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 PodcastThe Pig President and His Swine Supporters
The President of the United States called a woman a pig. Can we all just take a minute and try to let that sink in? I know we’ve all gradually been…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe War on Christmas is Finally Here, America. Conservative Christians are Waging it.
Well, it turns out, the Evangelicals were right. The pulpit-pounding preachers were right.Franklin Graham was right.The Republicans were right.Donald Trump was…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThings MAGA Christians Can Pray About In Church This Sunday
If you’re a professed Christian currently still supporting this President and this Administration, and you’re on your way to church on Sunday, here are a few…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Letter to My Unbothered Friend, From Your Angry Friend
Dear Friend, Thank you for your note letting me know that you’re worried about me, that you’re concerned about my health, and that you’re not sure that I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Christians Who Defend Predators
Surveying my social media feed this week, the questions swirl like a storm inside my head as a former pastor: How does someone end up here? What happens in the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastOf Course, God is For Marriage Equality
This week, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who sought to once again deny LGBTQ+ people the right to marry. The…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Bi-Partisan Murder: The Democrats Who Caved and the Americans Who Will Die
Eight Senate Democrats caved last night, breaking ranks with their party and partnering with Trump and the Republicans on a deal to reopen the Government. They…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI'm Not Saying Jesus is Anti-MAGA, Jesus is Saying That.
The steady stream of vitriol that progressive Christians receive from MAGA Evangelicals is completely understandable. As they fire off threatening texts…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTo The People I've Lost Over Politics
Dear Friend, There’s a good chance you won’t see this, as at some point over the past year or so you either unfriended, unfollowed, or physically disconnected…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDallas Cowboy Marshawn Kneeland's Death Reminds Us That With Mental Illness, "Everything" Isn't Enough
On Monday night, 24-year-old Marshawn Kneeland ran a blocked punt into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for his Dallas Cowboys, amid the deafening roar of…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAn Apology to Zohran Mamdani and Muslims in America, From A Disgusted Christian
Dear Zohran Mamdani and Muslims in America, Witnessing the simply staggering hatred directed at you during the New York City Mayoral campaign, and one…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDid You Feel That, America? That's The Pulse of Democracy.
Did you feel that, America? The steady, throbbing kick-drum rhythm thundering throughout this land on election night? Boom boom…boom boom… boom boom…boom boom……
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear Phobic Christians, Love LGBTQ People Or Leave Them the Hell Alone
Dear Phobic Christians, I’m not sure how we got here. I don’t know how you ended up deciding that anyone else’s body, their gender identity, or their sexual…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastStaying Human in Inhumane Times
I may not know you, but I think I know something about you. I know you’ve felt something break inside lately, an invisible fracture that only you’re fully…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastChristians Who Don't Want to Feed People—Aren't Jesus Christians
Well, we’re in the “Jesus didn’t say we should feed people” portion of the fall of American Evangelicalism. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, as the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Gospel of Donald: Flipping Through The MAGA Translation Bible
A previously undiscovered version of the Christian scriptures was recently unearthed during renovations of a Mar-a-Lago bathroom. This new ‘MAGA Translation’…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTrump Supporters Are Miserable People. Let's Not Become Like Them.
Miserable. Every time I see them, this is the word that prevails. Whenever I encounter a supporter of Donald Trump on social media now, or scan the crowds at…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastTo Americans Still "Staying out of Politics"
A few days ago, I ran into a friend from my former church at the grocery store. We were quickly catching up on the last eighteen months of one another’s lives…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastSNAP is What Jesus Would Be Doing Here. That's Why MAGA Christians Are Trying to Kill It.
What a difference a couple of millennia make. There’s a story about Jesus that all four New Testament Gospel writers record in their accounts of his life.He’s…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Republican Party's Greatest Nightmare is American Voters
Do you hear that? These Republicans are telling you something right now, America. If you listen carefully, the message they’re sending is unmistakable. With…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDear Hateful White Christians,
Dear White Hateful White Christians, For a long time, I misunderstood my feelings toward you. You would pop up on my social media feed, show up in my…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHow to Stay Alive When You Don't Feel Like You Want To
WARNING: May be triggering for those with severe depression, suicidal ideation, or thoughts of self-harm Depression is a real b*****d. If it’s ever visited…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastNo, America is Not Cooked.
We’re cooked.I hear a lot of people saying that right now. (Well, they usually use a more colorful word than "cooked.”) And, I’m not gonna lie, I often find…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastLooking for Hope? Try here...
Running low on hope these days? You’re in good company, friend. For many of us, it’s been a tall order to try and fend off the discouragement that seems…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Demolition of the East Wing, and America
This is painful to witness. Watching the White House’s beautiful East Wing being leveled by bulldozers, seeing decades of our nation’s rich history crumbling…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastNow That The Government Has Turned Tyrannical, What Happened to All the Second Amendment Conservatives?
A strange, uncomfortable question continues to hover in the periphery of my mind, but before I ask it, I need to make something clear right up front, so there…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA "Christian" Pride Festival protestor stopped me in the grocery store... They're worse than you think.
Our town recently celebrated its second annual PRIDE Festival. It was, by all accounts, a joy-filled, loving celebration of our diverse community, marred only…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastICE is a Test of America's Humanity, and Many of Us are Failing.
The last decade in America has been an unrelenting funeral. For over ten years now, we’ve all stepped into the day knowing that we would be facing the death of…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastOur Town's PRIDE Festival Was a Beautiful, Joyful Celebration of Community. Then, The "Christians" Showed Up.
“And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” - Christian hymn As a longtime progressive pastor, I’ve come to understand that there are few people as…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastWe're all ANTIFA, Donald.
Hey Donald, So, you’re going after ANTIFA. At least, that’s your latest noisy dog-and-pony show distraction designed to divert the attention of the American…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Trump Administration Has Targeted Straight White Men. ICE Shows It Has Succeeded.
At first glance, it’s easy to focus on the Trump Administration’s attacks on historically marginalized minority communities: the incessant and increasingly…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Americans the World Will Remember
This week, I was thinking about a classroom in Central New York in the early 80s. I was sitting in the front row of a World History class, learning about…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastCongratulations, Trump Supporters, You've Owned the Libs
Well, Trump Supporters, as a member of the woke, radical Left, it kills me to say this, but you win. It’s not easy to admit you’ve been beaten, but there’s no…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastBad Bunny and MAGA's Super Bowl of Racism
Sometimes you don’t have to work to figure out where the racists are. Sometimes they out themselves. Within nanoseconds of the NFL announcing that Latin rapper…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI AM (not) CHARLIE KIRK.
I am Charlie Kirk. The phrase has quickly become a catch-all display of performative Conservative virtue signaling, lobbed indiscriminately into social media…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDreaming of Waking Up in Another Country
Mornings are strange these days. The sedative haze of sleep slowly begins to lift, and my conscious mind starts taking inventory and assembling the data and…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastConservative White Christians Will Worship Anyone But Jesus
I’d like to say I’m shocked. I’d like to say this is an aberration. I wish I could tell you that the Conservative Christian canonizing of Charlie Kirk was…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast'The Christian Left' Conversation With Charlotte Clymer
Reflection Questions Charlotte talks about the issue of loneliness being critical in understanding how many people have been pulled into Conservative Christian…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast'The Christian Left' Session 5: The Road Ahead
I'm sure you've heard someone ask to speak to the manager. As this week is coming to a close, I’ve been asking myself, “If I were the manager of the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz Podcast'The Christian Left' Conversation With Bishop Talbert Swan
Reflection Questions:Bishop Swan says that progressive Christianity has “failed to confront the concept of whiteness, of power, of empire, and it has not…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Christians Who Live By The Sword
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. - Jesus When’s the last time you heard a MAGA conservative Christian quote that scripture…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Shameful Christian Idolatry and Fraudulent Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk
As news of his shooting first broke, the Jesus-washing of Charlie Kirk’s life by Conservative Christians began almost immediately. My social media feed quickly…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastCharlie Kirk and the Value of Empathy
Charlie Kirk’s murder was a brutal, reprehensible, vile act. It is the kind of despicable disregard for life that all decent human beings should (and largely…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastAmerica, Who The Hell Do You Think You Are?
We all have a story we tell ourselves: about what we value, about who we are, about our presence in this world. It’s a narrative that we’ve spent our entire…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastFirst, Jeffrey Epstein and His Collaborators Violated These Women. Now, Republicans Are Violating Them.
As I watched a group of survivors of abuse standing outside our nation’s Capitol vowing to release the names of the monsters who collaborated with Jeffrey…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Don't Wish For His Death
It feels like a good portion of this nation is on death watch right now. My social media feed is filled with photos gleefully documenting the markers of his…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThoughts and Prayers, Bullets and Guns
Well, another week here in the Land of the Free. That means another mass shooting and another round of funerals for healthy human beings violently taken in the…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastBlaming Mental Illness for Mass Shootings is Irresponsible, Lazy, and Deadly
I've battled mental illness fiercely for more than half my life. Over three decades ago, I began to realize I was different from many people (or at least I…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey Republicans, It's the Damn Guns. And, It's You.
Dear Republicans, There’s been another mass shooting today in America.Sadly, this sentence is evergreen at this point, with only the geography and the death…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastLose the Bucket List, America. It's Time For the "F*ck It" List.
(Obviously, this piece is NSFW, or for sensitive ears.) Many people have a bucket list of some kind: a collection of goals and tasks they’d like to eventually…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastConservative Christians Are Saying, "To Hell With Jesus."
What makes someone a Christian? I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. I feel like I should know the answer. I was a pastor in the local church…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastA Thank You to Dr. James Dobson
Dear Dr. Dobson, In the wake of your passing, I felt like I needed to acknowledge the immense contribution you’ve made to my ministry and work, as you were…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI Wish I Were a MAGA.
I have to confess that on many days, I wish I were a MAGA. I imagine how liberating it must be not to have to think critically about the events of the day; to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastFast Fascism: From Democracy to Dictatorship in Under a Year
In the words of the incomparable Ron Burgundy, “Boy, that escalated quickly.” As someone who's spent the past few years working tirelessly to warn people about…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Trans Panic: How Conservatives Duped Their Phobic Base and Sacrificed a Vulnerable Minority
When you understand what motivates people, you can easily manipulate them. Once you’ve figured out their vulnerabilities, all you need to do is apply…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastHey MAGA America, Trump is Putin You On
Trump supporters, are you seeing this? He’s lying to you. This is all a sham, a mirage, an elaborate piece of performance art, all of it. When you side with…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastReaching People Who Have Discarded the Truth
They say that the truth hurts. I'm inclined to agree. Recently, in trying to talk about the state of our nation with people whose primary source of information…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastThe Sin of Denying Someone's Joy
Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who was jailed in 2015 for refusing a marriage license to a gay couple, has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastI'm Tired of Hatred
Yesterday, while picking up lunch, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a few months. After exchanging surprised greetings and a fierce hug, she stopped…
The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz PodcastDo MAGAs Deserve a Seat at Our Tables?
Back in 2016 I wrote a book called 'A Bigger Table.' It was the continuation of my then twenty-year journey as a local church pastor, trying to craft spiritual…