iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Thought provoking piece in @commonwealmagazine.org that feels of a key with the convo about religious scholars speculating on the moral status of AI. (Not about AI, but the Catholic of it all is really striking these days...says the Catholic historian. 😎) www.commonwealmagazine.org/steinmetz-je...

commonwealmagazine.org

The Catholic Century

The Catholic Church is now the default option for those seeking a Christianity capable of guiding a different kind of politics.

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Joshua Tait @joshuatait.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Many years ago, when millennials treated the Harry Potter books with a weirdly religious reverence, people used to say, “Read another book.” The freakout about Greta Gerwig’s casting of Meryl Streep as the voice of the still-a-male-lion Aslan in the upcoming Narnia adaptation... 🧵

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Joshua Tait @joshuatait.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Vance once appeared to be a beacon of a reform-oriented center right. Since then he has systematically rebuilt himself into the dream candidate of the five families of the MAGA New Right. Should he become president, he'll be the most ideological ever. www.thebulwark.com/p/jd-vance-m...

thebulwark.com

The Man Who Would Inherit MAGA

JD Vance has spent years sucking up to the “five families” of the New Right. But does the vice president actually believe anything?

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 30/06/2026

one thing i find funny is that the founding generation would likely have been very enthusiastic about, say, muslim immigrants and intensely skeptical of all the catholics

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

A big subtext to Trump's war on Pope Leo is that in so many ways, the Pope is utterly anathema to the white Christian Nationalist America that MAGA craves. Check out this exchange with @sarahposner.bsky.social on that point: newrepublic.com/article/2100...

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Gonna re-up this one while I'm at it. Was recently asked if Pope v Trump was a sign that "ideology/politics was overtaking religion for some Catholics." The problem is the question itself. There is no pure, uncut religion floating free of politics and ideology. We're talking about humans, after all.

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

The question of the day re: Pope Leo v. Trump: wHaT WiLL tHiS mEaN foR MAGA CaTHoLICs?! This *great* pod confirmed my gut feeling: NOT MUCH. And I'd add: There's history here. MAGA Catholics aren't outliers. They're saying the same stuff many white Catholics did 50 years ago, almost verbatim.

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Shaily Patel @vox-magica.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

exhausted historian of christianity screaming into the void, once again: christianity has never been apolitical. to wit: jesus was executed by the roman state.

nytimes.com

Many Popes Have Been Entangled in Politics. Here Are 5 of Them.

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

It's so funny to me that right-wingers love to pretend to love the Middle Ages and the Crusades and all that and then complain that the Pope shouldn't get involved in politics.

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pixelatedboat aka “mr bluesky” @pixelatedboat.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

It’s profoundly ignorant to suggest that the Pope should be fighting crime on behalf of the Catholic Church. Anyone who was remotely familiar with Roman Catholicism would know that that’s what Daredevil is for

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

The prayer heard round the world…

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

“My dearest friends, all it takes is a little faith, a mere “crumb” of faith, in order to face this dramatic hour in history together — as humanity and alongside humanity. Prayer is not a refuge in which to hide from our responsibilities… www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

vatican.va

Holy Rosary for Peace (11 April 2026)

HOLY ROSARY FOR PEACE PRAYER VIGIL LED BY POPE LEO XIV Saint Peter's Basilica Saturday, 11 April 2026 [ Multimedia ] _____________________________________

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

everything we are seeing now is the consequence of having a political environment in which indifference to the deaths and suffering of other people - even by the state whose supposed responsibility is to safeguard their welfare - is a superpower rather than a political liability

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Dr. Bradley Onishi @bradleyonishi.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

In light of the Hegseth's seemingly anti-Catholic move today, and the budding rift between the Church and the Doug Wilson-verse, it's worth listening to @sarahposner.bsky.social break down some of these issues with @mjcressler.bsky.social: redcircle.com/shows/fbed71...

redcircle.com

005: MAGA Catholics, Antisemitism & Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Implosion

Listen to Reign of Error with Sarah Posner on RedCircle

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The Szym Reaper @ NYCC F21 @adamszym.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Never related to a meme harder than I do with this one right now

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

I know I'm a broken record but you *cannot* understand the MAGA rift over Iran war (and other stuff) without understanding that the antisemitic MAGA-ites are going after Christian Zionists (see: Owens' reference to "Bibi's red heifer war") *with antisemitism,* not just opposition to Israel policy.

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Gareth Gore @garethgore.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Pope Leo asked me to meet him in a private audience at the Vatican today I presented him with documents and evidence detailing decades of abuse inside Opus Dei and urged him to launch a full independent investigation into the group A THREAD 🧵

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

I dug deep into all of this with @mjcressler.bsky.social, this episode is so important to understand what is going on inside MAGA, how they are trying to horseshoe with the left on Israel/Palestine, that's why it's so important to understand their blatant antisemitism. redcircle.com/shows/fbed71...

redcircle.com

005: MAGA Catholics, Antisemitism & Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Implosion

Listen to Reign of Error with Sarah Posner on RedCircle

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

You saw it in Carlson's interview of Huckabee. You saw it in Owens surrogate Carrie Prejean Boller's attack on Trump's own Religious Liberty Commission. Didn't hear about that? Listen to my conversation with @mjcressler.bsky.social about all of this: redcircle.com/shows/fbed71...

redcircle.com

005: MAGA Catholics, Antisemitism & Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Implosion

Listen to Reign of Error with Sarah Posner on RedCircle

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Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

I can’t laugh or meme these people because they made USAID cuts that are currently killing dozens of people - almost a hundred - every single day. Every single day. And I despair of and despise the self-centredness that continues to create this cruelty.

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Appreciated the opportunity to join Arielle and Julie in conversation on Catholicism, antisemitism, and (anti)Zionism. The times may be weird but, as always, there’s a history that helps us make sense of it all.

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Headed to you this Halloween (or thereabouts). 😈

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Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

The academic and publishing landscapes have changed a lot since we started this magazine. We've stuck to the same principles we started with: History is for everyone. Every way of doing history is worthwhile. Historians should be paid for their work.

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Here's a mini-thread on how Reign of Error episodes can help you understand how different parts of the MAGA Christian nationalist base are driving and understanding Trump's war in Iran: 🧵

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Look, you guys, you don't have to praise Tucker Carlson for criticizing Christian Zionism *while being an antisemite.* I've been criticizing Christian Zionism for 20 years, and I've never needed white nationalists to help me do it.

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

JD Vance personally invited Pope Leo to the U.S. 250th celebration on the 4th of July. Today the Vatican announced Leo will be spending the day with migrants instead.

time.com

Pope Leo Will Spend July 4 Visiting Migrant Crossing Island

Pope Leo has spoken out against the treatment of migrants in the United States several times over the last year.

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Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The Ash Wednesday procession through the Chicago suburb of Melrose Park from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church - honoring immigrants, immigration detainees and those killed by ICE & Border Patrol - has begun. Chicago Archbishop and Cardinal Blase Cupich is near the head of the march.

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

You may have missed the entire Religious Liberty Commission fracas. But it was huge, huge news on the right, and will continue to roil Trump's evangelical-Catholic coalition. This episode has fascinating historical context and insights from @mjcressler.bsky.social. redcircle.com/shows/fbed71...

redcircle.com

005: MAGA Catholics, Antisemitism & Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Implosion

Listen to Reign of Error with Sarah Posner on RedCircle

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

So happy I could join @sarahposner.bsky.social this week in the good work she’s doing over at Reign of Error. Talked (MAGA) Catholic antisemitism. Come for the hot takes, stay for the history.

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Joined @sarahposner.bsky.social this week on Reign of Error to talk about Carrie Prejean Boller and give some long historical background to the MAGA Catholic antisemitic turn. (Or is it origin story?) Putting all this knowledge to work for good, I hope. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

podcasts.apple.com

005: MAGA Catholics, Antisemitism & Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Implosion

Podcast Episode · Reign of Error with Sarah Posner · 02/19/2026 · 49m

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Applications are now open for the 2026-2028 Young Scholars in American Religion cohort. Applications are due April 1, 2026. Learn more about YSAR and apply to be apart of the next cohort: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/young-schola...

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Matthew J. Cressler @mjcressler.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Grateful for the opportunity to preach and teach this past week. I was the Aquinas Day speaker at @candlertheology.bsky.social and it was such a gift. Check out my sermon, "Sowing Seeds in Troubling Times," and my lecture on "Bad Catholics, Good Trouble" here: aquinas.emory.edu/aquinas-day.....

Matthew, dressed in a black tie, white shirt, and black cardigan, preaches from a pulpit between two candles at Cannon Chapel at Emory University.

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Nick Sousanis @nsousanis.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Woohoo! Comic syllabus for my superhero class is live and students were geeked! It was a mammoth effort to make it but so worth it to be able to give to them! Pleased & excited for the term! And you can have your own too - all on my site for printing, sharing! 1/? spinweaveandcut.com/superhero-sy...

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 26/01/2026

Oh wow: Major U.S. Cardinal (Tobin of Newark) is calling for Catholics to urge lawmakers to vote against ICE funding. Via @ncronline.bsky.social

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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

A sincere OMG: I'm long on the rightwing beat, and @sarahposner.bsky.social and @antheabutler.bsky.social are THE two people to whom you need to listen if you want to understand what's really happening and why. Thrilled Sarah has a new podcast, and there couldn't be a better first guest.

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

The first episode of Reign of Error is here! Trump Year One: The War on Civil Rights, with @antheabutler.bsky.social. Give it a listen and spread the word! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/0...

podcasts.apple.com

001: Trump Year One: The War on Civil Rights - w/ Anthea Butler

Podcast Episode · Reign of Error with Sarah Posner · 01/22/2026 · 44m

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20/01/2026

Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop"

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Listen if you want to hear how Kristi Noem claims to be carrying out a "Christian" agenda.

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