Mass turnout in #Tbilisi again. Georgia's path towards Europe is sabotaged by the ruling party's weaponization of Russian foreign agents law to step into Russia-style consolidated authoritarianism, undermining the country's constitution, democracy and its EU integration.

Is this 'Yanukovich moment' of Georgia’s oligarch? It seems so. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the oligarch behind ruling Georgian Dream confirmed yesterday what we have observed since he came to power in 2012 – he announced a shift in Georgia’s foreign policy & political repressions. 1/13

On Saved By the City, Katelyn Beaty and I did a roundup from the Religion News Association conference, featuring Julie Roys kate shellnutt & Sarah Riccardi-Swartz - with scandalous religion, a daring provocation and some receipts from the manosphere, respectively.
religionnews.com/2024/04/25/spi…

Grateful to our panel participants engaging #RNA2024 on this topic, especially our local Pittsburgh clergymen Frs. Paul Abernathy and Thomas Soroka.

I don’t know how can you watch this without breaking down in tears. Youth took to the streets in Tbilisi yesterday 5th day of non-stop protest against Russian law. They chanted Sakartvelo, sang the national anthem and swore an oath to defend Georgia and Georgia’s European future.

This afternoon's #RNA2024 panel: Why are so many young men (particularly young evangelical men) becoming drawn to Eastern Orthodoxy?

Moderated by Meagan Clark Saliashvili, who reported on it for Texas Monthly:
texasmonthly.com/news-politics/…

snippet of the downsides of NYC: there's a guy in my neighborhood who everyday steals money from the tip jars at the local businesses, mostly run by immigrants and paying min wage to the staff receiving tips. The NYPD has told everyone there's nothing they can do.

hope it won't come to this again this week 🙏 May the #Tbilisi Georgian protests swiftly stop the proposed Russia-inspired 'foreign agent' bill, which would make NGOs with overseas funding register as 'foreign agents' and be used to crack down even more on dissent against the gov

NEW story:

I dug into the growing number of right-wing Americans who view Vladimir Putin as an attractive leader.

Thanks to Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Terrell Jermaine Starr 🇺🇦🌻🇵🇸✊🏾🇬🇪, and others for insights, and Casey Michel and Meagan Clark Saliashvili, whose work I cited.

nationaljournal.com/s/724665/crisi…

In her new book, Candida Moss argues that slaves and other lower-status workers played a key role in producing and preserving the Christian Scriptures.
religionnews.com/2024/03/13/in-…

If you can’t imagine people who disagree with you apart from an imaginary camp of enemies, you’re probably used to the hermeneutics of fundamentalism.
You have the option of reading David French’s article to see what I am talking about before demonstrating it with your actions.

In Bobby Ross Jr.’ Weekend Plug-in, Religion News Association honors Adelle Banks, terrorists in California? (@jaweedkaleem), ‘Ortho Bros’ on the rise (@Meagan_Salia), Virgin of Charity (@LuisAndresHenao, Giovanna Dell'Orto) and more top reads!

religionunplugged.com/news/2024/03/1…

Summer hits the nail on the head here

Yeah… ROCOR is perfectly healthy guys. Got literal priests like this guy “making jokes” about burning seminaries they deem “too liberal” down. No really! We’re fine!

LGBTQ acceptance within the church is an insider debate that has less outside news value. I wrote in TM that some Ortho Bros have found common cause with white supremacist movements. Are you denying that? Do you still believe that Nick Fuentes is not really a white supremacist?

Many Orthodox priests are aware of the problem