#Dallas friends, I'm thrilled to join my friends at the Sachse Muslim Society to discuss the legacy of Abraham. I hope you can make a plan to join us in a couple of weeks on July 29. PLEASE RSVP so the SMS can be sure they have adequate room.

A reminder that @sojo.net is funded by zero oligarchs and welcomes new readers, subscribers, and donors who support nonprofit journalism focused on faith and social justice. For example, when ICE tries to use the Bible to support its agenda, we publish stuff like; sojo.net/articles/opi...

ICE Quotes the Bible in a New Propaganda Video

A government video distorts scripture in a recruitment drive for the immigration crackdown.

sojo.net

Alejandra Caraballo@esqueer.net · last yr.

WaPo: purchased and gutted to pump propaganda by an oligarch. LA Times: purchased and gutted to pump propaganda by an oligarch. CNN: gutted and pushing propaganda MSNBC: being actively gutted and spun off CBS News: being purchased by an oligarch's failson and set up to push propaganda.

Still can't believe that ICE really made this video; grateful to @jrforasteros.com for breaking down the levels of twisted scripture here. sojo.net/articles/opi...

ICE Quotes the Bible in a New Propaganda Video

A government video distorts scripture in a recruitment drive for the immigration crackdown.

sojo.net

Recently learned that AI can translate prayer languages or "speaking in tongues" and as a curious Christian I thought I would test it out. (Thanks @jrforasteros.com for the heads up.)

The first tool fascism employs to create and consolidate its powerbase is the Mythic Past. In this essay, I explore why it works and why it's so dangerous. Plus: the biblical authors were also myth-makers, and why what they did is essentially different. open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

Today's 15-min Revelation brief explored a church who used their privilege to opt out of resisting authoritarian politics. Sound familiar? open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

Did I write way too much about how Remmick embodies the dangers of whiteness? Yes I did. Did I put a KILLER joke in the footnotes? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! (happy to discuss but you have to read and engage the article!) open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

After far too long, I have finished my series on churches and our transgender siblings. This final post has a lot of practical ideas for how churches can center our trans siblings. Would love to hear more ideas! open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

Join a book club with some rad new friends. May-July picks are here. Women turning into dragons, a dissection of fascism and a satire on rape culture. What's not to love? Sign up: bit.ly/DOFBookClub

Channeling my inner @abbyolcese.bsky.social to poke at what bugs me about Robert Eggers' take on women's liberation. My latest for @sojo.net sojo.net/articles/cul...

'Nosferatu' Is Lenten Cinema for Those Who Can Stomach It

Robert Eggers' update of the vampire classic is a darkly apt companion piece for a season of limbo between death and resurrection.

sojo.net

What's the greatest music video of all time? I'll submit Turn Down for What: youtu.be/HMUDVMiITOU?...

DJ Snake, Lil Jon - Turn Down for What

YouTube video by DJSnakeVEVO

youtu.be

It’s not exactly ashes to ashes in MICKEY 17, but Bong Joon-Ho’s madcap sci-fi satire still registers as an unlikely Lenten movie. I got to dig into this and more with @dodgyboffin.bsky.social and @jrforasteros.com on the latest Think Christian podcast. youtu.be/dCC1wAVTy5o

More Peru pictures! Have you heard of the floating islands of Lake Titicaca? They’re home to the Uru people. Their story is one of ingenuity, persistence and beauty. Read about my experience with them in my newsletter: open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

Last week: SpaceX ship explodes, shutting down a huge chunk of Florida airspace. Today: X completely down. The last month: Tesla stock price down by a third. Gotta hand it to Musk: He really is running the government like he runs his businesses.

Can’t believe Twitter keeps crashing despite Elon hiring the best 19-year-old interns that racism has to offer

INFLUX FROM TWITTER EVERYONE CALL THEM SKEETS

Wanna see my vacation slideshow? This article is about the engineering marvel that is Machu Picchu, one of the Wonders of the World! open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

The latest season of #LoveIsBlind featured a convo about racism btw two white contestants that illustrated our a desire to not be PERCEIVED as racist that's much stronger than our desire to do the WORK to be anti-racist. I'd love your thoughts: jrforasteros.substack.com/p/love-isnt-...

**DO** buy from local shops today. They can’t afford, nor do they deserve, to lose your business.

I loved @joshruben.bsky.social incredible new Slasher/Rom-Com HEART EYES. I wrote about why it's such a delightful mashup: it combines the superficially opposite genres to reveal a deeper similarity (that he then goes on to critique). My take here: jrforasteros.substack.com/p/heart-eyes...

THE MONKEY A- Don't call it a toy. No cobras in Maine? Forget it; let's dance! #ReviewHaiku #ReviewGram

Until we recognize that God is Trans, we cannot know Jesus. My latest essay draws on James Cone’s Black Liberation theology and monster theory to explore what is required of us in this moment: open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

PARTHENOPE C+ "You young people all want answers. But none of you have learned how to ask questions." -- Marotta

This cartoon by Kevin Necessary ignores that the Nazis in Germany studied the *US Jim Crow laws* in order to design their "Final Solution". Let's put away the lie that fascists in the US are something new. We've beat 'em before and we'll beat 'em again. www.history.com/news/how-the...

Some good news from Pastor @jrforasteros.com! “But God is more than just not anti-queer. God is not neutral towards queer persons. God loves queer people, and indeed God is queer.” open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

God is Queer

How Transgender siblings bear God's image (and why we need them!)

open.substack.com

Of course God loves queer people. God is queer. Churches have a particular obligation to stand with queer people because queer people bear God’s image. I explore what it means to say God is queer and why it's an essential confession for God's people. open.substack.com/pub/jrforast...

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD B- A movie about an over-qualified Black man who has to save the world from a white man who would rather run for President than go to therapy. Apropos of nothing. He works twice as hard And no serum handicap... He's the Captain now. #ReviewHaiku #ReviewGram

Happy New Moda Spiral Music Day to all who celebrate!! youtu.be/pgAxHEM3lHY?...