iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

History shows us what happens when death becomes entertainment: Rome’s crosses. America’s lynching trees. Each one dressed up as “justice,” but really tools of terror. ✍️ I wrote about this in my latest Substack: The Dangerous Fantasy of Televised Executions. 👉 Link in bio to read.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Stephen Miller isn’t a builder of worlds. He isn’t shaping history. He’s a side note. An asterisk in the Trump years. If his name shows up in textbooks, it will be in the footnotes of America’s ugliest chapters. open.substack.com/pub/therealj...

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

If your theology protects pastors over children, demands purity from teens while excusing predators, and calls itself holy while covering harm—let it die. Some things need to die so something honest can rise. Something that actually looks like Jesus.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

THIS IS AWESOME! I love Jason…such a great person doing amazing work. 👏👏👏

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

This can’t be real,” I say for the 700th time, knowing full well that it is, in fact, very real and very stupid.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

If your faith leads you to fight for the right to hit disabled kids but not to feed the hungry ones in the lunchroom, then it’s not Christ you’re following.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

“Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.” Dr. King Jr.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Why do they always have Jesus is king or Jesus is lord in their bios? What is it about this strain of Christianity that feels entitled or empowered to be such jack wagons?

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Hey @coreysnathan.bsky.social thanks for the book recommendation. How to Know a Person by David Brooks is fantastic!

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

You’re not wrong. This has always been Christianity since Constantine. However, there has also always been a Christianity that existed outside that imperial system. I think that’s worth fighting for.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Empires build themselves on fear and chaos, but they always fall. Every single one. They burn bright, but they burn out. Stay grounded. Stay focused. Love doesn’t need to be loud to win—it just needs to endure.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

This is what happens when Christianity is co-opted by empire. A government that boasts about chains is a government that has lost its soul. And a church that remains silent has lost its witness.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

White Christian nationalism is obsessed with controlling LGBTQ+ people. They’d rather legislate suffering than face the truth: Queer people exist, thrive, and belong fully in the image of God.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Christian leaders once said interracial marriage would destroy society. Now they say the same about trans rights. If history teaches us anything, it’s this: The people screaming the loudest about “protecting the children” are often the ones we should be protecting them from.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Imagine sitting in church yesterday, hands raised in worship, while defending policies that kill the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. Jesus wouldn’t be in that pew—he’d be the one those policies are crushing.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Singing praises to Jesus while supporting policies that destroy lives is the modern version of the priests saying, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15)

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

He who saves his country does not violate any law” is not patriotism—it’s a confession of corruption. It’s the lie every tyrant tells before they seize total power. And if Christians defend it, we are no longer standing with Christ—we are standing with empire.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

He has sent me to declare that the poor deserve their lot, that prisoners should remain captive, that the sick don’t deserve healthcare, and that only the self righteous deserve freedom. To proclaim this as the year of Christian dominance, where our kingdom will reign on earth.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to protect the powerful, to ensure the rich get richer, to cast out the immigrant, and to silence the oppressed. 1/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Sometimes, the most radical thing we can do is keep the door open. To stay soft, even when it hurts.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

If the world knows you only by your persecution complex and not by your love, maybe it’s time to ask: What kind of witness are you really offering?

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

But Jesus didn’t say, “Be hated for being obnoxious, unkind, or judgmental.” He called us to love radically, serve humbly, and extend grace—even to those who disagree with us. 6/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

When being hated becomes a badge of honor, it justifies cruelty and dismisses empathy. It fosters an “us vs. them” mentality that keeps people trapped in echo chambers of fear and pride. 5/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

It’s curious, isn’t it? Many Christians take that part of Jesus’ message as a literal, inevitable fact. But what about His other words? “Love one another as I have loved you.” “They will know you by your love.” Why isn’t that the defining marker of faith? 4/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

This not only shuts down honest reflection but encourages believers to double down, escalating their separation from the very people they’re called to love. 3/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

When Christians expect to be hated, any form of disagreement or accountability becomes “persecution.” Criticism of harmful behavior? Persecution. Being called out for bigotry or exclusion? Persecution. 2/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

It’s deeply problematic when Christians claim they should be hated and persecuted simply because Jesus said, “The world will hate you because of me.” This mindset doesn’t just misinterpret scripture—it reinforces toxic, cult-like behaviors that thrive on isolation and animosity. 1/

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Same! Thankfully, I typically will delete something before I hit send. Been getting better at it lately. Love the step by step you created.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Polarization happens when we replace people with caricatures. When faith is used to draw battle lines instead of building bridges, it stops being faith and starts being ideology.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

LEAVE. TRANS. KIDS. THE. HELL. ALONE. That’s it. That’s the post.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Dude that’s so crazy! Glad to connect on here! 🤝

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Such a small world! Came across God Can’t from a podcast interview. Reached out to interview him for our church’s podcast. Had the pleasure of a few sinners and conversations. I wrote a piece for his new collection on amipotence. Thankful for his work. Helped save faith for me.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I like that orthocardia. You should check out @thomasjayoord.bsky.social work on “amipotence” and open & relation theology. There’s a lot of work being done that sounds like it aligns with this.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I’m down in FL and even I’m shocked at some of the stuff coming out of Idaho!

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Had a video or two go crazy on Tik Tok & IG. So many loving comments and those are the majority. But (and that’s a BIG but) lots of “Christians” saying just awful things. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest but what makes them act that way? What about their system makes that the default response?

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

True. However, the president signing an executive order for the DOJ to find and root out “anti-Christian” bias is fear. Which is what the post is referring to.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

If your faith needs government protection, it’s not faith—it’s fear. The gospel doesn’t need an executive order. It needs people living out love, justice, and humility. Christians, we must call this out. This not just bad politics. It’s blasphemy.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

The president’s executive order is a bold move to protect women’s sports from (checks math again)… 0.002% of athletes. Truly, the biggest threat of our time.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

If your faith doesn’t compel you to speak out against this kind of blatant racism and sexism, it’s time to re-evaluate. Silence isn’t neutrality. Silence sides with oppression.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

“Love your neighbor” wasn’t a suggestion. It wasn’t conditional. It wasn’t meant to be debated. If your theology lets you ignore suffering, your theology is broken.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

One of the hardest parts of all this isn’t losing friendships. It’s realizing those friendships were never built on love—only shared illusions.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

The persecution kink is STRONG in evangelicalism.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Statistically speaking, if you’re looking for a groomer, you might want to start with the pulpit—not the pride parade.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

If faith is about thinking the right things about God, then every differing opinion becomes a threat. Disagreement turns into heresy. And somehow, the most important thing about God becomes our thoughts about God.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

This was easily one of my favorite interviews. Not only b/c The Spirit of Justice is that good but b/c @jemartisby.bsky.social that engaging. The episode drops Wednesday. Don’t miss it. The story he tells in his book give us the way forward. Link in bio. #podcast

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

The first books the Nazis burned were on gender and sexuality. The first people they erased were those who didn’t fit their vision of “purity.” Scrubbing trans people from government websites is not just policy—it’s a warning.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

“I don’t love the whole dictatorship thing, but at least my grocery bill will go down!” Narrator: It did not, in fact, go down.

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Joe Smith @therealjoesmith.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Black history isn’t just about the past—it’s about the present and the future. The same forces that try to diminish it today are the ones who have fought against justice for centuries. Honoring Black history is resisting erasure.

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