Summer is when denominations hold their annual conventions. Given how much harm they cause, it's worth asking what role if any religious institutions should play in our lives, & if they're capable of liberation instead. So today I interview @matttebbe.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Looking for active news accounts to follow on blsky - one of the issues i have fully transitioning from the twitter is that i've curated so many good journalist/news accounts there that still pump out good stuff. drop suggestions in the comments of who I should follow if you would be so kind tyvm.

AI is taking over our political economy, incl education. INthe near future AI will replace many (millions?) of jobs which will 'look great' in the stock market (corps will slash their costs associated with salaries, healthcare, hiring, retirement, etc) but will wreck havoc on average people.

So for those of you interested in Mammon... I was on the "Found in Translation" podcast to discuss Matthew 6 and 7 and how Mammon works. So much fun check it out here: Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWv1... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3fex... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

Comedians out here doing the Lord's work

Next online Zoom book club starts TOMORROW. We're reading "Being Christian" by Rowan Williams, a short primer on the Christian life. We'll meet every Friday for 4 weeks at 12pm ET starting tomorrow, Apr 11! Get a copy, download Zoom, and join us! gravitycommons.com/bookclub/

I enjoyed this conversation about my book with friends @matttebbe.bsky.social, @bensternke.bsky.social, and Christy Penley on the Gravity Commons podcast. Listen here: gravitycommons.com/podcast/emil...

Cocaine: the neoliberal Eucharist of Mammon worship.

What's your favorite TV show right now? Mine: Severance. I could watch it on mute for its cinematography and production design, lighting, costuming...and the story, character development, human condition, themes - all of it love all of it. Also: I'm on S2E3 so NO SPOILERS. What's your fave rn?

when you see something hypocritical or duplicitous & it's obvious to you but not other people there's usually something at work 'under the surface' for that person to make 'the hypocritical to others' entirely rational for them hypocritical behavior has deeper coherent logic that makes it rational

step 1: create problem under auspices of solving one step 2: people die due to your 'solution' step 3: blame DEI for their death step 4: propose solution to your own cluster that makes you $$$$+++ step 5: receive acclaim as hero who saved the day This is how MAGA works.

Jesus and: His Mother The Syro-Phoenician (Canaanite) Woman The Samaritan Woman The Woman with the Issue of Blood The Woman at Simon the Pharisees House Martha and Mary In every interaction there are common themes- patterns- that indicate the work and redemption Jesus had for women. +

Beautiful words from @matttebbe.bsky.social

If I oppose you it's because it's the best way i know to love you + to love those you are harming. If i hated you i'd want to destroy, defeat, dehumanize you. But I don't want any of that for you. Or me. I want your reformation, your redemption, your restoration into a whole community.

An excerpt from @matttebbe.bsky.social FB post. The heart of MAGA Trump voter struggles with Trump doing to her family what she voted for him to do to other families. This is the heart of MAGA: 1. “privilege and benefit for me, but not for thee” 1/2

So I posted this yesterday on Substack & Facebook: My observations about the diversity of white people responses to the Kendrick Lamar Halftime Super Bowl Show. My Substack article: matttebbe.substack.com/p/thoughts-o... Or if you prefer to read it on Facebook: www.facebook.com/matttebbe/po...

Top 10 Sports (and sporting events) I enjoy watching on TV in order of preference: 1. March Madness 2. College Football (incl CFP) 3. College Basketball 4. World Cup 5. Super Bowl 6. The Masters 7. EPL 8. NBA Playoffs 9. Summer Olympics 10. Winter Olympics

Name calling has its place in Jesus's taxonomy of love: fox whitewashed tombs hypocrites brood of vipers blind fools to name a few. I'm interested in learning how to name call in the way of Jesus so I can love as Jesus does.

I'm preaching on this tomorrow: "He (Jesus) set free those who were held in slavery their entire lives by the fear of death." Heb 2.15 Why does freedom from the fear of death matter? How does this liberation from the fear of death change us? What are we able to be + do now that we weren't before?

"Birthright citizenship is unconstitutional." - Karoline Leavitt, WH Press Secretary, defending Pres. Trump's decision to end birthright citizenship Notice here: 1. Factually, legally what she says is not true. See Amendment 14, Section 1. But that doesn't matter here's why+

Q: Can you give me a one tweet answer for how MAGA happened? A:

This is how 'merit based hiring' and 'anti-dei' works.

this is true

On how legacy (mainstream) media has failed us- and- continues to operate in service to Mammon at the expense of humanity.

Saturday reminders: empathy is not a sin mercy is not satanic the least of these are not your enemy christianity is not a weapon billionaire-run media isn't free press to be wrong is human refusing to be wrong is dehumanizing perfect love casts out fear beware those who use fear to cast out love

"And so we can barely come up for air to celebrate MLK, Jr. Day cause even Snoop is dancing for the arsonist while the world burns so is there anything we can do to oppose this darkness?" - @matttebbe.bsky.social

this is how "i don't see color" works this is normal everyday MAGA stuff here this isn't extraordinary or an outlier: musk is probably the second (if not the first) most powerful person in the Trump admin. A casual sieg heil during our President's inauguration for your consideration.

this is how the War On Drugs works

“Don’t try to win over the haters. You are not a jackass whisperer.” - Brené Brown

I wonder how other social media companies are making money oh lel still with white supremacy I see cool

How MAGA works: 1. Inauguration attendance for thee, but not for me 2. White guys policing a Black woman 3. “Upholding tradition” while dismantling democracy 4. Selective moral outrage straining gnats to swallow camels 5. Accusing others of what you yourself are guilty of

Looking for a good/new commentary or treatment of 1 John from a perspective that isn't white conservative (MacArthur, Stott, Packer, Jobes, Yarbrough, Akin, et al). Suggestions?

“Some books about spiritual disciplines load heavy burdens on the reader, but not this one…Simple, profound, and entirely practical. This resource is a treasure.” - @matttebbe.bsky.social bit.ly/3kIwUbr #journaling #spiritualgrowth

“In any society, the most marginalized people best understand the rules of the system, because they need to know the politics and dynamics in order to avoid being crushed by them.” - Chanequa Walker-Barnes

This is how neoliberal free market fundamentalist capitalism works. It’s doing what it was created to do very well. It’s how Mammon reigns in our present age.

Sounds good sign me up.

"and wanting to justify himself he asked, 'who is my neighbor?'" (Lk 10.29) same vibes as today's: "hey i'm just asking questions" "i like to play the devils advocate" "what about this other thing" Questions do work. In some contexts "who is my neighbor?" does good work. In others it doesn't.

There are countless ways that being poor is more expensive than being rich. Here's one:

Hugs? a- never b- depends on person/mood c- always d- side hug pro over here e- there's a hierarchy of intimacy/trust: hand wave --> hand shake --> hand pound --> hand pat on shoulder --> bro hug (just shoulder/s touch) --> hug hug (more of a full body touch situation) --> face hug (snuggle hug)

boop

The white men are not ok But fancy their popularity as a moral mandate rather than A social contagion full of pain.

Listening to an old podcast in which Kash Patel is speaking with Bannon about rooting out the "deep state & RINO traitors" in DC so the "real Americans" could take back their country from the evil Marxists who've taken control of it & was reminded of this 1948 article in the Redmond, OR Free Press.

“There are many who do not know they are fascists but will find it out when the time comes.” - Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls Or in 2024 parlance: Fascist Around And Find Out.

"Racism should never have happened and so you don't get a cookie for reducing it." -Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Americanah”

On How I Left White Evangelicalism and How It Left Me: matttebbe.substack.com/p/on-how-i-l...

I'm new here who should I follow? Drop suggestions below of your fave accounts and I'll check 'em out.

So i finally put together a little 'reading list' on Mammon. A few questions: 1. Have you read any of these? If so which ones? 2. Do you have suggestions to add to this list? 3. What questions do you have about Mammon that you'd love to hear more about?

“If my heart could do my thinking And my head begin to feel I’d look upon the world with love And know what is truly real.” - Van Morrison, I Forgot That Love Existed

We can talk about "economic anxiety" and inflation all we want, but if one political party owns massive media outlets that will shamelessly churn out a non-stop flow of weapons grade, beta-tested propaganda that appeals to low information voters' most base instincts, it's hard to compete.

dear billionaires with too much time and money and authoritarian disillusions of grandeur: plz don't buy this app and turn it into garbage i'm getting to old to start over again on the socials plus my kids don't want me on tiktok thanks for having me bluesky