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Hayden Royster

@haydenroyster.bsky.social
151 followers 359 following 16 posts

SD 🌯 ➡️ SF 🌁 🖋️Religion reporter covering tech and West Coast meaning-making | Stories: RNS, KQED, Berkeleyside, ARC Magazine, California, etc. Tips? Signal: haydenroyster.65

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Reposted by Hayden Royster
Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
My latest for @RNS.org: I chatted with Bryce Crawford, the 22-year-old evangelist/influencer/podcaster/energy drink salesman who is suddenly EVERYWHERE. He's definitely built a big audience. But whether he's driving a real movement, well, that remains to be seen.
religionnews.com
Can virality create revival? Gen Z evangelist Bryce Crawford has faith
(RNS) — Twenty-two-year-old Bryce Crawford is becoming one of the internet’s most popular evangelical voices through his street preaching videos, podcast and national tour. But whether he is driving…
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
So so great by @jackjenkins.me . Also, knowing Anthropic’s roots in the Effective Altruism community—which is very monastic and philosophy-brained in its own way— not shocking it’s the AI company the Vatican has gravitated toward!
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
My latest for @RNS.org: I chatted with Bryce Crawford, the 22-year-old evangelist/influencer/podcaster/energy drink salesman who is suddenly EVERYWHERE. He's definitely built a big audience. But whether he's driving a real movement, well, that remains to be seen.
religionnews.com
Can virality create revival? Gen Z evangelist Bryce Crawford has faith
(RNS) — Twenty-two-year-old Bryce Crawford is becoming one of the internet’s most popular evangelical voices through his street preaching videos, podcast and national tour. But whether he is driving…
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Blasting this episode of The Daily out of my car window like it's the song of the summer (not really, but such a great conversation! Also, hire religion reporters...) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltxx...
youtube.com
Why More Americans Are Seeking Religion
After decades of declining church attendance and a profound rise in secularism, religion is having a moment in America. Lauren Jackson, the host of the Believing newsletter…
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Reposted by Hayden Royster
The Believer @thebeliever.net · 05/05/2026
“In time, I would come to see that I’d been a pawn, a demographic entry in the larger body count, a casualty of Bill Bright’s war for America’s soul.” —David J. Morris on Campus Crusade for Christ and becoming an “exvangelical”
thebeliever.net
Adventures in Jesusland  - Believer Magazine
It was Oscar Wilde who said that “the first duty in life is to assume a pose. What the second is, no one has yet discovered.” My pose at Campus Crusade’s 2024 Winter Conference in Anaheim,…
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
My latest for @rns.org : I spoke with philosopher Émile P. Torres ( @xriskology.bsky.social ) about TESCREAL and the religious dimensions of the AGI race. Eternal life, heavenly abodes, internecine conflicts —suffice to say, there are a lot! bit.ly/4d4joYF
bit.ly
Is a secular religion propelling the AI race?
(RNS) — Philosopher Émile P. Torres contends that a bundle of techno-utopian ideologies is ubiquitous in Silicon Valley. AI ‘doomers’ and ‘accelerationists’ may be locked in a ‘clash of eschatologies,...
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 06/05/2026
This chart is wild: white evangelicals disliked Trump posting an image of himself as a Jesus-like figure *just as much as other religious groups.* Note: In poll after poll, white evangelicals are typically an outlier in polls focused on Trump and favorability — but not here.
A chart showing overwhelmingly negative reactions to Trump's post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, with Protestants overall, white evangelicals, white mainliners, and Catholics all showcasing 90% negative reactions.
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the babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
thinking tonight of Amal Khalil and the 264 other journalists who’ve been killed in the line of duty in the wars in Gaza and Iran.
These figures add to the 264 other journalists killed in the line of duty in the context of the wars in Gaza and Iran since October 7, 2023. According to CPJ, 260 of these deaths were caused by Israel. The majority of the victims were Palestinian journalists in Gaza, although the count also includes 31 journalists killed in Yemen, 15 in Lebanon, and four in Iran in the last two and a half years.
According to the Lebanese Press Editors Syndicate, the number of reporters killed in Lebanon since October 2023 stands at 27.
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Brian Kaylor @briankaylor.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Excellent piece by @telliotter.bsky.social of @wired.com on federal agencies pushing Christianity. I appreciate the links to my reporting on monthly worship services at Pentagon & Labor Department: www.wired.com/story/govern...
wired.com
Government Workers Say They’re Getting Inundated With Religion
“This has never happened before,” one government employee tells WIRED. “I have never gotten a message like this from anyone.”
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Reposted by Hayden Royster
nitasha tiku @nitasha.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Anthropic met w/15 Christian leaders @ its SF HQ -it was driven by the Interpretability team -triggered by the team's recent research on LLMs exhibiting "emotions" -extended debate on how Claude responds to being shut off & the blackmail experiment new fr @gerritd.bsky.social & me wapo.st/4tbrKTU
wapo.st
Can AI be a ‘child of God’? Inside Anthropic’s meeting with Christian leaders.
Anthropic met with Christian leaders including from Catholic and Protestant churches to discuss its chatbot Claude’s moral development.
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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Update: Today, opt-in online pollster YouGov revealed that bogus respondents biased their 2024 religion survey. Based on this survey, Bible Society's 2025 The Quiet Revival report claimed a massive surge of churchgoing in England and Wales. The report has now been retracted.
yougov.com
Conclusions of investigation into 2024 Bible Society study
Our review into the results of the 2024 Bible Society study
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Maggie Tokuda-Hall @maggietokudahall.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
It's been a big year for Oakland tbh 😭🥰
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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
If you didn't catch the names in PTA's speech, the 1975 Best Picture nominees are Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Nashville, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. There are no skips; there is no wrong place to start. They will make you love American movies anew, and demand the best from them.
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 19/02/2026
NEW from @haydenroyster.bsky.social and me: The Bay Area pastor who was filmed last year being shot in the face with a pepper round by a DHS agent is now filing a $5M claim against federal government —> religionnews.com/2026/02/19/b...
religionnews.com
Bay Area pastor, shot with a pepper round, files $5M claim against federal government
Bautista is seeking $5 million in damages from the federal government and plans to sue the unnnamed agent individually.
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Latest for @rns.org : In Dec., I drove down to LA to check in with displaced congregations in Altadena, one year after the Eaton Fire. Of 9,400 buildings destroyed, 12 were houses of worship. Some congregations—and residents—are moving toward rebuilding. But for most, that day is distant.
bit.ly
In fire-scarred Altadena, displaced congregations remain 'in the wilderness'
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Of the 9,400 structures destroyed by the Eaton Fire last January, more than a dozen were houses of worship. Today, those faith communities gather in temporary spaces, drawing on de...
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Reposted by Hayden Royster
Emily Belz @emilybelz.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
my report today on what Twin Cities churches are trying to do in this moment: www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/ice-...
christianitytoday.com
In a Tense Minnesota, Christians Help Immigrant Neighbors - Christianity Today
As the Twin Cities reel from ICE arrests and the killing of Alex Pretti, churchgoers drive immigrants to work and doctor’s appointments.
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
As someone who has gotten fairly into watching and predicting potential Oscar noms, did NOT expect to add F1 to my @letterboxd.social watchlist… sure it will be fun. But better than No Other Choice? Or Sorry, Baby? Not so sure…
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Reposted by Hayden Royster
RNS @rns.org · 07/01/2026
Throughout 2025, numerous news outlets highlighted a growing embrace of evangelicalism in the Bay Area. religionnews.com/2026/01/02/t...
religionnews.com
Silicon Valley's Christ-curious moment: The evangelical groups courting tech elites
SAN FRANCISCO (RNS) — 'Whatever you're doing here in San Francisco is more important than everything everybody's doing in Christian work in the rest of the world, combined,' said tech billionaire…
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
My latest for @rns.org : On. Dec. 6, I joined 500 people at the Bay Area's Secular Solstice, a multi-hour production with a live band and 28-person choir. It's become a "sacred" tradition for Rationalists, a community with profound impact on the AI space. This year, especially, was for AI Doomers.
religionnews.com
At Bay Area's Secular Solstice, Rationalists grapple with AI doomsday
BERKELEY (RNS) — For participants worldwide, the holiday offers a meaningful, musical opportunity to stare down the dark. At this year’s Bay Area Secular Solstice, that looked like grappling with the ...
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Reposted by Hayden Royster
RNS @rns.org · 21/12/2025
The Rationalist community first arose in the mid-2000s, coalescing around the work of AI researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky. religionnews.com/2025/12/19/a...
religionnews.com
At Bay Area's Secular Solstice, Rationalists grapple with AI doomsday
BERKELEY (RNS) — For participants worldwide, the holiday offers a meaningful, musical opportunity to stare down the dark. At this year’s Bay Area Secular Solstice, that looked like grappling with the…
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
My latest for @rns.org : On. Dec. 6, I joined 500 people at the Bay Area's Secular Solstice, a multi-hour production with a live band and 28-person choir. It's become a "sacred" tradition for Rationalists, a community with profound impact on the AI space. This year, especially, was for AI Doomers.
religionnews.com
At Bay Area's Secular Solstice, Rationalists grapple with AI doomsday
BERKELEY (RNS) — For participants worldwide, the holiday offers a meaningful, musical opportunity to stare down the dark. At this year’s Bay Area Secular Solstice, that looked like grappling with the ...
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
My first official story for the @rns.org / @interfaithamerica.bsky.social Fellowship: I chatted with Buddhist technologists like Chris Scammell, former COO of AI safety startup Conjecture, about how they’re working to shape—and perhaps enlighten—the future of AI and AGI.
religionnews.com
The Buddhist technologists working to shape the future of AI
(RNS) — Launched publicly in August, their initiative is mapping how Buddhism and AI are already shaping each other and striving to infuse Buddhist principles into AI development.
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Word&Way @wordandway.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Saturday’s pepper-balling of Baptist pastor Michael Woolf is not an isolated incident. Several other clergy have been shot, teargassed, and violently arrested during peaceful protests, including Rev. David Black (PCUSA), Rev. Hannah Kardon (UMC), and Rev. Jorge Bautista (UCC).
publicwitness.wordandway.org
Baptist Pastor Shot in Leg by Officer During All Saints’ Day March Outside ICE Facility
As Baptist pastor Michael Woolf marched on All Saints’ Day in an anti-ICE protest in the Chicago area, he suddenly felt a sting in his leg as a pepper ball round struck him.
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Hey, I wrote this! Glad @maddow.msnbc.com is highlighting Rev. Bautista’s story and words. “Our presence as pastors, rabbis, imams and lay leaders is meant to be a moral mirror,” he told me. “It reminds the world that this is not normal.”
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 26/10/2025
FYI: it’s, uh, *not nothing* that the head of an entire Christian denomination — here Rev. Karen Georgia A. Thompson of the United Church of Christ — issued a statement decrying DHS agents for shooting one of her pastors in the face with a pepper round, adding, “No one is safe from tyranny."
"Peaceful protest is guaranteed under the first amendment. The escalation of aggression against peaceful protestors is a sign of the times, another reflection of the cruelty directed at people, and lack of regard this current administration has for the constitution and the law. No peaceful protestor should be afraid of exercising their rights, in fact no person should be afraid to exercise the freedoms guaranteed.
This is the third identified clergy to experience pepper spray in the face. No one is safe from tyranny."

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson - United Church of Christ
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 24/10/2025
NEW: Rev. Bautista spoke with @haydenroyster.bsky.social about his harrowing experience being shot in the face with a pepper round by IVE. “I immediately felt burning pain,” he said. “I was in shock, disoriented and terrified that I might stop breathing altogether.” religionnews.com/2025/10/24/a...
religionnews.com
At Bay Area protest, a second pastor is shot by federal agents with a pepper round
OAKLAND, Calif. (RNS) — For the second time in six weeks, a pastor was struck in the head with a pepper round fired by a US immigration agent as faith leaders protested the arrival of more than 100 US...
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Berkeleyside @berkeleyside.org · 21/10/2025
Church for Today, founded in 1957, was a multiracial hub known for its concert series showcasing Black opera stars and classical musicians.
berkeleyside.org
Berkeley church to be razed and replaced with 3 homes
Church for Today, founded in 1957, was a multiracial hub known for its concert series showcasing Black opera stars and classical musicians.
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
My new story out in @berkeleyside.org: Church for Today, a multiracial congregation founded in 1957 by a civil rights leader and classical music promoter, will soon make way for a trio of homes.
berkeleyside.org
Berkeley church to be razed and replaced with 3 homes
Church for Today, founded in 1957, was a multiracial hub known for its concert series showcasing Black opera stars and classical musicians.
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Hayden Royster @haydenroyster.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
I flapped my way over to BlueSky for a bit a self-promo! Here's my first story with @rns.org about a beloved and contentious San Francisco Easter tradition: Hunky Jesus. religionnews.com/2025/04/17/s...
religionnews.com
San Francisco’s Hunky Jesus Contest stirs up controversy, community and 'courage'
SAN FRANCISCO (RNS) — Hosted by a global order of drag nuns, the Easter event draws thousands to what some call sacrilege but its participants say is liberating, joyful, even sacred.
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