I hope June is settling in with a sense of momentum and openness. As summer begins to take shape, I’ve found myself thinking about the things that linger beyond their original moment: an idea that keeps returning, a fleeting interaction, a piece of music, an image, or a conversation that continues to reveal itself over time.

And as always, I’d love to hear what’s been staying with you lately. What’s captured your attention? What thoughts, moments, or discoveries have been circling back?

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this arrived in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. A Mississippi Pastor Broke a World Record by Preaching for 96 Hours Straight

Pastor Matthew Olson preached the entire Bible — Genesis to Revelation — in four days straight, setting a Guinness World Record for longest marathon speech in the process.

2. The Knicks as a Religious Experience

Knicks fans are waking up from the hangover of a really good trip. One that, some said, let them see God.

3. The Beauty of Doing Nothing Together

There’s something reassuring about being with people when nobody is trying especially hard.

4. MLB Warns Giants Pitchers About Bible Verses Written on Pride Caps

Soccer’s corrupt governing body may discover that the faithful still believe in the game—but not in its priests

5. Prime Video Listed ‘The Chosen’ as Psychological Science Fiction, and Christians are Ticked

Amazon Prime Video has apparently given The Chosen an unexpected genre designation: Psychological Science Fiction.

—

AV MEDIA

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

New York Times editor and writer Sarah Wildman shares with Anderson Cooper what she’s learned about grief since losing her 14-year-old daughter, Orli, in March 2023. Watch the conversation at cnn.com/allthereis or wherever you get your podcasts.

—

Everything Belongs: The Gift of contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr

Everything Belongs is one of the most popular and best-known books written by Richard Rohr. In this book he offers us the belief that we have no real access to who we really are except in God.

Only when we rest in God can we find the safety, the spaciousness, and the scary freedom to be who we are, all that we are, more than we are, and less than we are. Only when we live and see through God can “everything belong.”

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

I hope June is settling in with a sense of momentum and openness. As summer begins to take shape, I’ve found myself thinking about the things that linger beyond their original moment: an idea that keeps returning, a fleeting interaction, a piece of music, an image, or a conversation that continues to reveal itself over time.

And as always, I’d love to hear what’s been staying with you lately. What’s captured your attention? What thoughts, moments, or discoveries have been circling back?

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this arrived in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. The Ordinary Miracle of Existing

Being alive at all is the most extraordinary stroke of good luck any of us will ever experience.

2. The Country’s Largest Protestant Adoption Agency is Dropping LGBTQ Coulples — Again

The reversal comes five years after the foster care and adoption agency first agreed to partner with LGBTQ couples.

3. Southern Baptists Pass a Ban on Women Pastors Again. This Time, They Hope it Sticks.

A proposal by the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to ban churches that have women pastors or let women preach on Sunday mornings passed overwhelmingly on Wednesday (June 10), marking the first step toward enshrining the ban in the Southern Baptist Convi’lention’s constitution.

4. Pilgrims and Holy Wars at the World Cup

Soccer’s corrupt governing body may discover that the faithful still believe in the game—but not in its priests

5. Pentagon Again Revises Religious Categories for Troops

The Defense Department made the change after lawmakers objected to its original list, which did not include the Latter-day Saints among traditions labeled Christian.

—

AV MEDIA

Christian Apologist: The Truth About Christianity (And Why Atheism is Fading")

Is AI being built to replace God? Oxford mathematician and Christian Apologist John Lennox reveals why Silicon Valley’s biggest promises are just old prayers, why no machine can ever replicate your consciousness, and what it means to be human when AI can do almost everything you can!

Professor John Lennox is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and President of The OCCA Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He is also the author of books such as ‘God, AI and the End of History’ and ‘My Story: A Spiritual and Intellectual Autobiography’.

—

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

“This is a book about Heaven,” says Jayber Crow, “but I must say too that . . . I have wondered sometimes if it would not finally turn out to be a book about Hell.” It is 1932 and he has returned to his native Port William to become the town's barber.

Orphaned at age ten, Jayber Crow’s acquaintance with loneliness and want have made him a patient observer of the human animal, in both its goodness and frailty.

He began his search as a “pre–ministerial student” at Pigeonville College. There, freedom met with new burdens and a young man needed more than a mirror to find himself. But the beginning of that finding was a short conversation with “Old Grit,” his profound professor of New Testament Greek.

“You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out—perhaps a little at a time.”

“And how long is that going to take?”

“I don't know. As long as you live, perhaps.”

“That could be a long time.”

“I will tell you a further mystery,” he said. “It may take longer.”

Wendell Berry’s clear–sighted depiction of humanity’s gifts—love and loss, joy and despair—is seen though his intimate knowledge of the Port William Membership.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

I hope May is arriving with a mix of steadiness and possibility. As the days stretch a little longer, there’s been a lingering curiosity around the things that stay with us: a phrase that keeps resurfacing, an unexpected moment, an image or conversation that quietly echoes long after the fact.

I’m also adding an exciting new layer being to the mix: a fresh AV element designed to engage more deeply with culture through sound, visuals, mood, and atmosphere with the goal to create a more immersive experience.

And as always, it’d be great to hear what’s been sitting with you lately. What’s caught your attention? What’s been replaying in your mind?

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this found you in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. The World’s Tallest Jesus Statue Is Nearing Completion in Armenia

Armenia is close to finishing what could become the world’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ, a 252-foot monument rising on Mount Hatis, about 20 miles northeast of the country’s capital, Yerevan.

2. Pope Leo Calls for “Disarming” of AI in Technology-focused Encyclical

Pope Leo XIV issued a major document Monday focused largely on the implications of the rise of artificial intelligence for humanity, warning the technology could make civilization itself "less human."

3. The Great Depopulation

Why is the birth rate declining in every country on Earth?

4. A Refuge in the Arctic

A postcard from the northernmost church on Earth.

5. ‘The Sheep Detectives’ Is ‘Babe’ Meets ‘Knives Out’ Meets Jesus

Humans may call stupid people who can’t think for themselves “sheep,” but The Sheep Detectives understands that the impulse to look away from the truth is all too human. So is the need for a good shepherd.

—

AV MEDIA

A Defense of a Liberal Arts Education in the Age of A.I.

What’s really driving the humanities crisis in higher education? As enrollment and reading decline, I asked Jennifer Frey, a professor of philosophy, what it was like to run a liberal arts program that was gutted. I wanted to know whether she thinks the age of A.I. could bring back the kind of education she says is fundamental to human formation.

—

Famesick: A Memoir by Lena Dunham

For the last decade, as she’s spent countless hours in doctor’s waiting rooms searching for diagnoses, treatments, and relief, being the owner and operator of Lena Dunham’s body has felt, as she puts it, “like towing a wrecked car across town at midnight.” It’s not easy dragging a wrecked car anywhere, much less to the Met Gala while sewn into a gold lamé corset. Or to the set of the hit show that you—as a twenty-five-year-old—are writing, directing, producing, and starring in. Or to the White House, the Golden Globes, or your publicist’s office to discuss the latest internet disaster. But Dunham does it—even if it means interminable hospital stays, vomiting in the bathroom when she’s meant to be meeting Oprah, or terrifying those closest to her—because she can no longer tell the difference between fighting to do what she loves and being a servant to her own ambition. All the while, she is holding out for a love that can withstand her personal and public challenges and, more than anything, yearning to feel like herself again—if only she could remember who that self was.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope May is greeting you with a mix of steady footing and a spark of possibility—like something just beginning to take shape, even if you can’t quite name it yet. As the days stretch a little longer, I keep wondering what’s been echoing for you lately. Maybe it’s a phrase you can’t shake, a moment that caught you off guard, or something small that’s quietly stayed.

If you feel like sharing, I’d really love to hear what’s been on your mind.

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this found you in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join in.

Let’s dive in:

1. The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet

A virulent form of misogyny has become the single most important force holding together the American right.

2. The Five Best Faith Moments From Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Run

For years, The Late Show quietly became the only major network talk show where conversations about faith happened regularly, sincerely and without irony.

3. Michael Jackson and the Boys We Don’t Talk About

We reached consensus on Epstein and Cosby. Why are we buying tickets to see Michael?

4. As Christian Persecution Surges in Netanyahu’s Israel, Pope Leo XIV Confronts a Hatred Crisis that has Reached American Streets

Sister Mary Meline tells NBC News they spit on her in Jerusalem. The San Diego mosque buried its dead. Washington marks a year since anti-Semitic murder.

5. LGBTQ+ Community Embraces Rerelease of Avalon’s ‘Tesetify to Love’ From Founding Member Who Says he was Ousted for Being Gay

Michael Passons, a founding member of the Christian pop group Avalon, has rereleased the hit song with Ty Herndon, featuring former Avalon member Melissa Greene.

—

The Place Between our Pains by K.J. Ramsey

After over a decade of fighting chronic illness, trauma therapist and beloved author K.J. Ramsey was the healthiest she’d been in her life. She packed up her Jeep and set out on a summer of road trips, returning to the places where she first glimpsed joy as a kid. More than adventure, her aim was a personal dare to discover that joy is more trustworthy than trauma.

The plan was simple but bold: Drive. Write. Heal. What could go wrong?

It turns out, everything.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope May is greeting you with a mix of steady footing and a spark of possibility—like something just beginning to take shape, even if you can’t quite name it yet. As the days stretch a little longer, I keep wondering what’s been echoing for you lately. Maybe it’s a phrase you can’t shake, a moment that caught you off guard, or something small that’s quietly stayed.

If you feel like sharing, I’d really love to hear what’s been on your mind.

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this found you in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join in.

Let’s dive in:

1. Pastor Leads Wild Dedication Ceremony for Trump Giant Gold Statue at His Own Golf Course

The president himself called into the ceremony to thank the religious leader and guests in attendance

2. Eating Healthy? No, They’re Eating Biblically.

A diet inspired by the Bible has found new audiences online in the Make America Healthy Again era.

3. Israel’s Government is Expected to Collapse Over Ultra-Orthodox Military Draft

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition may collapse next week, after one of his key ultra-Orthodox coalition partners called for the parliament to be dissolved.

4. No One Should be Surprised by James Dobson’s Appearance in the Epstein Files

The late evangelical leader's sadistic work was a natural fit for someone like Epstein.

5. At 90, My Grandma is Leading Worship at Her Retirement Home

Her decades of service to her community inspire me to be like her.

—

The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller

Weaving her own deeply personal journey of awakening with her groundbreaking research, Dr. Miller’s book reveals that humans are universally equipped with a capacity for spirituality, and that our brains become more resilient and robust as a result of it. For leaders in business and government, truth-seekers, parents, healers, educators, and any person confronting life’s biggest questions, The Awakened Brain combines cutting-edge science (from MRI studies to genetic research, epidemiology, and more) with on-the-ground application for people of all ages and from all walks of life, illuminating the surprising science of spirituality and how to engage it in our lives:

• The awakened decision is the better decision. With an awakened perception, we are more creative, collaborative, ethical, and innovative.
• The awakened brain is the healthier brain. An engaged spiritual life enhances grit, optimism, and resilience while providing insulation against addiction, trauma, and depression.
• The awakened life is the inspired life. Loss, uncertainty, and even trauma are the gateways by which we are invited to move beyond merely coping with hardship to transcend into a life of renewal, healing, joy, and fulfillment.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope May is greeting you with a mix of steady footing and a spark of possibility—like something just beginning to take shape, even if you can’t quite name it yet. As the days stretch a little longer, I keep wondering what’s been echoing for you lately. Maybe it’s a phrase you can’t shake, a moment that caught you off guard, or something small that’s quietly stayed.

If you feel like sharing, I’d really love to hear what’s been on your mind.

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this found you in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join in.

Let’s dive in:

1. Tech Billionaires Want Christians to Believe in AI

For Peter Thiel and JD Vance allies, the tech right is framing AI as a moral—even divine—mission.

2. I Shaped Megachurch Identities While Living a double Life

In the 2010s, I marketed love and acceptance to millions online. As a gay man, I knew that message came with an asterisk.

3. A Humanoid Robot Becomes a Buddhist Monk in South Korea Ahead of Buddha’s Birthday

The robot received the dharma name ‘Gabi,’ and made an official debut ahead of Buddha’s birthday and is expected to serve as an honorary monk for celebratory season surrounding the occasion.

4. Religious Leaders Told ‘Prepare Now’ for ufo Disclosure to Unleash Bible-Changing Revelations

Influential pastors are claiming that they have been told to prepare their followers for shocking revelations about UFOs which may upend belief in the Bible.

5. Not Everything is Christian Nationalism

Automatically hurling this accusation at believers who raise questions about Islam or other issues is intellectually lazy.

—

Conversion Therapy Dropout by Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez

Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez was an invisible architect behind evangelical Christianity’s digital empire, crafting messages of belonging for some of the most influential megachurches--Hillsong Church, Elevation Church, Willow Creek--all while secretly questioning his own place within the faith.

In a desperate attempt to “fix” himself, he turned to conversion therapy, spending eight years trying to pray the gay away. And he wasn’t alone. More than 700,000 people in the US have undergone some form of conversion therapy. Even though Exodus International, the largest ex-gay organization, closed in 2013, the practice still thrives in many conservative religious communities. After years of this harmful “therapy,” Schraeder Rodriguez’s sexuality never changed. But his faith did.The more time he spent in evangelical Christianity, the more he witnessed the hypocrisy of institutions that claimed to love everyone while quietly pushing people like him into silence. But Schraeder Rodriguez wouldn’t remain silent. Instead, he forged a new path, discovering a vibrant faith beyond the constraints of non-affirming theology and finding a community that embraced his whole self.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope May is greeting you with a mix of steady footing and a spark of possibility—like something just beginning to take shape, even if you can’t quite name it yet. As the days stretch a little longer, I keep wondering what’s been echoing for you lately. Maybe it’s a phrase you can’t shake, a moment that caught you off guard, or something small that’s quietly stayed.

If you feel like sharing, I’d really love to hear what’s been on your mind.

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this found you in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to join in.

Let’s dive in:

1. The Secret to Success is ‘Monotasking’

In a world full of distractions, getting your brain to focus on one thing at a time requires radical measures.

2. Hulu is Launching a Christian College Dating Show: ‘Ring by Spring Break’

The show will follow single Christian college students as they try to find “The One” before graduation.

3. As AI Advances, The Question of Values Moves to the Forefront

Chatbot makers, theologians, and faith-tech entrepreneurs are trying to align artificial intelligence with moral and religious traditions

4. Washington Attack Suspect Sought to Justify Himself to Christians

In writings, Cole Tomas Allen thanked his church and argued that his attempt to assassinate Trump administration officials was compatible with his faith.

5. The Apocalypse Goes Mainstream

About 40 percent of American adults believe that we are living in the “end times,” according to a 2022 poll. Where did that idea come from?

—

The Fourth Turning is Here by Neil Howe

Thirty years ago, Neil Howe and the late William Strauss dazzled the world with a provocative new theory of American history. Looking back at the last 500 years, they’d uncovered a distinct pattern: modern history moves in cycles, each one lasting roughly eighty to one hundred years, the length of a long human life, with each cycle composed of four eras—or “turnings”—that always arrive in the same order and each last about twenty years. The last of these eras—the fourth turning—was always the most perilous, a period of civic upheaval and national mobilization as traumatic and transformative as the New Deal and World War II, the Civil War, or the American Revolution.

Now, right on schedule, our own fourth turning has arrived…and Neil Howe has returned with an extraordinary new prediction. What we see all around us—the polarization, the growing threat of civil conflict and global war—will culminate by the early 2030s in a climax that poses great danger and yet also holds great promise, perhaps even bringing on America’s next golden age. Every generation alive today will play a vital role in determining how this crisis is resolved, for good or ill.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope April is finding you somewhere between grounded and hopeful, with a sense that something new might be quietly unfolding. As the weeks unfold, I’d love to know what’s been sitting with you lately. Maybe it’s something you heard, something you read, or even just a line that’s lingered longer than expected. I’d genuinely love to hear.

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to jump in.

Let’s dive in:

1. What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezo’s Private Retreat

For the richest men on Earth, everything is free and nothing matters.

2. Attending Multiple Places of Worship is the Norm for Many Americans

Most U.S. adults who attend religious services attend multiple congregations, at least occasionally, according to our new research.

3. Is Hurry the Great Enemy of Spiritual Life?

Pastor John Mark Comer has won a massive audience by encouraging his followers to free themselves from the gnawing sense that there is always more to do.

4. Staunch Trump Supporters Are Now Asking if He’s the Antichrist

The Iran war and a series of social media posts, including one depicting Trump as Jesus Christ, have some conservative commentators and fans suspecting the president may be the antichrist.

5. Tucker Carlson Apologizes for ‘Misleading’ People on Trump: ‘We’re Implicated in this for Sure’

The former Fox News host, once a prominent supporter of the president, has been vocally opposed to how the president has handled Iran.

—

Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFO’s by Luis Elizondo

Luis “Lue” Elizondo is a former senior intelligence official and special agent who was recruited into strange and highly sensitive US government program to investigate UAP. To accomplish his mission, Elizondo had to rely on decades of experience gained working some of America’s most classified programs. Even then, he was not prepared for what he would learn, including the truth about the government’s long shadowy involvement in UAP investigations, and the lengths officials would take to keep it a secret.

For years, Elizondo and his colleagues found themselves on the front lines of what may be the greatest mystery and cover-up in history. Unidentified craft that seem to defy our knowledge of physics—within air, water, and space—have been operating with complete impunity since at least World War II. The military, the CIA, and even past presidents have known the truth that humanity is, in fact, not the only intelligent life in the universe. The nonhuman intelligence controlling these UAP are actively conducting surveillance on our most sensitive military installations, and have interfered with ongoing military and nuclear operations. US service members and intelligence officers who have encountered UAP have sustained serious medical injuries. And all of this is happening worldwide.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope April is finding you somewhere between grounded and hopeful, with a sense that something new might be quietly unfolding. As this continues to take shape, I also want to widen the lens a bit. Alongside what you read, we’ll begin including more to listen to and watch—podcasts and short-form videos that feel worth your attention. The hope is to meet you in more of the spaces you already inhabit, offering the same sense of depth and resonance across different formats.

As the weeks unfold, I’d love to know what’s been sitting with you lately. Maybe it’s something you heard, something you read, or even just a line that’s lingered longer than expected. I’d genuinely love to hear.

If you’re in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to jump in.

Let’s dive in:

1. Pete Hegseth Reads Trantino’s Fake Bible Quote From ‘Pulp Fiction’ at Prayer Service

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, released a statement defending Hegseth, arguing that "anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality."

2. Trump’s Claim he Thought AI “Jesus” Image was Doctor Faces Scrutiny

President Donald Trump's claim that an AI-image he posted of himself was meant to depict him as a doctor instead of a Jesus-like figure has been met with skepticism.

3. The Eighth Deadly Sin

Humankind has devised a new form of debasement.

4. How Do People Cope During War?

We explore how the rituals of religion persist — even as war alters the world.

5. Driscoll Invited to Speak at Trump’s Rededication of America to God

Shock jock preacher Mark Driscoll will be one of the preachers at President Donald Trump’s “Rededicate 250” event on the National Mall May 17, he said in an email to supporters.

—

How Ben Sasse Is Living Now That He Is Dying

How would you live if you knew when you were going to die? I sat down with the former Republican senator Ben Sasse to hear how he is facing his own mortality after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. For Sasse, cancer brings pain, but also clarity, sharpening his focus on the state of our politics, his wife and three children, and the God he expects to shortly meet.

—

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

Orphaned at age ten, Jayber Crow’s acquaintance with loneliness and want have made him a patient observer of the human animal, in both its goodness and frailty.

He began his search as a “pre–ministerial student” at Pigeonville College. There, freedom met with new burdens and a young man needed more than a mirror to find himself. But the beginning of that finding was a short conversation with “Old Grit,” his profound professor of New Testament Greek.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope April is finding you somewhere between grounded and hopeful, with a feeling that something new could be quietly unfolding. there aren’t many built-in pauses in life, which is why the faith & culture 5 is here in the first place—a small weekly reset, a moment to slow your pace, notice what’s around you, and reflect a bit. each edition gathers five things to spend time with, plus a book to consider—chosen to stir curiosity, deepen your perspective, and offer a bit of thoughtful company along the way.

as the weeks start to take shape, i’d love to know what’s been sitting with you lately. maybe it’s something you heard, something you read, or even just a line that’s stayed longer than expected. i’d genuinely love to hear.

if you’re in the substack app, tap the speech bubble below. if you’re reading this in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to jump in.

let’s ease into it:

Let’s dive in:

1. The People Who Shun Super-Popular Pop Culture

The Pitt, Severance, Sinners, you name it: For some reason, the more hype something gets, the more likely I am to resist it.

2. The Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo XIV’s Ambassador With the Avignon Papacy

The Free Press has documented a closed-door Pentagon meeting in which a senior Trump official lectured Pope Leo XIV’s ambassador on American military supremacy.

3. Claude Mythos Preview is Everyone’s Problem

What happens when AI can hack everything?

4. The Iranian Church Persists

Amid war, some Christians are evangelizing, preparing food for neighbors, and displaying other acts of generosity.

5. Lecrae First Christian Rapper on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

His devotion is unapologetic and consistent through the lyrics, but everything else, from the production to delivery, feels real and earned.

—

Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott

Readers of all ages have followed and cherished Anne Lamott’s funny and perceptive writing about her own faith through decades of trial and error. And in her new book, Help, Thanks, Wow, she has coalesced everything she knows about prayer to these fundamentals.

It is these three prayers – asking for assistance from a higher power, appreciating what we have that is good, and feeling awe at the world around us – that can get us through the day and can show us the way forward. In Help, Thanks, Wow, Lamott recounts how she came to these insights, explains what they mean to her and how they have helped, and explores how others have embraced these same ideas.

Insightful and honest as only Anne Lamott can be, Help, Thanks, Wow is the everyday faith book that new Lamott readers will love and longtime Lamott fans will treasure.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope April is finding you somewhere between grounded and hopeful, with a feeling that something new could be quietly unfolding. there aren’t many built-in pauses in life, which is why the faith & culture 5 is here in the first place—a small weekly reset, a moment to slow your pace, notice what’s around you, and reflect a bit. each edition gathers five things to spend time with, plus a book to consider—chosen to stir curiosity, deepen your perspective, and offer a bit of thoughtful company along the way.

as the weeks start to take shape, i’d love to know what’s been sitting with you lately. maybe it’s something you heard, something you read, or even just a line that’s stayed longer than expected. i’d genuinely love to hear.

if you’re in the substack app, tap the speech bubble below. if you’re reading this in your inbox, you can use the comment icon at the top or bottom of the email to jump in.

let’s ease into it:

Let’s dive in:

1. Israeli Police Prevent Catholic Leaders From Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at Jerusalem Church

Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries, setting off a wave of criticism from the United States and others.

2. There’s a Good Reason You Can’t Concentrate

In our current moment we face a new crisis, one that affects our minds more than our bodies: the negative impact of digital technology on our ability to think. Is it time for a new revolution?

3. Trump’s Spiritual Advisor Sparks Backlash for Comparing President’s Life to Jesus

Paula White-Cain says Trump was 'betrayed and falsely accused' in a 'familiar pattern that our lord and savior showed us'

4. Supporters of Household Voting Believe U.S. Would Be Better Off Without Women’s Vote

Adherents to biblical patriarchy support household voting: One household, one vote — the husband’s. They say the idea is catching on.

5. The Real Religious ‘Renewal’ Happening in Gen Z

Some pastors and politicians claim that a Christian revival is afoot among young Americans. Nationwide data tell a different story.

—

From Dropout to Doctorate by Terence Lester, PhD

Born into an impoverished community in a two-parent household that later fractured, Terence Lester and his sister were moved from place to place by their mother in a search for safety and stability. Carrying the heavy weight of that early trauma, Lester’s path led him to gangs, juvenile delinquency, and even homelessness, at one point living out of his car. He eventually dropped out of high school, another statistic in a system designed to fail him.

But his journey did not end in despair. Lester returned to school, graduating as a fifth-year senior against all odds. He went on to earn five degrees, including a PhD in public policy.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope this season is finding you with a bit of steadiness, a bit of hope, and the quiet sense that something new might be beginning. Life rarely gives us many natural pauses, which is why The Faith & Culture 5 exists—to offer a small, weekly moment to slow down, look around, and reflect. Each edition gathers five pieces worth your attention, along with one book recommendation, all chosen to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and keep you thoughtful company in the weeks ahead.

As this month unfolds, I’d love to know what’s been staying with you lately. Maybe it’s a podcast episode, an article, or even a single sentence you haven’t been able to shake. I’d love to hear about it.

If you’re reading in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this arrived in your inbox, you can click the comment bubble at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. This AI Robot is Trained as a Buddhist Monk

Named “Buddharoid”, the humanoid robot has been trained on vast Buddhist scriptures and can hold engaging conversations while moving and gesturing like a human priest

2. The New Infidelity

Micro-cheating includes all sorts of internet behavior that, to many people, might just seem innocent.

3. Thousands of Crows Swarm Tel Aviv Skyline in ‘Harbinger of Doom’ Omen

The skies over Tel Aviv were flooded with a sea of crows on Tuesday, in what many people are saying is a 'harbinger of doom' warning.

4. At Pentagon Christian Service, Hegseth Prays for Violence ‘Against Those Who Deserve No Mercy’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have "every round find its mark."

5. How to Believe in God

Searching for scientific proof for faith misunderstands faith.

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Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark by James K.A. Smith

How do we live when we don’t know what to believe, or who to believe, or how we could even know? In this deeply felt book, philosopher James K. A. Smith explores how radical uncertainty can be liberating, opening us to another way of being. The pain of his own profound uncertainty led Smith to a surprising source for modern consolation: the mystical experiences of St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and the author of The Cloud of Unknowing. These mystics testify to a deeper truth beneath distraction, anxiety, and fear: love.

Drawing on ancient traditions of contemplation as well as on contemporary novels, poetry, film, and paintings, Smith speaks to the fundamental yearnings that persist in late modernity, including the philosophical quest for knowledge and certainty. He shows us how the gifts of the Christian contemplative tradition and the riches of creative works embody a liberating spirituality that recovers the fullness of being human.

In bringing a philosopher’s questions to the mystics, Smith brings a mystical heart back to philosophy.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

With March now underway, I hope this season is finding you with a bit of steadiness, a bit of hope, and the quiet sense that something new might be beginning. Life rarely gives us many natural pauses, which is why The Faith & Culture 5 exists—to offer a small, weekly moment to slow down, look around, and reflect. Each edition gathers five pieces worth your attention, along with one book recommendation, all chosen to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and keep you thoughtful company in the weeks ahead.

As this month unfolds, I’d love to know what’s been staying with you lately. Maybe it’s a podcast episode, an article, or even a single sentence you haven’t been able to shake. I’d love to hear about it.

If you’re reading in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this arrived in your inbox, you can click the comment bubble at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. UN Raises Concerns of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Mass Displacement of West Bank Palestinians

Office of human rights says 36,000 Palestinians displaced in October 2024-October 2025, charges Israel played ‘central role’; Israel says office is ‘epicenter of vile anti-Israel activism’

2. Joseph Duggar of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ Faces Child Sex Abuse Charges

Mr. Duggar, a former star of the TLC reality show, was arrested in Arkansas and was awaiting extradition to Florida, where the authorities said he molested a 9-year-old girl in 2020.

3. The Longevity Bros Are cold Plunging Wrong

The practice has its benefits. Just not the ones wellness influencers are loudest about.

4. I Found Over 100 Letters To ‘My Future Husband’ In An Old Box At My Parents’ House. Reading Them to my Actual Husband Has Been Excruciating— And Liberating.

"It was intended to be read by the lucky man on our wedding night. Predictably, I waxed on about my virginal purity and the 'special gift' I’d been saving for him."

5. The US-Israel War on Iran is Shaped by Religion as Much as Strategy

The conflict has mutated into a zero-sum collision of competing messianic frameworks.

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Counter Weights by Shannan Martin

didn't feel so heavy, to wish we didn't feel so powerless. We have this sense that there is a better life, a better world out there, just around the bend. But this is our actual life, and it mostly falls somewhere between the terrible and the sublime--ordinary hours crammed with small griefs and pops of joy. We move through our days with one fist full of possibility and the other clutching panic. And we only get to do this once, so we want to make it count.

What can we do--today--to remain upright and hopeful through it all?

With humor, humility, and a voice all her own, Shannan Martin introduces you to the heart-changing concept of counterweights: the essential practice of holding both the good and the bad with honesty and hope. She paints a compelling picture of noticing the ordinary, accessible delights hiding in plain sight--reminders that, even in tough times, life can be beautiful and deeply good.—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

With March now underway, I hope this season is finding you with a bit of steadiness, a bit of hope, and the quiet sense that something new might be beginning. Life rarely gives us many natural pauses, which is why The Faith & Culture 5 exists—to offer a small, weekly moment to slow down, look around, and reflect. Each edition gathers five pieces worth your attention, along with one book recommendation, all chosen to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and keep you thoughtful company in the weeks ahead.

As this month unfolds, I’d love to know what’s been staying with you lately. Maybe it’s a podcast episode, an article, or even a single sentence you haven’t been able to shake. I’d love to hear about it.

If you’re reading in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this arrived in your inbox, you can click the comment bubble at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. How ‘Christian Nationalist’ Became an Epithet

Religious beliefs have driven political change for centuries. The question today is which Christian values will prevail.

2. What Would Jesus Say About AI? Are we Building Another Golden Calf?

Yes, technology makes Scripture searches convenient, but faithful believers miss the community experience and mystical connection that AI can never provide

3. How God Got So Great

What monotheism means is surprisingly hard to pin down, but there’s a reason it swept the world.

4. The Deepak Chopra-Jeffrey Epstein friendship tells of a spirituality industry in crisis

Chopra’s friendship with Epstein is dismaying, in part for what it says about the spiritual and wellness culture he exemplifies.

5. We Should Demand More From MAHA

RFK Jr. and surgeon general nominee Casey Means identify real problems in American health and medicine. But their solutions are lacking.

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Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul by John Philip Newell

A leading spiritual teacher reveals how Celtic spirituality―listening to the sacred around us and inside of us―can help us heal the earth, overcome our conflicts, and reconnect with ourselves.

John Philip Newell shares the long, hidden tradition of Celtic Christianity, explaining how this earth-based spirituality can help us rediscover the natural rhythms of life and deepen our spiritual connection with God, with each other, and with the earth. Newell introduces some of Celtic Christianity’s leading practitioners, both saints and pioneers of faith, whose timeless wisdom is more necessary than ever.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

With March now underway, I hope this season is finding you with a bit of steadiness, a bit of hope, and the quiet sense that something new might be beginning. Life rarely gives us many natural pauses, which is why The Faith & Culture 5 exists—to offer a small, weekly moment to slow down, look around, and reflect. Each edition gathers five pieces worth your attention, along with one book recommendation, all chosen to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and keep you thoughtful company in the weeks ahead.

As this month unfolds, I’d love to know what’s been staying with you lately. Maybe it’s a podcast episode, an article, or even a single sentence you haven’t been able to shake. I’d love to hear about it.

If you’re reading in the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. If this arrived in your inbox, you can click the comment bubble at the top or bottom of the email to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. Minnie Driver Joins the Bible Cinematic Universe as Sarah in FOX’s New Drama

The Good Will Hunting actress has been cast in The Faithful—FOX’s glossy upcoming limited series billed as a “faithful dramatization” of Genesis.

2. Swarms of Locusts Across Sahara and Spanish Tourist Destination Described as ‘Biblical’

Massive swarms of locusts have been flying across the Sahara Desert before moving on to other locations like the Spanish tourist destination, the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa.

3. Ware in Iran Fails Just War Test

As U.S. and Israeli forces continue their attack against Iran, President Trump justified the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as "justice" for the Iranian people.

4. 5 Things to Know About James Talarico

A Presbyterian seminarian, the Democrat has put his faith at the forefront of his political pitch.

5. Allen Levi on ‘Theo of Golden’

The author sits down with Russell in Andrew Peterson’s Chapter House for a conversation on the breakout novel.

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Growing Up Saved by Kristen LaValley

Kristen LaValley grew up a church kid through and through. She said “the sinner’s prayer” before she could write her name―and spent the next few decades trying to prove she meant it; in a body that couldn’t rest, with a mind she didn’t yet understand, under a God she was afraid to disappoint. She learned to perform the kind of faith that got praised: one that hid pain and swallowed questions.

But in the thick of depression, spiritual exhaustion, and a late ADHD diagnosis, she found herself wondering if the faith she’d built her life on could really hold her.

In Growing Up Saved, Kristen maps the slow undoing of a faith formed in certainty and what it took to find God in the middle of her unraveling.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

As February unfolds, I hope this month is meeting you with a little steadiness, a little hope, and room to breathe. In a world that rarely slows down, The Faith & Culture 5 is your weekly pause—a gentle invitation to settle in, reflect, and pay attention. Each issue offers five thoughtfully chosen pieces worth your time, plus one book recommendation, all curated to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and companion you through the weeks ahead.

As we turn the page into this month, I’d love to hear what’s been lingering with you lately. Maybe a podcast episode, an article, or a single line you can’t shake. Share it with me. If you’re reading on the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. In your inbox? Click the bubble at the top or bottom to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. Jay Shetty Wants to Think Like a Monk and Live Like a Mogul

Part of Shetty’s success has to do with his message: a breezy, New Age-leaning blend of pop psychology and life tips overlaid with a reassuring patina of Eastern spirituality.

2. Inside the Christian Civil War Over Antisemitism

‘To be antisemitic is to be anti-Christian,’ a famous Catholic once said. Today, many young Catholics believe that’s outdated.

3. One of the Bible’s Greatest Moral Revolutions | Opinion

Many of the administration officials who champion this project often invoke God in their speeches, asserting that their allegiance to the Constitution is rooted in their fealty to a far older text: the Bible.

4. Anthropic Takes a Stand

Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sat down with Dario Amodei, the CEO of the leading AI firm Anthropic, for a conversation about ethics.

5. Simon & Schuster Sets Inaugural Religion List

Jonathan Merritt, VP and executive editor of Simon & Schuster's new religion list that was announced last May, has announced the first nine deals he has signed, with the first title coming out in September and the rest to follow in spring and fall 2027.

—

The Book of Charlie by David Von Drehle

When a veteran Washington journalist moved to Kansas, he met a new neighbor who was more than a century old. Little did he know that he was beginning a long friendship—and a profound lesson in the meaning of life. Charlie White was no ordinary neighbor. Born before radio, Charlie lived long enough to use a smartphone. When a shocking tragedy interrupted his idyllic boyhood, Charlie mastered survival strategies that reflect thousands of years of human wisdom. Thus armored, Charlie’s sense of adventure carried him on an epic journey of the Jazz Age, racing aboard ambulances through Depression-era gangster wars, improvising techniques for early open-heart surgery, and cruising the Amazon as a guest of Peru’s president.

David Von Drehle came to understand that Charlie’s resilience and willingness to grow made this remarkable neighbor a master in the art of thriving through times of dramatic change. As a gift to his children, he set out to tell Charlie’s secrets. The Book of Charlie is a “genuinely original, formula-shattering” (Bob Woodward) gospel of grit—the inspiring story of one man’s journey through a century of upheaval. The history that unfolds through Charlie’s story reminds you that the United States has always been a divided nation, a questing nation—a nation of Charlies in the rollercoaster pursuit of a good and meaningful life.

—

Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

As February unfolds, I hope this new month is meeting you with a little steadiness, a little hope, and room to breathe. In a world that rarely slows down, The Faith & Culture 5 is your weekly pause—a gentle invitation to settle in, reflect, and pay attention. Each issue offers five thoughtfully chosen pieces worth your time, plus one book recommendation, all curated to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and companion you through the weeks ahead.

As we turn the page into this month, I’d love to hear what’s been lingering with you lately. Maybe a podcast episode, an article, or a single line you can’t shake. Share it with me. If you’re reading on the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. In your inbox? Click the bubble at the top or bottom to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. How Taylor Tomlinson Survived the Church and Lived to Tell Jokes About it

The comedian discusses her new special, Prodigal Daughter, her conservative-Christian upbringing, and finally coming into her own in her thirties

2. Chick-fil-A Is Testing Sweet Potato Fries and Straight Fries

The chain is testing Sweet Potato Waffle Fries and classic French fries as part of a broader lineup of potential new sides.

3. The Longevity Scam

Pouring some cold water on cold plunges

4. Hegseth Invited Pastor who Calls for Christian Theocracy to Lead Pentagon Prayer Service

A controversial pastor who supports repealing women’s right to vote and believes homosexuality should be a crime led a worship service at the Pentagon this week, saying he was invited by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

5. How to Pay Attention

“Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer,” the philosopher and mystic Simone Weil wrote.

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Getting Through What You’re Going Through by Tanner Olson

Maybe you thought you’d be further along by now. Or have a different kind of life. Maybe you thought that relationship would have happened, that dream would have come true, that path would have opened up—and it didn’t. Or you feel stuck, behind, not sure if you made a wrong turn somewhere. You’re trying to make sense of what is, even if what “is” is not what you thought it would be. Or maybe you’re searching for a moment of peace before carrying on.

Getting Through What You’re Going Through by poet and writer Tanner Olson explores these ideas and offers you hope through it all. You don’t have to just “get through”; you can “go through”—all the ups and downs, disappointments, unexpected surprises—knowing that God is present and hope remains. In this collection of over one hundred poems and reflections, Tanner shows that God’s timing may be slow until it isn’t. Every day presents a gift to open. And hope is there to be found in the simplest things—a cup of coffee, a good friend, a single pancake.

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Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

As February unfolds, I hope this new month is meeting you with a little steadiness, a little hope, and room to breathe. In a world that rarely slows down, The Faith & Culture 5 is your weekly pause—a gentle invitation to settle in, reflect, and pay attention. Each issue offers five thoughtfully chosen pieces worth your time, plus one book recommendation, all curated to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and companion you through the weeks ahead.

As we turn the page into this month, I’d love to hear what’s been lingering with you lately. Maybe a podcast episode, an article, or a single line you can’t shake. Share it with me. If you’re reading on the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. In your inbox? Click the bubble at the top or bottom to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. When the Clowns Went to Church

Every February, clowns pack into a London church to honor Joseph Grimaldi, a pioneering 19th-century clown. Hundreds of onlookers come for the merriment, too.

2. The Tide Goes Out on Youth Gender Medicine

American doctors are no longer united on the wisdom of medicalizing gender dysphoria in minors.

3. A Theology of Immigration

“None of us have a permanent residence here in this world,” the Reverend Dan Groody says.

4. From Churches to Chatbots: How AI is Fusing with Religion

From writing sermons to simulating conversations with Jesus, religious leaders and worshippers alike are experimenting with AI — though not without controversy.

5. Donald Trump, Pagan King | Opinion

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada recently described the world that President Trump is dragging us into with this aphorism: “The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”

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The Art of Letting Go by Richard Rohr

We often think of saints as rare individuals whose gifts far exceed our own, and St. Francis is no exception. But for Fr. Richard Rohr, a prolific author and renowned speaker, the life and teachings of this beloved figure offer an authentic spirituality we can all embody.

On the Art of Letting Go, Fr. Rohr gives us a six session learning course that explores: the surprising richness we discover by simplifying our lives - without taking a vow of poverty; liberation from our self-limiting biases and certitudes; contemplation and action, two key steps toward communing more deeply with the Divine, and more.

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Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

As February unfolds, I hope this new month is meeting you with a little steadiness, a little hope, and room to breathe. In a world that rarely slows down, The Faith & Culture 5 is your weekly pause—a gentle invitation to settle in, reflect, and pay attention. Each issue offers five thoughtfully chosen pieces worth your time, plus one book recommendation, all curated to spark curiosity, deepen perspective, and companion you through the weeks ahead.

As we turn the page into this month, I’d love to hear what’s been lingering with you lately. Maybe a podcast episode, an article, or a single line you can’t shake. Share it with me. If you’re reading on the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. In your inbox? Click the bubble at the top or bottom to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. Jelly Roll Wins His First-Ever Grammys and Urges Deeper Relationship with Jesus

The hip-hop-country hyphenate grew passionate about God from the Crypto.com stage.

2. Rev. James Martin on Our Moral Duty in Turbulent Times

Over the past year, American bishops and clergy have increasingly spoken out against President Trump’s policies, including on immigration.

3. ‘TODAY’ Co-hosts honor SAvannah Guthrie’s Faith Amid the Search for Her Missing Mom

As the search for Nancy Guthrie continues, the “TODAY” co-anchor wrote on Instagram that “we believe in prayer.”

4. Clergy Protests Against ICE Turned to a Classic — and Powerful — American Playlist

The freedom songs, though, have a unique staying power in American culture – partly because of their historical associations and partly because of the songs themselves.

5. The Chatbots Appear to Be Organizing

Moltbook is the chaotic future of the internet.

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Work in Progress by James Martin, SJ

Work in Progress is a snapshot of several years—first as a boy, then as a teenager, and finally as a young adult--of being thrown into a series of jobs for which Martin had zero training. He had never set foot in a restaurant kitchen before working as a busboy and dishwasher; never stepped onto a golf course before working as a caddy; and had never seen a factory floor before working as an assembly-line worker. He almost always felt uncomfortable, unsettled, and uneasy. But, like many of us, he needed the money.

This coming-of-age story is set in the 1960s and 1970s, a lighthearted tale for readers who enjoy personal narratives, and it’s unlike anything Father Martin has written before. As he puts it, “This is a spiritual memoir from a different angle … told ‘slant’ as Emily Dickinson might say.”

Each chapter features photos of memories and milestones throughout Father Martin’s young life. If you’re an aficionado of snafus, you won’t be disappointed. He’s not the hero of these stories, more a hapless teenager who learns in each job, even the ones he loathes, something about the value of work, about what it means to be an adult, about people, and about life overall.

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Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I hope this season of new beginnings is finding you grounded, hopeful, and well. In a world that rarely slows down, The Faith & Culture 5 is your weekly reminder to ease into the moment—to get comfortable, reflect, and settle in. Each issue brings you five thoughtfully chosen pieces worth your time, along with one book recommendation, all selected to inspire curiosity, deepen perspective, and spark meaningful reflection as we step into the year ahead.

I’d love to hear from you as we begin this new chapter together: what’s been staying with you lately? Maybe a podcast episode, an article, or a single line that keeps echoing. Share it with me. If you’re on the Substack app, tap the speech bubble below. Reading in your inbox? Click the bubble at the top or bottom to join the conversation.

Let’s dive in:

1. In a Harlem Church, a Free Three-Course Dinner, No Questions Asked

Two nights a week at Refettorio Harlem, chefs turn donated food that would otherwise go to waste into a multicourse dinner that is served to anyone who is hungry.

2. Lady Gaga Covers Mister Rogres’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”

One of the many commercials set to air during the event comes from Redfin and Rocket Mortgage, who have recruited Lady Gaga to cover the Mister Rogers’ theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”.

3. Don Lemon Arrested After Conservative Backlash to Minnesota Church Protest

Journalist Don Lemon was arrested by federal agents on Thursday night following backlash over his coverage of an anti-ICE protest in a Minnesota church, his lawyer said Friday morning.

4. AI: Should We Build This?

In 2026, the question ‘Should we build this?’ will matter more than ‘Can we build this?’

5. Nicki Minaj Says “God is Protecting Trump” in Weird Press Conference

Minaj spoke about her love of Trump for about one minute, before the president quickly rushed her offstage.

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Joy of Solitude by Robert J. Coplan

The Joy of Solitude is a vital resource for those who wish to understand the complexities of solitude and its potential to enhance mental health, creativity, and self-discovery. Whether you seek affirmation for your love of solitude or strive to find balance within it, Coplan’s insights are indispensable tools for enriching your relationship with yourself and others.

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Thank you so much for being a part of this community! I’ll see you next week.

Jm

Thanks for reading Still Christian by Jonathan Merritt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.