iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Christopher B. James

Rep. Lindsay James @lindsay4iowa.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

These past months I’ve been so grateful for the overwhelming support I’ve received - thank you to everyone who joined the team to flip this seat. Together, I can know we will win!

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

I get that politicians in Washington are afraid of the repercussions they'd face if they stood up to Trump. But, look, that's the oath. That's the job. We need the bravery and sacrifice we demand of people in uniform. We need love of neighbor over self-preservation. Be a hero or a disgrace.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Every pastor: "We don't know where you're going, Jesus, how are we supposed to know the way to get there?" Jesus: It's me. I'm the way. No strategic plan or 3-step process will take the church where I intend. Follow me into the unknown.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Remember that time when a bishop told an emperor, if you don't repent you won't be forgiven? That was rad. #ambrose

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

In case you missed it (or your preacher did): Sunday's lectionary reading about a falling tower that killed some people & repentance, and with the parable about a fruitless fig tree given one more year to bear fruit, wasn't about how individuals need to stop sinning and be better, or else...

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

St. Patrick was not Irish. First, he was in Ireland as an enslaved person, and later as an immigrant.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

The steadfast love of the Lord is like the decimals of pi. It is irrational.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do study history are doomed to watch others repeat it.

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Reposted by Christopher B. James

Karen Costa (she/her) @karencosta.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

reposting the Georgetown letter o.p. @joshchafetz.bsky.social with #AltText. this is how you do it. do not obey in advance, and outsmart them at every turn. #HigherEd #AcademicSky

"A formal letter on Georgetown Law letterhead, dated March 6, 2025, from William M. Treanor, Dean and Executive Vice President, addressed to Edward R. Martin, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. The letter responds to a previous letter from Martin dated February 17, 2025, and sent via email on March 3, 2025. Treanor emphasizes Georgetown University’s Catholic and Jesuit principles, its commitment to discourse among diverse faiths and cultures, and its adherence to federal and local anti-discrimination laws. He addresses concerns raised in Martin’s letter regarding Georgetown Law’s curriculum, diversity, equity, and inclusion, defending the university’s academic freedom under the First Amendment. The letter asserts that the government cannot dictate what Georgetown teaches or how it teaches, citing Supreme Court precedent on universities' rights to determine their academic policies. The letter is formatted formally, with the Georgetown University Law Center’s address at the bottom."

"The second page of a formal letter on Georgetown Law letterhead continues from the first page. The letter, authored by William M. Treanor, Dean and Executive Vice President, reaffirms the First Amendment's protection of universities’ rights to determine their curriculum without government interference. It references a recent confirmation from the Department of Education that it cannot restrict First Amendment rights or control school curricula. Treanor addresses the concern that the Interim U.S. Attorney’s office will deny Georgetown students and graduates employment opportunities until its curriculum is approved by the office, calling this a constitutional violation and an attack on the university’s mission as a Jesuit and Catholic institution. The letter highlights Georgetown Law’s distinguished faculty, its history of educating world leaders and Justice Department officials, and its commitment to academic excellence and diverse perspectives. Treanor concludes by requesting confirmation that Georgetown-affiliated candidates will receive fair employment consideration. The letter ends with Treanor’s signature and his printed name and title."

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

For us, "gods" are spiritual beings, separate from earthly powers. But in the worlds of the Bible, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar & Caesar all claimed divinity & demanded worship. "Have no other gods before me" meant not only monotheism but also denying the principalities & powers what they craved.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

What protections do recent religious freedom rulings provide for Christian universities who celebrate diversity, seek equity, and practice inclusion as part of their religious mission? #law #legal #religiousfreedom #dearcolleague

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, friends.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

"This isn't very entertaining," I said to a friend. "I think there's something deep going on and we might be missing most of it," he said. "Oh," I said. So, I leaned in to learn more. Like most art and wisdom, it's out in the open, but only understood by those willing and prepared to listen.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

To believe that God is near is to anticipate the possibility brushing up against the divine. To anticipate it is to becomes sensitized. Trading stories about such brushes with the Spirit generates further faith and heightened anticipation. Attention and perception are intimately connected.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Christians can't approach immigration as just a question of statecraft because it is a basic dimension of who they are. They are called "foreigners & exiles" in this world (1 Ptr 2:11), permanent "foreigners & strangers on earth" (Heb 11:13) because their "citizenship is in heaven" (Phil 3:20).

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Jesus almost got killed after his first sermon. The crowd was loving it until he suggested that God loved people of other nations, too. Luke 4, look it up.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

It was beautiful & powerful act of Christian witness. To be clear, though, she didn't "call him out to his face;" she pleaded for mercy in the name of the God he invokes. It was not an act of condemnation. Calling him to repentance was an act of mercy. Also, the hard heart seals its own fate.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Important contrast. Former evangelicals used to mostly be mainline Protestants now they're mostly non-religious.

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Reposted by Christopher B. James

Nancy Ammerman @ntammerman.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

Help us honor a Distinguished Book in the social science of religion. Nominations (from friends, publishers, or authors) must be received by Jan 20! Details at sssreligion.org/awards-grant...

sssreligion.org

Distinguished Book Award - Society for the Scientific Study of Religion

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Proud to know two of the leaders quoted in this article who are providing hope in the midst of such pain and grief.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

The thing about Christian hope is you can simultaneously say: "Socio-politically, 2025 is going to be the worst year of my lifetime to date-and precursor to far worse" and "My hope is not disturbed for it is placed in a crucified and risen Christ, firstborn of the new creation."

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

The worst idols are the ones that demand child sacrifice.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Forgiveness doesn't require forgetting. In fact, it is precisely a peculiar type of remembering.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Fact: Children of Men is a Christmas movie.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

If I have achieved anything in this life, it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God. – Dorothy Day

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Wonder if I'll live to see the orange and pink lines cross.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Where sacred storytelling is missing from the life of a church—from the lives of the ordinary people of the church, not just the staff or elders—there you’re going to find a church running short on hope.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

There's no better way to study scripture than in the company of followers of Jesus from other traditions and experiences! And there's no better time than when the world is reeling. Madison Learning Community is something special. www.madisonseminary.org

madisonseminary.org

Madison Learning Community | Seminary in Madison WI | Bible Classes

Madison Learning Community is an initiative of University of Dubuque Theological Seminary offering seminary-level courses to Madison, WI-area pastors, church leaders, and others eager to deepen minist...

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” ― David Augsburger

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

It's dangerous to ask "What is the goal of God's mission?" if you don't also ask "How does Christ reveal God's way of mission?"

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. - Jesus

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

The other day someone was musing about how we look back on American slavery and say "How could people have done this?" and asked: "I wonder what they'll sayin the future about us." "There's no mystery." I said. "They'll ask how we could have knowingly destroyed the planet."

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

What is the tipping point for the number of TV personality appointments that officially makes the USA a reality TV show?

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Just deactivated 3 Twitter accounts, so I guess that's cutting ties. Grateful for the folks who have made it a soft landing with a follow!

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Can new churches take root in post-Christian places? global.oup.com/academic/pro...

global.oup.com

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

It is regrettable how rarely spiritual formation talk centers on the practice of hospitality. It is too often seen only through the lens of mission strategy but it is one of the most transformative spiritual practices.

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

"Beauty is simply reality seen through the eyes of love." -Evelyn Underhill

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

"Conversion is, in the most basic of terms, the gift of a new way to live." -Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

"the Church is not to be defined by what it is, but by that End to which it moves." -LesslieNewbigin

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Christopher B. James @chrisbjames.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

About me: practical theologian, missiologist, professor, and author engaged with church planting, ecumenism, ecclesial ecologies, cities, common good, and theological education. Also, my Bernedoodle is named Theophilus Monk.

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Reposted by Christopher B. James

Nancy Ammerman @ntammerman.bsky.social · 01/01/2024

The Ecclesiology & Ethnography Network is a terrific group of scholars interested in understanding #congregations. They meet both in the UK and in North America - this year at Emory University in April. CFP due Feb 1. www.ecclesiologyandethnography.net/event/north-...

ecclesiologyandethnography.net

North American Conference April 2024 - Ecclesiology & Ethnography Network

The Ecclesiology & Ethnography North American Conference takes place at the intersection of qualitative research, theology and the world church

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