The irony of Trump calling upon Iranian protesters and critics of the Iranian government to take up arms against their leaders. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? - Psalm 2:1

Besides Shrinking being the best TV ever, Jimmy and Brian singing “Confrontation” from Les Mis is the best TV scene ever. youtu.be/5h1yCLMe2nI?...

“One thing I have learned about my evangelical world is that we have sacred cows you do not touch. Because of this, when I received the recommended title for Our God Is an Awesome Brand from the publisher, I wholly anticipated the lightning rod potential of the title.”

For the early reader: Our God Is an Awesome Brand www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

Big News! We have a title! Our God Is An Awesome Brand How Evangelicals Built America’s Most Powerful Religious Movement Expect a release in 2027 from @brazospress!

Wheaton Mourns Institutional Servant Daniel Treier thewheatonrecord.com/2026/02/02/w...

The TPUSA show had 5% of viewers as the Bad Bunny one. Maybe the CN movement is weaker than thought? The Bad Bunny show was a beautiful display of Americans coming together to celebrate what it means to be American across our hemisphere. Love is stronger. We are better together.

This book has been an interesting companion for considering how the evangelical brand and its sense of self has evolved during the last quarter century since this publication.

Lessons in leadership and respectability:

Evangelicals be like: The ethic of a statecraft leader doesn’t matter as long as he gets the job done. Trump testing their toleration threshold over the last week: HOLD MY BEER! • pages of appearances in Epstein files • mocks prayer breakfast • posts racist video of Obamas

Federal officers manage to arrest former CNN reporter Don Lemon for documenting a protest in a church, but they can’t manage to arrest one of their own for *checks notes* shooting a citizen in the back 7+ times.

“We must listen to the silence of evangelical leaders and interpret it as their tacit approval of the American horror story.” www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

“You don’t have to cross the Atlantic and tap into the history of Nazi Germany to describe our American horror story. There is a genetic connection between ICE/CBP with our own history of white supremacy.” www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

My latest at the Anxious Bench takes lessons from Ida B. Wells’s book Southern Horrors to help us think about our own American horror story that is unfolding today. www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

Gun Activists Bridle at Suggestion That Pistol Justified Killing www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

It’s time that the free press starts reporting events with greater precision. The wording should be: “Paramilitary force publicly lynches another citizen.”

This conversation between Walter Kim and Mark Noll is worth your time. www.nae.org/mark-noll-ch...

Enjoy a sneak peak of my ASCH paper for this Sunday, which I’ve been working on for the better part of this week. I am looking forward to seeing many old friends and make some new friends at this week’s historiapalooza in Chicago.

Trump’s Risky War in Venezuela www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Dear Algorithm Send me ads that shame me about my body… said no one ever. Yet, here we are.

My favorite part of people signaling their rigorous work ethic, by working hard on Friday, January 2 after the New Year, is that it applies to the phishing and other email scammers. Already received three fraudulent emails today. Cyber scammers have hustle!

Happy New Year! May this coming year bring to you abundant joy, laughter, and happiness! Wishing you peace and good fortune in the coming year!

On the last day of 2025, I am trying to lean in on a cherished rhythm of my life: reading. I am starting this new edition of a classic from David Dark, Everyday Apocalypse: Art, Empire, and the End of the World.

Does anyone have helpful suggestions for gaining control over the social algorithm in 2026? My Instagram and Facebook feed feel increasingly like what I imagine TikTok to be: lots of diet crazes, random slapstick videos, and bizarre conspiracy theories.

I recently was a guest on the Prove Text podcast with Michael Halcomb, and I talked about Jonathan Edwards and his interpretation of Scripture. I encourage you to check this conversation out. youtu.be/FaozJG4ajDw?...

From Jack’s War on Xmas “Jack’s scroogery and grinchiness found its way into numerous Xmas season correspondence, and it was the seasonal uptick of correspondence that fed his curmudgeonliness.” www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

My latest may now be read at the Anxious Bench. Jack’s War on Xmas “Nonetheless, by the late 1940s, Jack had begun to distinguish the Xmas rush from Christmas, and he was quite free in expressing these feelings to intimates.” www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

ICYMI Here’s my Best Books of 2025 recommendation list over at the Anxious Bench. It’s based on my reading of the last year. Maybe you’ll find a last minute stocking stuffer for a loved one or friend. www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

Enjoy this very interesting portrayal of Icelandic folklore that has become part of their people’s Christmas tradition. www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture...

My next Anxious Bench column drops on Monday, and it is the story of one man’s war on Xmas.

“It is time that evangelical educators took the initiative in educating the evangelical public as to the nature of Christian higher education and the role of academic freedom. A college is not a church…

I woke up feeling an inordinate amount of pressure on my chest. Not to worry. It was no heart attack. Just my fat cat laying on my chest. She needs to go on a diet. 

A good mail day. I’m looking forward to discussing readings from Greggs’ book at our forthcoming CPT gathering of Senior Fellows.

Culver’s has the best fries and no one else comes close.

More News: I’m pleased to share that Vol. 15, No. 1 of Jonathan Edwards Studies published today. In it you’ll find the 1st review of my recent publication, Jonathan Edwards & Hebrews, from Kyle Strobel, jestudies.yale.edu/index.php/jo...

Some News: I have been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Tis the season for "Best Books of 2025" lists! 🏆🎉 We are excited to see so many Brazos Press authors on this list from @jtcochran.bsky.social! Read the whole list here: www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

“This is Lucille and Lucille is thirsty.”

If you have a long drive ahead for Thanksgiving and wish to have a good audio book to listen to or you’re looking for Christmas gift ideas for friends who love good books, check out my Best Books of 2025 list: www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

My Best Books of 2025 List, and my thanks to all these stellar authors that enriched my soul this year. May you have many good conversations about your work around the Thanksgiving table this week. www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

Tomorrow at the Anxious Bench I will be sharing my best books of 2025. I had an incredible year of reading, & I hope you find something for yourself to read as well. Expect to see books from @brazospress.bsky.social @eerdmansbooks.bsky.social @ivpress.bsky.social @yalepress.bsky.social & more.

Hey Friends. My son has joined the High School wrestling team. He is trying to get at least 20 emails to earn equipment and uniform. Please help him out by sharing your email and/or making a donation. app.verticalraise.com/fundraiser/r...

The pump behind me was wide open at Costco the entire time I filled my tank. There were literally 6-10 cars in immediate proximity that were just doom scrolling missing this opportunity to fill up. Don’t waste your life on a screen.

All Americans should be embarrassed by this juvenile response from a government account to peaceful protest by faith leaders and other responsible citizens.

My son just baked at home the same cookies you can buy at Target and they taste even better.

It was a beautiful day to get outside Christmas decorations done and put up the tree. May this upcoming season of Advent fill you with anticipation and joy!

Happy first snow of 2025! I’m currently enjoying coffee and Christmas music in my kitchen while I watch the snow fall. Yay for remote learning days!

Today at the Anxious Bench, Lynneth Miller Renberg helps us enter into the sacred space of Trondenes Kirke, the northernmost surviving medieval church. www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

Thrilled and honored that my book Religion for Realists was given the 2025 Distinguished Book Award by @sssreligion.bsky.social last night. It’s vital that we understand religion and religious people. The social sciences are remiss to ignore either. Hire more religion specialists.