On religious apps, tens of millions of people are confessing to spiritual chatbots their secrets: their petty vanities and deepest worries, gluttonous urges and darkest impulses. Trained on religious texts, the bots are like on-call priests, imams, or rabbis, offering comfort and direction at any time. On some platforms, they even purport to channel God.

Jackson notes that a Christian app called Bible Chat has more than thirty million downloads. Hallow, a Catholic app, beat Netflix, Instagram, and TikTok for the number one spot in the app store at one point last year. Some see these apps as ways into faith, but others warn that they “tell us what we want to hear” rather than providing the accountability only a person and community can foster.

Explaining our quest for spiritual connection

At the very least, the popularity of spiritual chatbots reveals the underlying and undying popularity of spirituality itself. In a sense, this should be unsurprising even in our highly secularized culture.

The secularization thesis, popular in academic circles, claims that as societies progress, religion loses its authority in social life and governance. America has certainly seen such a religious decline in recent decades, due in large part to clergy abuse crises, religious engagement in partisan politics, and divisive cultural issues.

But religion and spirituality are not the same thing. The Bible teaches that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and that “God is spirit” (John 4:24). It therefore stands to reason that humans are “spirit” as well and that our quest for spiritual connection beyond ourselves is both intrinsic and vital to our flourishing.

The key, of course, is to connect with the best source of such flourishing.

What Robert Redford and Charlie Kirk had in common

Robert Redford died yesterday at the age of eighty-nine. As the New York Times notes, the famed actor and director used his platform to advance independent filmmaking and environmental causes. His movies were an end to larger purposes in his life.

At the other end of the political spectrum, Charlie Kirk had a larger purpose than most understood as well. A revealing profile by Atlantic journalist Isaac Stanley-Becker reports that the conservative influencer saw politics as a necessary means to the cultural transformation he sought to catalyze.

He founded Turning Point USA to engage young people in conservative politics, but he also started TPUSA Faith to advance ideas about the Christian foundations of the US. In recent months, he launched Turning Point Academy to form Christian schools “where all areas of study are rooted in God’s truth.” He told Stanley-Becker that he intended to be in the “education space” for the rest of his life.

Kirk’s foundational belief was that our freedoms come not from man or manmade law but from God. And he was convinced that “once people start to drink from the stream of liberty, they will want to know its source.”

Watching Erika Kirk speak to the nation

St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was born on this day in Germany. In 1141, she began experiencing a series of visions she described as a “flow of light” that “kindled her whole heart, not burning but warming.” Over time, she became convinced that she was called by God to share these visions with the world.

She wrote three volumes on theology and two on natural medicine, composed music that is still performed today, and preached many sermons denouncing clerical corruption and calling for reform. Her humility, intellect, and holiness attracted many to her.

I especially appreciate this prayer by St. Hildegard:

Holy Spirit, the life that gives life: You are the cause of all movement. You are the breath of all creatures. You are the salve that purifies our souls. You are the ointment that heals our wounds. You are the fire that warms our hearts. You are the light that guides our feet. Let all the world praise you.

When we make it our purpose to know Christ in the power of his Spirit, we are then empowered by the Spirit to make Christ known. And this purpose gives purpose to everything we do. The places we live, work, and go to school become our mission fields; our vocations become platforms for ministry; our gifts, abilities, education, experiences, and even our challenges become tools for the Spirit’s use.

When we ask of every moment, “How can I know Christ in this moment and then make him known?”, every moment becomes infused with meaning. Times of suffering become opportunities to know Christ more deeply as we trust him more deeply and experience his deeper answers to our prayers and needs. And they become opportunities for making him known more powerfully as others see the relevance and power of our faith.

Anyone who watched Erika Kirk speak to the nation two days after her husband was assassinated saw both facts on display. Her faith was tangibly real, and her courage glorified her Lord. If I had not been a Christian before seeing her message, I would have wanted what she has.

“Go for the purposes of God”

May I ask you what purpose gives meaning to your life today?

In his New York Times bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren asserts, “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.” The key to knowing your purpose is knowing the God who made you, since, as Rick notes, “You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”

Conversely, as Rick reminds us, “You cannot fulfill God’s purposes in your life while focusing on your own plans.” The good news is that when we make God’s purpose our purpose, he will direct our plans to this end (cf. Proverbs 3:5–6). The evangelist Reinhard Bonnke was right:

“Go for the purposes of God, and the means to fulfill them will follow.”

So, will you “go for the purposes of God” today? Will you seek to know Christ and make him known, or will you settle for a lesser purpose for your life?

All of eternity is in your choice.

Quote for the day:

“You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.” —Rick Warren

Our latest website resources:

• “Dancing with the Stars” and the Christian journey: The art of transformation
• How should Christians respond to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and rising violence in our culture?
• A quick word on the death of Charlie Kirk, Pentagon’s rebrand, US hope in decline, viral sports fails, US Open, NFL & Emmys weekend
• Encouraging stories of faith in sports
• Can Bonton Farms show us a better way to restore hope to struggling communities?

Denison Forum

To paraphrase Shakespeare, there are times when you need to “fight fire with fire.”

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, refusing to respond would only have encouraged more attacks on American soldiers. Russia’s recent drone incursions into NATO countries Poland and now Romania are raising fears of war; Poland’s prime minister said his country is “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two.” Ignoring such aggression is likely to encourage further aggression.

However, there are other times when “fighting fire with fire” only accelerates the conflagration. For evangelical Christians in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, this is one of those times.

“If I had to use a single word to capture him”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, “I think this could be a turning point for our country.” He urged leaders to “turn down the rhetoric” amid a divisive political climate, saying lawmakers should stop treating policy disputes as an “existential threat to democracy or the Republic.”

“Calling people Nazis and fascists is not helpful,” Johnson said. “There are some deranged people in society, and when they see leaders using that kind of language so often now increasingly, it spurs them on to action. We have to recognize that reality and address it appropriately.” He added that he’s “heartened to know” that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle “are stepping up and saying that and addressing it.”

Charlie Kirk would agree. A commentator who knew him personally for many years wrote on the day he was killed: “If I had to use a single word to capture him, it would be gracious. We could disagree about anything—and we did—but he would, without fail, engage civilly and explain his point of view” (his emphasis). Others have described him in the same way.

I would like to respond by simply encouraging our nation to follow Charlie Kirk’s example. But our divisive culture has gotten where we are for a reason, and it’s not from a lack of examples to the contrary.

“How the West lost its soul”

Paul Kingsnorth is an Oxford graduate, novelist, poet, and cultural commentator who has been called “England’s greatest living writer.” In a recent Free Press article, he explains “how the West lost its soul.” In essence:

We’ve abandoned the founding religious story that sustained us for 1,500 years. The result is the greatest age of abundance we’ve ever known—and a complete lack of meaning.

His brilliant essay is an excerpt from his upcoming book (which I’ve already ordered). I urge you to read the article in its entirety, but for our purposes I’ll focus on this assertion:

The modern experiment has been the act of dethroning both literal human sovereigns and the representatives of the sacred order, and replacing them with purely human, and purely abstract, notions.

He shows that the secularism of our culture, while rejecting the unifying moral compass of Christendom, has nothing with which to replace it. Thus we are left with a “post-truth” society in which “our politics have become religion,” as scholar Ryan Burge notes. Political parties have replaced denominations; stump speeches have the feel of a tent revival; donating to candidates is like tithing.

But unlike biblical religion, political religion is a zero-sum battle in which the other side is dangerous and our side must do whatever it takes to win. The future of the nation is at stake, we tell ourselves.

And we’re right, but for the wrong reasons.

“The better angels of our nature”

If Americans decide that those with whom we disagree are our enemies, our decision becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we treat people like enemies, we make them enemies. When they treat us in the same way, a vicious cycle of vengeance and retribution infects our politics and rhetoric and leads to violence and more violence.

We’ve been here before.

In the immortal conclusion to his First Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln pleaded with a nation on the brink of civil war:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break the bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

But the “better angels of our nature” did not arrive, and the nation descended into the most devastating war in our history.

This is because “our nature” is the cause of our division, not its solution. From Eden to today, our will to power has driven us to be our own gods at the expense of any who would usurp our throne.

This is why the gospel is still our only hope. The transforming power of God’s Spirit alone can cleanse our prideful hearts, replace our quest for power with a passion for service, and turn us into carriers of forgiveness and grace.

“Speaking the truth in love” is our only way forward (Ephesians 4:15). But to do either, much less both, we must be empowered by the One who is the truth and who is love.

A hard question

Jesus wants our love for others to be as unconditional as his love for us. He prayed for his Father’s forgiveness for those who crucified him (Luke 23:34); Stephen prayed for his executioners to be forgiven as well (Acts 7:60).

Here’s a hard question: Can you pray for God to forgive the alleged murderer of Charlie Kirk and save his soul?

I’m not suggesting that the shooter should not face legal consequences for his crime (cf. Romans 13:4). But I am asking if you can ask your Father to make him a child of God and “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is as hard for me as I assume it is for you. But Jesus’ command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” has no loopholes or exceptions (Matthew 5:44).

So, I am asking God to:

• Lead his people to submit our hearts to his Spirit and manifest his love as a result.
• Help us pray for the alleged killer and all others who foment and ferment hatred and animosity in our culture.
• Empower us to break the cycle of vengeance with the radical gift of forgiveness.
• Make us catalysts for a movement of grace that leads the West to find its “soul” again.

Will you join me today?

Quote for the day:

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you” —C. S. Lewis

Our latest website resources:

• “Dancing with the Stars” and the Christian journey: The art of transformation
• How should Christians respond to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and rising violence in our culture?
• A quick word on the death of Charlie Kirk, Pentagon’s rebrand, US hope in decline, viral sports fails, US Open, NFL & Emmys weekend
• Encouraging stories of faith in sports
• Can Bonton Farms show us a better way to restore hope to struggling communities?

Denison Forum

Turning Point USA has announced that a memorial service for Charlie Kirk has been scheduled for Sunday, September 21, in Glendale, Arizona. As an indication of their founder’s cultural significance, the service will take place at State Farm Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Cardinals, which can seat 73,000 people.

If last week’s assassination of the thirty-one-year-old conservative activist had been an isolated event, it would be tragic but of little relevance to the rest of us, like an earthquake in California or a wildfire in Texas. More than twenty-two thousand Americans are murdered each year, roughly sixty-three a day. Unless one of them is a family member or friend, that statistic evokes little visceral reaction from us.

But this is not that. The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy that affects every American and especially every American evangelical in ways that may not be obvious but are deeply significant.

“Cheers from the balcony”

An eyewitness to Kirk’s murder at Utah Valley University last Wednesday said, “When he was shot, there were cheers from the balcony” behind him. “It was horrific to be a part of,” she added. “There was just no human empathy.” At a vigil Wednesday night, a person said, “I would have killed him myself.” The assassin, he claimed, “did us a favor.”

In the hours after Kirk’s death, young people flooded the internet with rhetoric justifying his killing. Numerous others have been fired or placed on leave for their hateful responses to the murder.

Presumably, none of them knew Charlie Kirk personally. So far as we know, the alleged shooter did not, either.

Why, then, do they feel justified in causing and celebrating his death?

According to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, the accused gunman had recently become “more political.” The governor referenced a family conversation in which the alleged shooter said Charlie Kirk was “full of hate” and “spreading hate.” According to authorities, inscriptions on unfired gun casings recovered by investigators contained overt references to political and cultural issues.

So, from what we know, this man disagreed with Charlie Kirk’s ideas, so he killed him. Those who are celebrating Kirk’s death are doing so for the same reason.

Here are three reasons this is so dangerous for our nation and especially for evangelicals.

One: The “veto of violence”

Democratic senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut responded to Kirk’s murder: “The beating heart of a free society is the ability for citizens to engage in political life with no fear of violence.” New York Times columnist Ezra Klein agreed: “The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in it without fear of violence. Political violence is always an attack against us all.”

His colleague David French added, “The assassin didn’t just take aim at a precious human being, created in the image of God, he took aim at the American experiment itself.” The Free Press editors noted: “Charlie Kirk was murdered while practicing the very act that gave birth to this nation—and the only thing that will ensure its survival.”

A commentator in the British press wrote that “Kirk was killed, doing what he lived for: demonstrating the crucial importance of free speech in a democracy.” Andrew Sullivan agreed that Kirk “did the hard work of democracy: talking to those who disagreed with him.”

If our nation loses its First Amendment right to free speech via the “veto of violence,” our democratic process is imperiled. As Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel warned, political violence has politicians as “its primary target,” with the result that “soon, none will be safe.” Cultural commentators are facing rising threats as well.

Presidential biographer Jon Meacham noted: “If this is open season on everybody who expresses an opinion, then the American covenant is broken.”

Two: “Words are violence”

This threat is amplified by the claim that “words are violence.” As Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff write in the Atlantic, this “dangerous” idea has been “percolating on college campuses these days.” The argument is that if words can cause stress, and prolonged stress can cause physical harm, certain types of speech can be a form of violence.

This psychological claim has been extrapolated into the belief that it is fair to respond violently to words with which we disagree. In a new survey, a record one in three college students now consider violence to be justifiable against a speaker uttering “hate.”

It’s therefore unsurprising that so many are lauding the violence against Charlie Kirk as an appropriate response to his “violent” message. Taken to its logical conclusion, this thinking robs our democracy of free speech protections and imperils the political process itself.

Three: “Oppress the oppressors”

A third cultural factor behind Charlie Kirk’s murder is the Critical Theory (CT) claim that all relationships are based on power struggles between “oppressors” and the “oppressed.” According to CT, the appropriate response by the oppressed is therefore to “oppress the oppressors.”

For example, if a speaker such as Charlie Kirk defends biblical morality with regard to homosexuality and abortion, they are “oppressing” homosexuals and women. And if words are violence, violence becomes an appropriate response to words.

You can see why this belief is threatening to all Americans but especially to evangelicals.

Unashamed and unafraid

How should we respond?

As my wife often says, lost people act like lost people. So did we before we met Jesus. We need to remember that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The more they reject our words and our faith, the more they need them.

In an increasingly secularized culture, such compassion will increasingly require courage. But this is nothing new for us. Paul was warned by the Holy Spirit that “imprisonment and afflictions” awaited him in Rome (Acts 20:23), but he went anyway to “testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (v. 24).

He told the Romans, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Even when imprisoned in Rome and awaiting execution, he testified that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Unashamed and unafraid are commitments God’s people especially need in these days.

Will you pray for the courage to be both today?

Quote for the day:

“Let nothing frighten you. Who has God, lacks nothing. God alone is enough.” —St. Teresa of Avila

Our latest website resources:

• How should Christians respond to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and rising violence in our culture?
• A quick word on the death of Charlie Kirk, Pentagon’s rebrand, US hope in decline, viral sports fails, US Open, NFL & Emmys weekend
• Encouraging stories of faith in sports
• Can Bonton Farms show us a better way to restore hope to struggling communities?
• Having suicidal thoughts? Call or text 988

Denison Forum