Christians have long used the Book of Revelation to decode modern politics—except, curiously, when it becomes uncomfortably close to home. By setting aside conspiracy theories and reading Revelation as a prophetic critique of empire, we discover a repeating cycle of Babylon, beasts, and compromised faith. John’s ancient vision still speaks with unsettling clarity to America,…
During a recent inner healing session, a friend had a vision of God being proud of all his creation and the enemy trying to mess with it. I used this as the seeds for a spontaneous song during worship last night, which grew into an hour long story of…
What happens when we trade Jesus’ way for political power? Drawing from Jesus’ temptation in the desert and Revelation’s warning about beasts that look like lambs, this article explores how the Church can be deceived into following false messiahs—and how we must return to the Sermon on the Mount before it’s too late.
When kingdoms embrace power over compassion, the poor always pay the price. As America passes legislation that benefits the wealthy while stripping aid from the vulnerable, the third horseman of Revelation reminds us that this is not a new story—but a repeated cycle. Christians must resist aligning with injustice and instead stand with the poor,…
I’ve long identified as a Jesus-centric pacifist, which often challenges people’s assumptions about faith and violence. In this Q&A, I respond to honest questions from friends wrestling with real fears, ethical dilemmas, and the meaning of true peacemaking in a violent world. From defending loved ones without resorting to aggression, to understanding Jesus’ prophetic anger…
Despite growing up in the church, I never inherited the obsession some Christians have with Israel and the end times. Now, decades later as a pastor and theologian, I still don’t understand it—because this theological system isn’t really found in the Bible. In this post, I explore how modern Christian Zionism has shaped American eschatology…
I’d like to specifically speak to the church’s heart on migrants for a moment, because I’m struggling to square up some of the wider church’s actions and beliefs on migrants with Jesus. While I understand that no country can simply have open borders, that the crimes anyone commits should be justly processed, and that migrants…
We all know the verse—ask and you’ll receive, seek and you’ll find—but what if we’ve been asking the same things over and over? In this message, we talk about what it really means to trust that God is a good Father who wants to respond to us. Sometimes he answers right away, sometimes not, and…
Here’s a song I wrote in Scotland while mesmerized by nature. I worked the lyrics off a simple statement a friend felt the Spirit impress on her heart while in prayer: “Shoes separate my creation from each other and from me.”
Jamin Bradley 