The Problem with a Believing Pope
A comment from Timothy Snyder about Pope Leo and Donald Trump raised a deeper question I can’t shake: what happens when faith stops challenging power and starts protecting it instead? Reflections on political loyalty, evangelicalism, moral accountability, and the danger of confusing spiritual conviction with tribal allegiance.
The Hidden Stories of the Movies I Never Saw
Looking back at the movies that defined the year I was born, I realized how many of them I never really knew at all. What began as a simple trip through film history became a deeper reflection on growing up in a conservative Christian culture where entertainment was expected to reinforce a carefully curated moral world—and how the stories we avoid can shape us just as much as the stories we embrace.
What Do We Do With Them Afterward?
A viral image of pastors praying around a golden Trump statue initially seemed laughably absurd. But beneath the irony lies a harder question: what happens when a political movement built on idolatry, fear, and spiritual compromise finally collapses?
The Republic of Satire
Has political satire become more than comedy in our moment of democratic anxiety?
Reflecting on comedians as truth-tellers, this essay explores whether satire has become a kind of civic witness—and even a democratic immune response.
Why Tyrants Fear Laughter
Why does ridicule unsettle power in ways criticism sometimes does not?
Prompted by Jimmy Kimmel’s mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologue, this reflection explores why tyrants often fear laughter more than opposition.
Two Songs at the Ballpark
A seventh inning stretch at an Astros game sparked a reflection on patriotism, belonging, and why baseball’s organic rituals may unite us better than nationalistic ones.
The Death of a Dream, the Rise of Rage
Is rising political rage partly rooted in a deeper crisis of belonging?
A reflection on civic despair, generational disillusionment, and why democracy runs on hope.
When Violence Pretends to Save Us
When violence begins to feel righteous, democracy is already in danger.
A new post at Randomly Rudimentary Life Stuff explores assassination fantasies, patriotism, and why cultures are not healed by bullets.
Why I’m Calling It ‘Life’ Now
Fourteen years ago, I named this blog Randomly Rudimentary Faith Stuff.
The writing—and the writer—have changed.
I’m calling it Life now, not because faith matters less, but because I’ve come to see faith and life as inseparable.
Randomly Rudimentary Life Stuff 
When Distrust Becomes the Operating System
A reflection on the Epstein files, institutional distrust, and what happens to a society when suspicion becomes the default way we process reality.