Five things on a Friday: the links I send these days.

No matter where we live, or who our friends are, our conversations tend to drift to the same topics these days, don’t they? Here are the articles I’ve been keeping in my phone’s notes app, due to my repeated have you seen this or funny you should mention that conversations.

1. The Unlikely Connection Between Wellness Influencers and the Pro-Trump Rioters, Cosmopolitan. This was the first time I heard the phrase pastel QAnon, and good gracious, does it hit the nail on the head. I’ve already written on this, but I’m now comfortable enough to say that I was radicalized years ago by the natural family community online. I still have much fondness for the community and the science behind natural wellness, but this article hit home. The author did a great job linking topics that have felt chaotically connected over the last year. How on earth does a pandemic relate to race in America, and how are those two things connected to election fraud? Watch and see. This piece was wild, but clarifying.
2. Under the Influence podcast, Jo Piazza. Whenever I share this series with a friend, I use the same words to describe how it makes me feel – exposed, seen, convicted, relieved, rescued. Having spent the last fifteen years on the internet, I have both watched and participated in influencer culture online. I’ve seen it benefit and bless, and I’ve seen it corrupt and destroy. The internet seems to be one of the only vices in life where the danger is scientifically proven and widely accepted, and yet we seem to continue on our merry way. I appreciate Jo’s approach because she offers no clear answers, and she maintains her love for social media throughout her journey.
3. The Roman Road from Insurrection, Russell Moore. I hesitate to use phrases like spiritual father, or giant of the faith, but Russell is a hero. He has repeatedly walked the tightrope between divided groups, trying to lead well and point to Jesus. He has worked for years at the center of perhaps the most inflammatory denomination in the Christian faith, refusing to walk away and also refusing to stay quiet. His piece on the January insurrection was one I referred to often, as I grieved and lamented and asked the same questions over and over. How did we get here? How do we move forward? Dr. Moore’s words help answer both of these for me.
4. The Spiritual Problem at the Heart of Christian Vaccine Refusal, David French. Along with stark and discouraging statistics about the white evangelical role in anti-vaccine messaging, David does an excellent job of educating the reader on the complex, and often sinister, layers beneath this wave of Christian refusal of COVID-19 vaccination. I don’t trust the research really means I’m choosing to trust a different voice. There is also a clear call to gentle and patient communication with folks on the other side of the table. Nobody ever changed their mind by being bullied or berated. Speaking of trusted voices, David is certainly one. I appreciate his moderate and straightforward approach to covering hot-button issues, especially as they relate to his/my people – the Church.
5. Christian Nationalism & the Good Life, The Holy Post podcast + Derwin Gray. More great content from brave-but-gentle people I trust. The guest on this episode is my former pastor, and who doesn’t want to listen to a podcast from a former VeggieTales creator and star? I learned a lot about both the roots and the fruit of today’s iteration of white nationalism. The bad news is that it’s been doing its best to destroy for hundreds of years, and it’s become normal and even celebrated through modern Church leaders and politicians. The good news is that we’re able to call it out and combat it using Scripture and thought leaders like these experts. I’m grateful.