Christa Brown
@christabrown.bsky.social
Author of BAPTISTLAND | Exposing the truth about systemic abuse & coverups in the Southern Baptist Convention | retired appellate attorney | #ThisistheSBC #SBCtoo | christabrown.substack.com
"Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right."
Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · 2d agoIt’s taken me 47 years, but some kind of switch flipped this year and I’ve gotten really into the Grateful Dead. www.npr.org/2026/08/03/n...
The thin line between US President policy making satire and reality ... via Arthur Barnes
"Donald Trump’s presidencies are the evangelical church’s unwanted gift to America." - @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social (Love this image!) www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/o...
Opinion | Gen Z Thinks Religion Got Too Political (Gift Article)
I wonder why that could be.
nytimes.com
In attacking judges whose rulings they don't like, Trump officials not only put judges at personal risk but also attempt to delegitimize the independence of the judiciary, which is a hallmark of our democracy.
Jen Bendery@jbendery.bsky.social · last wk.NEW from me: A senior Trump official is using his govt social media account to attack sitting federal judges, sparking accusations he's putting their safety at risk as judges already face a spike in violent threats. This “puts a bullseye” on them, one judge told me. www.huffpost.com/entry/james-...
On Doug Wilson: "There is no longer any check from mainstream evangelicals on their right flank... Rather than saying 'No, this guy is dangerous...for the church...for women...for democracy,' instead they're legitimizing him." - @robertpjones.bsky.social (~49:41) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Mainstreaming of Doug Wilson, Self-Described Christian Deceiver
Podcast Episode · The Convocation Unscripted · July 10 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
"As long as we let this kind of thinking become normalized, every time we do it, we blunt our moral capacity." - @robertpjones.bsky.social
Robert P. Jones@robertpjones.bsky.social · 2w agoDid you miss Steven Miller’s chilling speech, where he evokes Nazi tropes abt the deformed physical appearance of his political enemies? @Joy-Ann Reid and I unpack the dehumanizing rhetoric and the broader Nazi echoes we’re hearing from Trump and the MAGA movement. open.substack.com/pub/robertpj...
“The world’s smallest, shabbiest leader put the world’s tiniest little violin under his chin(s) the other night and proceeded to play his own, wee little concerto in the key of whine flat.” - "Someone with Integrity" via Frank Bruni's "For the Love of Sentences." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/o...
"White evangelicalism has evolved into a culture that actively discourages critical thinking in order to uphold its rigid theology that's increasingly divorced from our current reality." @hollybfletcher.bsky.social on why White Evangelicals are susceptible to conspiracy theories & authoritarianism.
Dr. Bradley Onishi@bradleyonishi.bsky.social · 2w ago@hollybfletcher.bsky.social on the SAVE Act - and why evangelicals are primed to fall for conspiracies. axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/axis-daily...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him Federal officials said in court documents they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed Trump in the 2024 election. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
At a Southern Baptist church in SC, church leaders allowed a convicted child sex offender to interact with kids. But guess what? This time the story may end differently. The pastor & other church leaders face criminal charges. And a $25 million lawsuit. christabrown.substack.com/p/a-south-ca...
A South Carolina Community Fights Back Against Reckless Church Leaders
With a civil lawsuit and criminal charges against enablers, maybe some Southern Baptist leaders will finally learn a lesson.
christabrown.substack.com
"If the right-wing dads of America start using “Let’s do it—for Charlie!” as a come-on, the U.S. birth rate is going to drop below that of Vatican City." - Matthew Walther www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
J. D. Vance’s New Book Wasn’t Meant to Be Read
Why does "Communion" exist?
theatlantic.com
"Just going outside is my preferred pilgrimage. A hike can transform me — no relics or cathedrals needed — with space to reflect, atone, commune." In survey of 5,000 people, 20% said nature was a way they encountered the divine. Happy Sunday to all. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/b...
Take a Pilgrimage, Not a Trip (Gift Article)
I worship the sun, and I will travel to find it. This summer, I’ve been considering the difference between a trip and a pilgrimage.
nytimes.com
Senior Pastor Don Williams said Warren Perry’s conviction had been known within church leadership for years. “Mr. Perry's conviction was known to me, to several leaders within our church, to our church staff, and to the leadership..." wpde.com/news/local/a... #ThisistheSBC #TheyKnew #FleeSBC
Christa Brown@christabrown.bsky.social · 3w agoIn South Carolina, a Southern Baptist church allowed a registered sex offender to regularly interact with kids. When people brought the info to Pawleys Island Community Church leadership, “they were told leadership was already aware.” #ThisistheSBC #TheyKnew www.wmbfnews.com/2026/07/16/h...
On the Southern Baptist abuse crisis: "They think so much of themselves, and their utility to God, and the importance of saving souls, that they will literally sacrifice their children." - @hollybfletcher.bsky.social #ThisistheSBC
Holly Berkley Fletcher@hollybfletcher.bsky.social · 3w agoI was so pumped to be on SWAJ! Thanks @bradleyonishi.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
In South Carolina, a Southern Baptist church allowed a registered sex offender to regularly interact with kids. When people brought the info to Pawleys Island Community Church leadership, “they were told leadership was already aware.” #ThisistheSBC #TheyKnew www.wmbfnews.com/2026/07/16/h...
‘He was there all the time:’ Sex offender arrested after working around children at Pawleys Island church
A Murrells Inlet man was arrested Tuesday after authorities said he violated his probation by working around children at a church that also houses a school.
wmbfnews.com
In the realm of questions posed during Senate hearings, this one from Ossoff -- "Isn't it humiliating to be unable to answer this?" -- ranks right up there with "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?"
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3w agoOSSOFF: Who won the 2020 election? CLAYTON: Uhm, you know, I'm not going to do this with you O: This is a job interview. You have an obligation to be honest with the committee. Who won the 2020 election? C: I'm not gonna get into that with you O: You're not being honest or forthright C: ...
Hoo-whee! That was one heckuva stinky deal! Judge's ruling exposes negotiations between Trump’s personal lawyers & DOJ officials as "backroom dealings that did not arise from a legitimate legal process." Refers attorneys for potential disciplinary proceedings. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/u...
Judge Denounces Trump’s I.R.S. Suit as Improper Exercise in Self-Dealing (Gift Article)
The decision also recommended disciplinary action against the lawyers involved, including the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche.
nytimes.com
Why do so many become collaborators with oppressive regimes but some few do not? A thought-provoking & still-timely reflection on complicity, collusion & conformity, on how good people give credibility to the immoral, & on the self-justifications that often numb us. ⬇️
Anne Applebaum@anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 3w agoLindsey Graham was one of the main subjects of a @theatlantic.com cover story I wrote in 2020, on why people collaborate with regimes they know are immoral. Here's a gift link: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Once upon a time, Southern Baptist Convention president Willy Rice knew about the wounds caused by religious leaders who refuse to reckon with clergy sex abuse. Now, Rice himself is one of those leaders. My latest. #ThisistheSBC baptistnews.com/article/what...
What Willy Rice once knew – Baptist News Global
How exactly did Rice go from the view expressed in that 2018 blog posting to his current view that the SBC abuse crisis is a "hoax"?
baptistnews.com
As of now, ICE still has not denied that potential witnesses to the ICE killing in Texas are getting pressured to self-deport, as a representative for the families told me. On the pod, @melissagiragrant.com and I dig deep into this latest horror: newrepublic.com/article/2129...
Texas ICE Killing Takes Damning Turn as Even MAGA Judges Abandon Trump
As Trump’s deportation agenda results in another killing and his losses mount in court, the author of a piece on ICE’s horrors explains why we’re facing a fraught and dangerous crossroads moment.
newrepublic.com
This is so powerful. Inspired by the March of a Thousand Robes in Poland, retired and sitting judges in the United States walked down the streets of Columbus, Ohio to stand up for the Rule of Law. #JusticeinMotion
Trump has lost control of this war and his flailing in Ankara shows just how completely adrift he really is. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Iran, Not Trump, Is in Control of This War
The cease-fire was always just a Trump fantasy.
theatlantic.com
Belgium’s team celebrated their victory over the US by mocking Trump’s signature double jerk off dance move.
"America will outlast Trump & Vance; the issue is whether they will be seen as a parenthesis the country closes or the opening of a different, dark chapter." From @peter-wehner.bsky.social comes this #July4th piece. With midterms near let's close the parenthesis. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
What J. D. Vance Once Knew
Ten years ago, the vice president wrote that one day, voters would realize the truth about Donald Trump. That day has now arrived.
theatlantic.com
Elon Musk says that no one died because of his demolition of USAID, and that "Kristof is lying through his teeth." So here I invite him to join me on a visit to Africa to see for himself: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/o...
Opinion | U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Killed People. That’s the Truth.
nytimes.com
A 5-4 on such a clear-cut constitutional question. Disturbing.
Mark Joseph Stern@mjsdc.bsky.social · last mo.The Supreme Court strikes down Trump's attack on birthright citizenship. By a 5–4 vote, it holds that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to children born of unauthorized and temporary immigrants. Roberts and Barrett join the three liberals. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
Breaking: The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s attempt to curtail birthright citizenship on.wsj.com/4eF0Xuo
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Bid to Curtail Birthright Citizenship
The decision delivers a rebuke to the president on one of his signature policies.
on.wsj.com
Ryan Stollar has died. As a child liberation theologian and a longtime advocate for survivors of childhood abuse & religious trauma, Ryan was a light to many. He made the world a better place and will be profoundly missed. I am heartbroken. May he rest in peace.
ash blu@ashblu.bsky.social · last mo.i just received confirmation from a private source that @rlstollar.bsky.social has gone to be w the ancestors. a stalwart warrior for children & homeschool alumni, he will be deeply missed. my heart aches so much. be at peace, my dear dear friend.