, I invite us to explore the historical context of Jonah to see the powerful critique it offers American Christianity today. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

It will always baffle me how easily people will believe that the poor, the sick, the marginalized, and the immigrant are the cause for all their problems, rather than the people in the most powerful positions in their country who refuse to fix problems and exploit them instead.

Compassion isn’t a weakness. Empathy isn’t a sin. Cruelty isn’t a strength. Vengeance isn’t a virtue. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness." -Isaiah 5:20

My newsletter this Sunday will be called, “Caring in a Cruel World.” In it, I invite us to just name how heavy the world is right now and process together some practical ways to care for all that’s happening without burning out. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

My newsletter this Sunday is called “Genuine Conversations In A World Outrage.” In it, I invite us to consider a more creative and different approach to difficult conversations with others in our deeply polarized and volatile world. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile?fbcl...

Our only real enemy is the belief that this world is filled with enemies to be conquered rather than filled with neighbors to be loved.

My newsletter this Sunday is called, “Practicing Lament In A World of Revenge.” In it, I invite us to take up lament as our lens to process all that is happening. From Charlie Kirk, gun violence, our country and the reputation of Christianity. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile?fbcl...

My newsletter this Sunday is called, “Anti-intellectualism isn’t a fruit of the Spirit.” In it, I invite us to explore some of the history that led us to this moment in American life and why reason shouldn’t be seen as a threat to our faith. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

Anti-intellectualism has been rebranded as patriotism.

If you can no longer tell the difference between spite and your faith and your patriotism, then spite IS your faith and your patriotism.

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My newsletter this Sunday is called “Thoughts and Prayers.” In it, I invite us to look at the context of God’s rebuke in Isaiah 1:15 and how it applies to prayer’s essential relationship to justice for the most vulnerable today. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

“Thoughts and prayers.” “There is something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to resolve.” -Miroslav Volf

When our Christianity makes the ultra wealthy and powerful feel safe and supported and the poor and powerless feel unsafe and unsupported, that is when we can be sure we are following someone other than Jesus.

My newsletter tomorrow is called “Nationalism and Patriarchy Go Hand In Hand.” In it, I write about how neither reflect the gospel of Jesus and provide resources to help navigate these topics in conversations with others. Join here: benjamin-cremer.kit.com/profile

The reason I don’t want a “Christian nation” isn’t because I’m against Christianity. It’s because I’ve studied church history and learned about the horrors caused by the church crawling into bed with the empire. The separation of church and state helps keep Christianity Christian.