America’s largest United Methodist church sends its pastor into politics
Adam Hamilton, founder and senior pastor of the 25,000-member Church of the Resurrection, is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in deeply Republican Kansas. AP reports today that Hamilton intends to continue preaching 12–18 times a year if elected, following the unusual model of Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.
His theology is already campaign ammunition: opponents are highlighting a 2022 sermon in which Hamilton suggested salvation may be possible for non-Christians. Hmmm, interesting, that.
So, can someone simultaneously be a shepherd of Christ’s church and a partisan politician? Yeah, I think so. After all politics and religion have a lot in common, right?
And when opponents challenge a pastor’s theology during an election, Christians shouldn’t automatically dismiss that as dirty politics. If a man publicly teaches what Jesus said about salvation, we’re allowed to open the Bible and check.
Political affiliation doesn’t determine theological truth…except when it does.
Pastors are using AI—but don’t want it deciding what the Bible means
New Barna research reported today finds an interesting divide among Protestant pastors. Only 5% completely reject using AI to help interpret difficult passages, but just 10% think AI should determine which interpretation of a disputed Scripture is correct. Pastors appear increasingly willing to use AI as a research assistant while resisting the idea of treating it as a theological authority.
And this isn’t hypothetical. AI products now advertise sermon preparation, Bible studies, automatic Scripture detection, devotional writing and even sermon-series creation specifically to churches.
So What?
A concordance is a tool. Google is a tool. AI can be a tool. And it’s okay to use tools to help you understand the Bible.
The danger isn’t asking AI, “What did this Greek word mean in the first century?” The danger is asking it, “Tell me what I’m supposed to believe,” and never opening the Bible yourself.
There are serious questions that should be asked over and over again until the Poohbahs of Churchianity can answer them with something other than “It’s a mystery we can’t comprehend, brothers and sisters…” nonsense.
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I do not subscribe to a modern denominational creed or set of doctrines. I don’t think that modern-day Evangelicals, Baptists, Lutherans, or Catholics are going to burn anyone in the town square—it’s just that I don’t trust organized religion.
I’m non-denominational. I’m a “Non.” And there are a lot of others just like me. In fact, more and more folks are fleeing traditional “churchianity” every day. Why? More on that in future posts.
Here’s my one and only creed, which I’m happy to share with my brothers and sisters in the Fellowship of the Nons:
Creed of the Fellowship of the Nons
Our living God is a loving God, and the Bible is His revealed word and will.
Our hope and eternal salvationrelyentirely on the work of God’s only begottenSon, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
The news and images coming out of Nepal are almost impossible to process. A catastrophic flash flood triggered by a collapse of ice, rock, and mountain debris near the Nepal–Tibet border has ripped through entire communities. As of today, Reuters reports at least 579 people dead in Nepal, nearly 2,000 still missing, and more than 90,000 affected. Roads, bridges, homes, and villages have simply disappeared beneath mud and debris. (Reuters)
And inevitably, someone asks the question Christians sometimes try too hard to dodge:
If God is good, why does He allow this?
Jesus actually addressed this kind of question. In Luke 13, people brought Him news of sudden, horrifying deaths. His response was not, Those people were worse sinners and God punished them. In fact, He rejected that idea.
“Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay…” — Luke 13:2–3 (KJV)
The Bible does not teach that every earthquake, flood, cancer diagnosis, or collapsing mountainside is God personally targeting someone for punishment.
It teaches something much bigger—and harder.
We live in a creation that is not yet what it was intended to be. Paul says “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together” (Romans 8:22). Human beings die. Bodies fail. Mountains move. Rivers flood. Nature itself is subject to decay and disorder.
Christianity does not give us a neat little explanation that makes hundreds of crushed families somehow feel acceptable.
And the Christian hope is not that God promises to stop every disaster today. It is that disaster, death, and grief do not get the final word.
Revelation ends not with humanity escaping the world, but with God making it new:
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying…” — Revelation 21:4 (KJV)
So What?
Until then, the Christian response to Nepal shouldn’t be theological smugness or doomsday predictions procaliming that “the end is near.”
It should be compassion, prayer, generosity, and help.
Don’t ask, “What did they do to deserve this?”
Ask instead: “What can I do for someone who is suffering?” Because our mission is to reflect the coming restored, perfect creation into this current dark and broken world.
Where is God in Nepal? He is in the prayers, giving of resources, and physical presence of His image bearers.
Democratic Congressman Jared Huffman is receiving attention for a new book arguing that Christian nationalism represents a growing threat to American democracy. Huffman—the only openly nonbelieving member of Congress—argues that certain Christian political movements are attempting to merge religious authority with government power.
That argument arrives amid a broader movement in several states to introduce Ten Commandments displays, Bible-related curricula and expanded religious activity in public institutions.
Christians shouldn’t automatically panic whenever somebody says “Christian nationalism.” Nor should we pretend the danger of turning Christianity into a political tribe doesn’t exist.
Jesus said:
“My kingdom is not of this world.” — John 18:36 (KJV)
The kingdom Jesus spoke of will not come from political movements in this age. That’s worth remembering whenever politicians—left or right—try wrapping themselves in Jesus.
And while God’s everlasting Kingdom on earth is not here yet, it’s coming.
The United States has announced an “economic D-Day” against Iran—because apparently ordinary sanctions needed a movie-trailer title.
The plan threatens countries and companies that continue doing business with Iran. Washington wants to choke off Iranian revenue from shipping, aviation, technology, gold and digital assets. Iran says cooperation with the campaign could be treated as an “act of war.”
That sounds explosive. But the truth is, the threatened penalties against Iran’s trading partners have not yet been imposed. Countries are being given time to comply, and no firm enforcement schedule was announced.
This matters because words can move armies, markets and frightened people. Governments speak as though one more sanction, missile or summit will finally force history to cooperate.
Here’s a good reminder that God works with and in presidents, kings, and other temporary bigshots to achieve His grand plan, not ours.
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord… he turneth it whithersoever he will.” — Proverbs 21:1 (KJV)
Biblical prophecy doesn’t require us to label every confrontation “Armageddon.” It teaches that nations rise, threaten and scheme—but none of them controls the ending.
So What?
Watch Iran, Hormuz and the global response carefully. Just don’t confuse Washington’s press conference—or Tehran’s threats—with God’s final timetable.
Read Psalm 2, pray for peace and innocent civilians, then refuse to share any “prophecy update” you haven’t fact-checked.
China just told Washington, essentially, “No thanks.”
As the Trump administration prepares what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the “toughest sanctions in history” against Iran, the U.S. urged China to “get with the program.” Beijing refused, arguing that sanctions and military pressure will only escalate the conflict. China also happens to be Iran’s largest oil customer, although its Iranian oil imports have recently fallen sharply. (Fox News)
Cue the prophecy charts.
Whenever China, Iran and the Middle East appear in the same headline, somebody inevitably reaches for Revelation—especially the mysterious “kings of the east” in Revelation 16:12.
Could China eventually play some role in end-times events? I suppose it could. Does Revelation say, “China”? Nope.
What Scripture does describe is a world increasingly characterized by competing kingdoms, international conflict and rulers jockeying for power before Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ultimately establishes His kingdom.
Jesus warned:
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled.” — Matthew 24:6 (KJV)
Notice that last part. Don’t panic.
China backing away from American pressure on Iran is geopolitically significant. But Christians shouldn’t force today’s newspaper headlines into Biblical prophecy.
So What?
Watch carefully. Pray seriously. Read Scripture closely. And hold your predictions loosely—but your faith and hope in Jesus Christ tightly.
Read Revelation 16:12–16 yourself. Notice what the passage actually says—and, just as importantly, what it doesn’t.
While we argue about politics, celebrities, and whatever nonsense is trending today, another Christian community in Nigeria is burying its dead.
Gunmen attacked the Bin Mper community in Nigeria’s Plateau State this week, killing at least 25 people. International Christian Concern reports that 24 of the victims were Christians.
This isn’t new. Christian communities in central Nigeria have endured years of attacks, killings, burned villages, and displacement. The reasons behind the violence are complicated—land, ethnicity, politics, religion—but one fact shouldn’t get lost in all that: Christians are being killed, and most of us barely hear about it.
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Demand Some Answers From Your Pastor/Preacher/Priest
How comfortable is your brand of Christianity? Do you just sit in a pew on Sunday, or do you stand on the Truth every day?
Do you ask hard questions of the pooh-bahs of Churchianity, or do you just accept the doctrinal traditions they are spoon-feeding their congregations?
Questions like these:
Does God send kids who don’t “accept Jesus” to eternal torture in a flaming hell?
If Grandma is alive and strumming a harp in heaven right now, why should we mourn her death?
Why does God allow so much pain, death, and suffering in the world?
If God has already decided everything that’s going to happen, why should I pray for my friend to recover from a disease?
Where does the Bible clearly and explicitly teach that God is three-in-one and one-in-three?
Why did Jesus have to die in order for me to be saved, and what am I being “saved” from?
Those questions, and many others, should be asked over and over again until the pooh-bahs of Churchianity can answer them with something other than “It’s a mystery we can’t comprehend, brothers and sisters…”
Remember, Jesus reserved some of His strongest words not for pagans or politicians, but for religious leaders.
What is Bible Rebel? Fresh content posted daily (except Sundays) for seekers hungry for truth and relevance outside the stodgy, lifeless confines of Churchianity and the dark, empty hopelessness of atheism and nihilism.
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Today, TIME is asking whether a religious revival is happening among Gen Z. Young people are filling Christian conferences and talking openly about faith again. Gallup found that 42% of American men ages 18–29 now consider religion “very important,” up from 28% just a few years earlier.
But pump the brakes on the revival parade. Researchers say there’s no clear evidence—yet—of a nationwide spiritual awakening. Interest is rising in some circles, but curiosity about God isn’t the same as real revival.
Still, something is stirring.
Maybe “create your own truth” hasn’t delivered the meaningful life advertised. Nihilism sounds edgy until you actually have to wake up every morning believing nothing ultimately matters.
Our risen and returning Lord offers something sturdier:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” — John 14:6 (KJV)
Christianity doesn’t offer a customized truth. It offers a living Christ—and asks you to follow Him.
