Shows / The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast
Authentic words for everyone trying to figure out the best way to be human.
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
Episodes
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhat Electing a Predator Would Say to Sexual Assault Survivors
(Trigger Warning: This article deals with sexual abuse and violence and may be triggering to survivors of such abuse.) One of the great honors of the work I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHow is the Race So Close? You Know How.
All day long I see people posting or asking the same rhetorical question:how can this race be so close? They see that on one side, we have an experienced…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe Can't Grieve School Shooting Victims. Republicans Have Made That Impossible.
How dare you politicize a tragedy like this!This is not the time to talk about guns!You can't even wait until the bodies are in the ground! I heard that again…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHow to Be a "Real Man" in America
Dear Young Men in America, These are already difficult times, for you I know. I understand how confusing it can be to wake up every day with all the changes…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastCourageous, Patriotic Republican Voters, Please Stand Up
Dear Compassionate, Faithful, Patriotic Republican Voters, You see it too, don't you? I mean, it's obvious to you as well, isn't it? I don't think I have to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWill White Christians Finally Elect Jesus' Way Over Their Whiteness?
The 45th President has been many things since arriving on our political landscape in 2015: a national embarrassment, a global punchline, an environmental…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastBetween Two Wars: Americans Fighting for Gaza While Battling Trumpism
Life is complicated. As much as we’d like them to be, circumstances are rarely simple or clean. The complexities we find ourselves surrounded by cannot be…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDonald Trump's Mockery of American Valor
I keep waiting. I keep waiting for Conservative Americans to awaken from their Star-Spangled stupor, to find the lucidity and sobriety that see him clearly. I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastRepublicans and Evangelicals, Get Your Hands The Hell Off Our Kids
Ever since Republicans killed Roe v Wade, I’ve been hearing that Gen Z is so pissed off that Republicans have taken away women’s body autonomy, that they are…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Letter to American Evangelicals, From Jesus
Dear Evangelicals in America, I've seen what's been going on there lately. Actually, I've been watching you all along and I felt I needed to reach out because…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastGus Walz is America's Son. America Needs to Protect Him, Now and in November.
As Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was pausing in a moment of rapturous applause during his Vice Presidential acceptance speech at the DNC, the camera panned to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhy Christians Should Reject Trump's Project 2025
Ok, so by now, you’re probably familiar with Project 2025. (If not, I’ll suggest that there are few more pressing things on your agenda as we approach this…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastYes, Humanity in Leadership Matters
Last night at the DNC, as President Biden finished his extraordinary speech, he was warmly embraced by Vice President Harris, who looked him directly in the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Only Rallies and Polls That Matter
Rallies are powerful things. They are a necessary visual reminder that we’re not alone.They help provide a sense of agency in dark days, to help our minds…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTim Walz and The Rise of Non-Toxic Masculinity
When Vice President Kamala Harris announced that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would be her running mate in the coming presidential campaign, the decision was…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe World Needs Good News... Your Move.
I'd been getting sick of bad news. More accurately, I'd been getting sick from bad news. I don't mean figuratively or metaphorically sick, either. I mean that…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Day "Woke" White Americans Fell Asleep
Wake up, White Liberals, Progressives, and Moderates. It's morning in America. A lot happened while we were sleeping. This is not the nation we thought existed…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastKamala Harris and the Return of Joy
Joy is dangerous.It’s wild.It’s subversive.And it’s contagious. Sometimes joy shows up in the moments its arrival is least expected, after a season of…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSonya Massey's Murder and America's Readiness for a Woman of Color as President
Sonya Massey called 911 because she was concerned she was in danger in her home.When police arrived, she was in danger. Massey was executed in her kitchen by…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastRepublicans Are About to Face Their Biggest Nightmare: The American Majority
Republicans are telling you something right now, America. If you listen carefully, you can hear them. With every panicked and quivering move they are clearly…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Olympics Didn't Mock Jesus. Trump and His Supporters Are.
Cue the Conservative outrage machine… Social media was flooded with the performative histrionics of professed American Christians, incensed at the inclusion…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Dawn of American Hope
The night has a way of fooling you. Though it is a temporary condition, it can convince you it is permanent: that it will always be this dark, this terrifying…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWhite Christian, It's Time to Embrace Jesus' Love and Reject Donald Trump's Hatred Once and For All
Dear White Christian, it's time. It's time to admit that this was all a horrible mistake: that whether you were misled by a pastor, deceived by a politician…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastJoe Biden Put America First
After three weeks of incessant media fixation and social media handwringing, President Biden announced that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastChristian, Don't Feel Guilty for Leaving The Evangelical Church. Jesus Already Has.
Guilt is a powerful drug. Once it has its hooks in you, once it enters your bloodstream, it can impossible to get yourself free. For twenty-five years I was a…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHow to Stay Sane in Insane Times
"I think I'm losing my mind." If I had a dime for every time I've heard that over the course of the past eight years as I've traveled this country or perused…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Christians Who Hate Jesus
I used to think I was a Christian. I was raised in a Christian home and went to a Christian school. After a few meandering spiritual wilderness years, I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump Shows Why Joe Biden and the Dems Are the Only Choice in November
These are moments when absolute clarity matters, and this is one of unthinkable consequence so let’s not b******t one another here, America: the attempted…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Don't Like America But I'm Staying—For Now.
I used to think I loved America. I used to fully believe the mythology of my youth. Growing up, I bought into its songs and its anthems and its stirring…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Left's Reckless Crusade Against Joe Biden Needs to Stop
In the wake of the first presidential debate, we here in America have been immersed in a single national news narrative: Joe Biden: the successful sitting…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastStopping The GOP's War on Refugees, Immigrants, and the American Dream
America has always been the place people could nurture hopes that found welcome nowhere else; the adoptive home for dreamers from every square inch of the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Trump Christian is an Oxymoron.
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." — Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride A quick little Bible history lesson: The first…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAn Open Letter to Gen Z Voters From an Older White Guy
Dear Young Voters, “All Gen Zers are lazy, uneducated, and they don’t care about anyone but themselves.” No, I don’t believe this is true at all, but I bet…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast50 Reasons Not to Give Up The Fight
Some days the fight overwhelms all of us. It is exhausting work to push back against injustice when there seems to be such an abundance of it. Here are a few…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe White Evangelical Church in America Has Failed America. It's Failed Jesus, Too.
Eight years into one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history, actual followers of Jesus need to testify loudly to something: the white Evangelical…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHappy Interdependence Day
Freedom is a really nice illusion. The idea of individual autonomy is one fought for every single day in my country, and I suspect in yours as well. It’s the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe The People Dissent
With fear for our democracy, I dissent. - Justice Sotomayer We dissent. We The (Righteously Pissed-Off) People: those of us who make our simple homes here, who…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIf You're Preoccupied With Joe Biden's Age, You Need to Do Better
Susan Walsh / AP file So, what is actually happening here? In the wake of the first presidential debate, I’ve watched members of the media, high profile…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Hateful Christians Creating Former Christians
The woman's voice began to quiver. She'd just introduced herself to me in the hallway of our church, and for a couple of minutes she'd held it together. But as…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTo the People I've Lost Over Politics and Religion
Dear Friend, There's a good chance you won't see this, as at some point over the past few years you either unfriended, unfollowed, or physically disconnected…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey 'God and Guns' Christians, God Hates Guns
In the wake of the shameful growing legacy of mass shootings in America, one of the saddest realizations, is that the loudest, most vehement voices championing…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAn Honest Apostle's Creed for Doubters and Skeptics
Since I was a small child raised in the Christian faith I've recited The Apostles' Creed in church. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the Creed is…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHell is For Homophobic Christians
Few people are less Christlike than professed Christians when they're attacking the LGBTQ community. There is a malice and sadism they're capable of that…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear Trump Supporters, Trump Hates You.
Can we talk for a few minutes, Trump supporters? We need to clear the air if we can. I imagine you probably feel like we're the enemy right about now—those of…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Terrible Suffering of the Straight, White, American Christian Male
In recent years it's been fairly common to hear white, cisgender-heterosexual Christian men feigning incredulity at people looking for "safe spaces" (Their air…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastJuneteenth is Here. An Equitable America is Not.
As children, most of us remember being on many of those seemingly endless road trips, in the back seat of a car or maybe from the less desirable third row of…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastIn Order to Fight Racism, White People Need to See Color
Every time I hear a white person tell me that they "don't see color", I know that they're likely either lying or kidding themselves. I try very hard to see…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Faith and Patriotism of the America Left
There's a common assertion about those of us who occupy some space in the political or religious Left by our critics across the aisle or the pew: We don't love…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastGod Didn't Choose Trump. Jesus-less Christians Did.
If I hear one more Evangelical claim that God chose Donald Trump, I swear I'm gonna rapture myself. MAGA Christians really need to stop spiritualizing the man…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Lesson on The Right Way to Grieve
When you lose someone you love, good people do what good people do: they try and help. They see you in the deepest despair and they want desperately to pull…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Went to a PRIDE Event. I Found the Groomers. They were Evangelical Christians.
Today, I attended a PRIDE event at a small town here in North Carolina known to be decidedly conservative and extremely slow to embrace LGBTQ equality. (Such…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Simple Guide to Not Being an A**hole
Friend, this really isn't difficult. I see you making everything harder than it has to be. All your striving and searching and pontificating is…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastLGBTQ Allies Don't Vote Republican (or Opt-Out of Voting)
I’m willing to bet that most of my readers and followers see themselves as LGBTQ allies, that philosophically and intellectually we all agree that someone’s…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDonald Trump is Guilty (of Being Exactly Who He Said He Was)
The verdict is in. Donald Trump (the unstable, unhinged, decade-long cult leader of the current Republican Party and its likely presidential candidate in a few…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Party We'll Have in Evangelical Hell
I still remember the precise moment I stopped believing in hell. Over two decades ago I was at a Christmas dinner party in the home of a gay couple. From the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Beautiful Honesty of "I Don't Know”
Do you know where you’re going when you die? Growing up a Christian, I’ve been asked that question in one form or another a few thousand times.That has been…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Playground Bullies Became Christian Nationalists and MAGA Republicans
I've always despised bullies. Ever since I was a young boy I could see them clearly: on the playground and in the hallways and on the street corners—the way…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHarrison Butker is Misogynistic Religion's MVP
Recently, Kansas City Chiefs field goal kicker Harrison Butker gave a commencement address at Catholic Benedictine College. It has become a battleground for a…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSpeaking at Your Own Funeral
Every time I attend a funeral or memorial service, I think about how powerless the guest of honor is. Conversations take place, tributes and memories are…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastNot Voting For Joe Biden Isn't Penalizing Joe Biden
We all have a story we tell ourselves, a narrative about who we are and what matters to us. It is the carefully curated working mythology of our daily lives…