Dr. Woodward, I read The Scandal of Leadership a couple of years ago. It was one of those books that altered how I see things (altered in a good way). I don’t see things like I used to. Thank you for your work in unmasking the powers.
Thank you for your encouraging words, Dr. Beavis. It means a lot to hear that the book helped shift your perspective. As I look back on the journey of writing it, I can really sense the Spirit’s hand, leading me to wrestle with the Powers not just for church leadership, but to help us stay faithful and courageous in moments like the one we’re living through now.
Thanks our leader JR Woodward for reminding us that though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.
Susan, thanks for picking up on that important point. Having a solid theology of the Powers helps us to engage the battle with a deep love for all people, as everyone is made in the image of God and loved by God, as demonstrated by the cross.
There’s something about the way you frame techno-oligarchy not just as a political force, but as a liturgy (a patterned, spiritual submission to control) that stayed with me. The bit about Musk, Yarvin, and Vance as vessels for deeper systems, not just individuals with too much power, is so important. It sharpens how we name what’s actually happening. I also really appreciated the reminder that authoritarianism doesn’t always wear a uniform – sometimes it arrives dressed as innovation, investment, or a “productivity tool.” That framing stuck with me.
I’ve been exploring some of this in my own writing too, but from the historical and lived experience perspective, less about public policy and more about how this spirit of control trickles into the rhythms of daily life. In my latest piece, I look at the performance of productivity in corporate spaces, and how so many of us feel like we’re not working anymore, just mimicking what work should look like for the systems watching us.
Your piece names the cosmic weight. Mine traces how it lands in the body. I think they speak to each other in useful ways.
Thanks for your comment and I appreciated your post on Techno-Feudalism at Work: The Factory Has Gone Digital. Insightful. As Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Your post helps me and can help others to examine our vocations with a needed depth. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks JR. This is such a thoughtful and beautifully framed understanding of what is happening in the US right now. I, like you, have been criticized for “suddenly” speaking out against our country’s free fall into authoritarianism. I’ve watched people try to dismiss our words because “previous administrations have been just as bad“ and we didn’t say anything then. But those attempts to expose inherent bias or declare equivalency fail to recognize that this is not about who did a better—or worse—job at facilitating democracy. This is an attack on democracy itself and on the citizens of this country who are trying their best to defend it.
I have voted for Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and Independent candidates in my lifetime. I’ve felt resonance with some administrations and dissonance with others. But never before in my lifetime would I have been considered an enemy of the state, or as President Trump is fond of saying, “an enemy from within,” simply for challenging a leader’s rhetoric and policies. Until now. For those who wonder why I and other Christian leaders are “suddenly” speaking up, I would say that when law-abiding citizens of this country are considered “enemies of the state” simply because they oppose an administration’s cruelty, then it’s time for ALL citizens to speak up.
Bro, you hit the nail right on the head. You articulate my position as well, both in how I have voted in the past, and naming how our current crisis is quite distinct. Thanks for being a faithful witness and your encouragement to me runs deep!
Information warfare, geopolitical power play, is exploiting these platforms’ design. Remember, the goal is not to make you believe one thing; the goal is to make you doubt everything so you cannot act."
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Maria Ressa at the Jubilee of the World of Communication |January 2025.
Dr. Woodward, I read The Scandal of Leadership a couple of years ago. It was one of those books that altered how I see things (altered in a good way). I don’t see things like I used to. Thank you for your work in unmasking the powers.
Thank you for your encouraging words, Dr. Beavis. It means a lot to hear that the book helped shift your perspective. As I look back on the journey of writing it, I can really sense the Spirit’s hand, leading me to wrestle with the Powers not just for church leadership, but to help us stay faithful and courageous in moments like the one we’re living through now.
Thanks our leader JR Woodward for reminding us that though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.
Susan, thanks for picking up on that important point. Having a solid theology of the Powers helps us to engage the battle with a deep love for all people, as everyone is made in the image of God and loved by God, as demonstrated by the cross.
Bro, this needs to be read widely. So important!
And history teaches us Autocracy’s a car crash waiting to happen
https://justhinkin.substack.com/p/autocracy-a-suicide-machine?r=3cs2wr
Thanks for sharing. Sad, but true. Let’s continue our faithful resistance to this regime!
Thanks for this, JR.
There’s something about the way you frame techno-oligarchy not just as a political force, but as a liturgy (a patterned, spiritual submission to control) that stayed with me. The bit about Musk, Yarvin, and Vance as vessels for deeper systems, not just individuals with too much power, is so important. It sharpens how we name what’s actually happening. I also really appreciated the reminder that authoritarianism doesn’t always wear a uniform – sometimes it arrives dressed as innovation, investment, or a “productivity tool.” That framing stuck with me.
I’ve been exploring some of this in my own writing too, but from the historical and lived experience perspective, less about public policy and more about how this spirit of control trickles into the rhythms of daily life. In my latest piece, I look at the performance of productivity in corporate spaces, and how so many of us feel like we’re not working anymore, just mimicking what work should look like for the systems watching us.
Your piece names the cosmic weight. Mine traces how it lands in the body. I think they speak to each other in useful ways.
Thanks again for the clarity.
Thanks for your comment and I appreciated your post on Techno-Feudalism at Work: The Factory Has Gone Digital. Insightful. As Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Your post helps me and can help others to examine our vocations with a needed depth. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks JR. This is such a thoughtful and beautifully framed understanding of what is happening in the US right now. I, like you, have been criticized for “suddenly” speaking out against our country’s free fall into authoritarianism. I’ve watched people try to dismiss our words because “previous administrations have been just as bad“ and we didn’t say anything then. But those attempts to expose inherent bias or declare equivalency fail to recognize that this is not about who did a better—or worse—job at facilitating democracy. This is an attack on democracy itself and on the citizens of this country who are trying their best to defend it.
I have voted for Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and Independent candidates in my lifetime. I’ve felt resonance with some administrations and dissonance with others. But never before in my lifetime would I have been considered an enemy of the state, or as President Trump is fond of saying, “an enemy from within,” simply for challenging a leader’s rhetoric and policies. Until now. For those who wonder why I and other Christian leaders are “suddenly” speaking up, I would say that when law-abiding citizens of this country are considered “enemies of the state” simply because they oppose an administration’s cruelty, then it’s time for ALL citizens to speak up.
Thank you for your courage to speak up!
Bro, you hit the nail right on the head. You articulate my position as well, both in how I have voted in the past, and naming how our current crisis is quite distinct. Thanks for being a faithful witness and your encouragement to me runs deep!
"...technology rewards lies.
Online violence is real-world violence.
...
Information warfare, geopolitical power play, is exploiting these platforms’ design. Remember, the goal is not to make you believe one thing; the goal is to make you doubt everything so you cannot act."
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Maria Ressa at the Jubilee of the World of Communication |January 2025.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-01/jubilee-of-the-world-of-communications-maria-ressa.html
Keep writing. Keep speaking up. Prophetic voices are rarely accepting in the present.
Will do my brother.