Evidence

For a U.S. election day, the author offers three prayers from the Book of Common Prayer as fitting prayers for Christians. He frames them as prayers for the nation's freedom, peace, justice, and forbearance under God's will, and for peace that requires wisdom and leads to God-like love. He also asks that candidates and winners serve all people rather than one party, ministering with wisdom, patience, and courage to the suffering, friendless, and needy.

The author reviews Scott Ellsworth's The Ground Breaking, a history of the 1921 Tulsa massacre and its aftermath, calling it the best history book he has read in a decade and urging it be required reading. He describes the massacre as a white mob atrocity against Black Tulsans that was then covered up, and praises historians for recovering it. He argues the story is central to telling the truth about America and calls for lament, restoration, reparations, and reconciliation.

A short newsletter preview lists the posts planned for the first week of November: an unnamed book the author calls the best he has read in a decade, prayers for Election Day, and two essays. The previews say that character matters more than culture, and culture more than strategies or skills. They also say that systematic theology has seductive powers.

The text quotes Revelation 7:9–12 from The Second Testament, rendering John's vision of a countless multiethnic crowd and the heavenly beings worshiping God and the Lamb before the throne. It offers no commentary or interpretation of the passage, so it states no claims of its own.

The newsletter is a roundup of personal news and excerpts from other writers: a golf match with the author's son, Pope Leo XIV's request for a mail ballot, incarcerated women graduating from Northwestern, Dictionary.com's word of the year, a profile of a death-penalty mitigation specialist, and a historian's reconsideration of Constantine. In his own voice the author mainly commends Daniel K. Williams' study of Christianity Today. That study ties the magazine's decline to the broader decline of midwestern evangelicalism rather than only to recent editorial decisions.

The essay, by pastor Mike Glenn, argues that people watch Christians' conduct long before they listen to their message, and that many respect Jesus but reject Christianity because of how Christians treat one another. It criticizes the constant negativity and public infighting in Christian media and argues that such conflict tells outsiders they would not be loved in church. As remedies, it urges following Matthew 18 to settle disputes privately, praying for one another instead of judging, and loving fellow believers as a witness to Jesus' love.

Scot McKnight reviews the fifth chapter and overall argument of Bonnie Kristian's In Defense of Evangelicalism, focusing on Christian nationalism and noting turmoil at Christianity Today. He grants that some criticism of evangelicals is hyperbolic and that ordinary evangelicals are basically good, but argues that Christian nationalism is a real and widespread problem, that sociological research on it is credible, and that politics is about how much control is sought. He contends Kristian minimizes the problems produced by evangelical leadership's political theology, that critics' hyperbole is prophetic, and that evangelicalism needs a renewed kingdom-centered gospel vision, a generation of good works, and confession rather than defense.

Scot McKnight lists the ten lessons of Joshua Jipp's book on the Bible's worst rulers, which he commends as timely and fitting for the current season in the United States. He presents, approvingly, Jipp's contrast between the way of Jesus and the way of Satan in leadership. Each tyrannical practice (exploitation, fear of outsiders, religious legitimation, disregard for truth, favoring elites, and others) is paired with a faithful alternative such as hospitality, sincere worship, and truth-telling.

The author contrasts Ronald Reagan with Donald Trump, focusing on Russia. Drawing on Reagan's 1982 Westminster speech against totalitarianism, he argues that Trump's alignment with Putin is disastrous and indefensible, that Reagan would have resisted it, and that the current administration is gripped by delusion and has closed the nation's borders. He recommends Timothy Snyder's book on Putin's Russia, calls Trump a political opportunist unlike Reagan, and holds up Al Gore's 2000 concession as a model against Trump's refusal to concede in 2020.

This is a short newsletter post previewing the week's scheduled posts. The topics are a comparison of Ronald Reagan with the current president's claim to be like him, focused on relations with Russia; how (not) to be a tyrant; a final post on Bonnie Kristian's new book; and a fresh look at the Pharisees. The post states no argued positions of its own.

The text is a weekly gospel reading of Matthew 22:34–46 in the author's own translation, The Second Testament, with no added commentary. Under the heading "his creed," the author presents the double command to love God and neighbor as the summary of the Law and the prophets. The reading also includes Jesus' question about how the Messiah can be both David's son and David's Lord.

This newsletter roundup opens with a reflection arguing that Jesus's core message was the present availability of the kingdom (empire) of God, which subverts human empires, their domination hierarchies, and authoritarian images of God, and that Jesus does not legitimize nation-states. It then excerpts pieces on fear, on translating 1 Corinthians 16:13, on turmoil at Christianity Today, and on Kregel's leadership, with the author suspecting multiple causes for Christianity Today's changes and lamenting its distance from the theological skill of Carl Henry and Kenneth Kantzer. It closes by sharing his co-author Tommy Phillips's guide to reading Romans in light of its small house-church audience.

A guest essay by Mike Glenn compares a friend's devotion to AA with the commitment of Christians, including the author, to following Jesus. Agreeing with the friend that AA does church better than the church, it argues that churches should be open and non-judgmental and should have mature members helping newcomers. It calls for frequent attendance, daily self-examination against the Sermon on the Mount, mentoring, and care for those who struggle. It traces Christian half-heartedness to the belief that discipleship is a matter of willpower rather than a recognition of one's powerlessness and need for help.

The text is a brief weekly preview from a newsletter. It announces upcoming posts: one on what makes an American "American," a fourth installment on Bonnie Kristian, a post on new books, and one on the central theme of the Book of Acts. It makes no argued claims.

The essay argues that what defines being American is commitment to being a nation of laws, and it draws on Lincoln's 1838 Lyceum address, which it praises and adopts: citizens should revere and obey the law, and mob action is never justified. It charges the current administration with disregarding process, Congress, and international law. It contends that Trump is no rival to Lincoln and that lawlessness rots national character. It denies that Lincoln's 'political religion' was Christian nationalism, notes that respect for law need not mean endorsing every law or opposing conscience, and closes by adopting Theodore Roosevelt's warning about politicians who promise to do wrong on voters' behalf.

The piece introduces John Fea's book on whether America was founded as a Christian nation, set against the rise of Christian nationalism. McKnight argues that Christian nationalism is more widespread among evangelicals than commentators admit, citing Matthew D. Taylor, Whitehead, Perry, and Gorski. He notes that members of the current administration claim a Christian founding and says a trained historian is needed to address these questions. He commends Fea's book as a clear, nuanced primer suitable for churches and libraries, and lists its ten chapter questions.

The text is a short liturgical prayer, or collect, addressed to God. It affirms that God has revealed his glory among the nations in Christ and asks God to preserve his merciful works so that the worldwide Church may persevere in steadfast faith. It closes with a Trinitarian confession that Christ lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit as one God forever.

A short seasonal roundup recommending five new books: Gorman on Paul's theology as lived rather than abstract, Jipp on leadership lessons from biblical tyrants, Edwards as an introduction to atonement theology, Keener on the historical reliability of the Gospels, and DeGroat on cultivating character. The author praises Keener's ability to write accessibly, unlike some academics. He also argues that the problem in church leadership is character rather than a lack of procedures or accountability structures.

This newsletter entry is a roundup of excerpts on several topics, with brief comments from the author. In his own voice he argues that gambling creates a fiercely resistant addiction, says ESPN should stop drawing money from gambling, and commends producer Nicole Noren for leaving the network over it. He labels as preposterous the claim by Christian nationalist podcasters that women lack agency and need a male covering, and he takes up Sandra Glahn's reply that Scripture presents women as judges, prophets, landowners, and business owners.

The essay, by Mike Glenn, argues that real ordination happens when a local congregation recognizes and trusts someone's ministry, a process every pastor must undergo anew in each church. Glenn holds that congregations discern who walks with Christ, recognize informal leaders who are often unpaid and without office, and ordain people to different ministries according to their gifts. He contends that churches care whether a person loves Jesus rather than whether they are a man or a woman, citing a woman named Gayle who was recognized for her prayer ministry. He concludes that the local church, not denominations or institutions, ordains its leaders, and that others should heed what the church knows.

In this newsletter post, a reply to a friend troubled that a close Christian friend backs Trump and JD Vance, the author draws on his father's partisanship and on Old Testament teaching. He argues that Christians should neither fuse with nor cut off politically opposed loved ones, but practice differentiation with humility. He also contends that the Bible commands love of foreigners, that nationalism and exceptionalism are dangerous, and that Trump's supporters have been duped.

McKnight begins a chapter-by-chapter review of Bonnie Kristian's book defending evangelicalism against its cultural critics, focusing on its introduction and its definition of evangelicalism. He disputes her view that critics wrongly equate evangelicalism with Trump-supporting white evangelicals, her inclusion of the Black church, her claim of fuzzy boundaries, and her dismissal of abusive figures as fringe. He argues that evangelical gatekeepers do police belonging, that evangelical leaders should publicly criticize Trump, and that good churches and corrupted, abusive pastors both exist.

This is the third part of Scot McKnight's review of Kristin Kobes Du Mez's Live Laugh Love. He finishes summarizing the book's last chapters, covering the ideal 'smokin' hot' wife, performed femininity as a political act, and abuse cover-ups. He then defends the book against critics, argues that it tells a credible but partial story, and notes what it leaves out, such as complementarianism and ordinary evangelical women. He concludes that it has tapped a neglected Wesleyan-holiness stream of evangelicalism and exposed a deep segment of evangelical women.

Scot McKnight reviews and recommends Robert Chao Romero and Jeff Liou's book on Christianity and critical race theory. He argues that racism is systemic, that CRT is a needed tool for exposing it, and that Christians should drop their stereotypes of CRT. He adopts the book's claims that racism is rooted in human sinfulness, that communities of color have distinct cultural wealth, and that dismissing CRT amounts to privileged false peace.

McKnight previews Joash Thomas's book The Justice of Jesus, which criticizes white North American evangelicals for resisting social justice. He agrees with Thomas's definition of justice and his point that much of the Western church has put souls ahead of bodies, but thinks Thomas overstates that point. He accepts Thomas's claim that a colonizer's gospel shapes many churches, ties it to racism and slavery, and links the decline of social justice to MAGA-aligned churches and Project 2025. He also argues that injustice harms oppressors as well as the oppressed and that the charge of "woke" is a power grab.

In a short thread promoting a forthcoming book, the author argues that the present wave of deconstruction should not be condemned as evil. He holds that it is often a movement of the Spirit calling the church back to Jesus.

The author, reflecting on a recent SBC vote barring churches that let women function as pastors, argues that this restriction is a recent development and not Baptist tradition. She contends it is driven by power as well as theology, with echoes of the SBC's pro-slavery past, and says it inconsistently allows women to lead on the mission field. She reads Scripture, especially Phoebe and Romans 16, as showing women in ministry, and calls the church to ask whom God has called and equipped. She presents the freedom of women in the kingdom as the way of Jesus.

A brief post by Scot McKnight that quotes historian Jill Lepore on concealed carry. The quoted view holds that celebrating armed self-defense as citizenship, instead of mourning it as a failure of civil society, erodes civilian life. The post adds no commentary of its own, so it is recorded as sharing the quote's view.

McKnight argues that American evangelicalism has been unmasked as corrupt and has lost its social credibility through clergy abuse, complicity in racism, alignment with the Republican Party, and masculinist power-seeking. He commends works by Burge, Du Mez, Barr, and Byrd as exposing these problems, criticizes opposition to Critical Race Theory and the Southern Baptist Convention's leadership, and calls for a Jesus-shaped life of using power for others.

Responding to Peter Wehner's critique of Trump's vengefulness, McKnight reads John 12 and Philippians 3 to argue that Christians become what they worship. He contends that political vindictiveness and the pursuit of election wins draw believers away from Christ, who shapes his worshipers toward grace, forgiveness, love, peace, and justice. He warns against worshiping power or the nation and urges Christians to protect the republic's ideals through speaking out and the virtues Wehner names.

The text is a republished excerpt from Heather Cox Richardson with no added commentary from the author. It reports that nine former CDC directors published an op-ed warning that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s policies, including firings, vaccine skepticism, and cuts to research, endanger public health. The author's only visible stance is sharing this account, recorded as a hedged endorsement of the source.

McKnight reviews Maggie Doherty's book on the 'equivalents' at the Radcliffe Institute, which he treats as the birth of second wave feminism. He recommends it as history and as a guide to starting movements. He ties 1950s gender scripts to evangelical complementarianism, argues that women faced systemic barriers, and encourages readers to join the next stage of the fight for women.

McKnight reviews former pastor Jeff Mikels' book Evangelical Idolatry. He commends it as a candid account of pastors' failure to disciple congregations against Christian nationalism and conservative cultural idols. He agrees with Mikels' broader, Jesus-centered view of the gospel, in which Paul and Jesus preach the same good news, and he criticizes an evangelicalism that reduces Jesus to a role in a Reformation reading of Romans.

McKnight opens a series on Keas Keasler's book on Dallas Willard by recalling his own debt to Willard, especially The Divine Conspiracy. He adopts Keasler's summary of Willard as a practice-oriented theologian of the Christian life whose view of formation joins grace and effort and is inherently missional. He also holds that Willard's ecclesiology was thin, but says he may change his mind, and he calls Willard's focus on the person we become virtue ethics.

McKnight reviews chapter four of a book on Indigenous (Turtle Island) Bible interpretation, which links Indigenous experiences of ancestors, dreams, and visions to similar biblical themes. He praises the book while asking for more nuanced comparison of similarities and differences, and he agrees with its rejection of the view that Indigenous lifeways are inherently pagan. He argues that ancestry shapes identity, that Indigenous Christians inevitably blend biblical and native ancestry, and that all Christians are culturally embedded.

McKnight presents and largely endorses Jesse Nickel's book on Jesus and violence, taking from it that Jesus rejected violence and that peace, understood as wholeness and restoration, defines the kingdom. He reads the Sermon on the Mount's Beatitudes as descriptions of the people God blesses rather than as commands, and he qualifies Pennington's "flourishing" reading of blessing. He argues that Jesus' teaching on non-resistance calls for active, nonviolent, generous resistance to evil.

The author suggests that younger and former evangelicals raised in Republican homes are shifting toward the Democratic Party, driven by disillusionment with the evangelical-GOP alliance, Christian nationalism, racism, and policy concerns. He argues that evangelicalism has been harmed by political alignment and has lost its prophetic voice. He draws on Hauerwas, Carl Henry, Hunter, and Balmer to argue that Christians should not seek to coerce society through political power and that faith is better served from the margins.

McKnight reviews Warren Throckmorton's book The Christian Past That Wasn't, which debunks myths that America was founded as a Christian nation. He praises the book, dismisses David Barton's historical work, and presents an example of a misattributed Madison quote used to justify Louisiana's Ten Commandments law. He adopts Throckmorton's definition of Christian nationalism and concludes that American law does not support it.

The author warns against Christian list-making that sorts people into Good Guys and Bad Guys, citing Anne Lamott's remark about creating God in our own image. He reads Luke 6's Blesseds and Woes as people-group lists that reverse cultural approval, and says Jesus' one virtue is following him by loving God and others and caring for the poor and suffering. He closes by reversing Lamott: God is recreating us when we love those God loves.

A newsletter roundup in which McKnight opens by noting the confusion of the times and then highlights writings by others. He commends a Sunday School lesson on Obadiah applied to U.S. policy toward the vulnerable and immigrants, a pastor's reflections on the Johannine community and deconstruction, Timothy Snyder's description of Musk's actions as a coup, Paul Kingsnorth's critique of Christian civilisationism, and Skylar Ray's call to love through attention to local history.

A guest essay on Scot McKnight's newsletter, with a physician's account from Minneapolis, responds to aggressive ICE enforcement. It argues that the enforcement is cruel, unjust, and at odds with Jesus' command to love, and that leaders who claim Christ while brutalizing others bear bad fruit. It urges Christians to respond with love, advocacy, prayer, service, and peaceful protest, citing the biblical call to love the foreigner.

This short newsletter post sets out Old Testament passages (Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 27, Numbers 15) on how Israelites were to treat resident aliens, and the title stresses that the same law applies to both. It then reproduces a long political commentary by Heather Cox Richardson on FEMA, immigration enforcement spending, and Christian nationalism. The author adds no explicit comment of his own, so the only claim listed is the biblical teaching on immigrants.

Not reviewed yet.