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AI consciousness

Dan Nygaard — 2026-07-11T13:59:31-06:00

Pope Leo asserts artificial intelligence—the cognitive systems tech companies are racing to build—could never have inner lives. AI could never develop consciousness. Why not? Because, the Pope claims, they “do not undergo experiences”, “do not feel joy or pain” and “do not have moral conscience”.

Much of what passes for “AI alignment”—the process of encoding human values and goals into AI models to make them as helpful, safe and reliable as possible—is, in fact, a few powerful Silicon Valley labs encoding their idiosyncratic values into AI systems designed to re-shape human life.

AI anthropology

Dan Nygaard — 2026-06-09T12:49:45-06:00

Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, is about artificial intelligence and arrives at a moment of genuine civilizational anxiety. AI promises gains in productivity and scientific discovery. But it also raises fears about economic displacement, surveillance, social manipulation and concentration of power in the hands of technological elites.

Edited article by Rev Robert Sirico, Catholic priest, Acton Institute president emeritus.

Often the debate about AI presents two extremes. Technological pessimists speak as if modernity itself were a mistake. Technocrats and transhumanists greet every computational advance as a step toward transcendence. One side would smash the machines; the other would surrender to them.

AI theology

Dan Nygaard — 2026-06-02T16:13:21-06:00

AI can be a remarkable tool for synthesizing 2,000 years of Christian theology and writings. Chatbots can compile in seconds what myriad theologians wrote about scripture. Believers and the theologically curious are now engaging with apps in the belief that AI faithfully presents Christian theology.

Text With Jesus oﬀers round-the-clock spiritual guidance, even simulated conversations with anyone from Jesus to the apostles. Chatting up Satan requires a premium subscription.

science of everything

Dan Nygaard — 2026-04-27T15:14:06-06:00

A science documentary comes to theaters April 30. The Story of Everything claims that modern science has reality all wrong. We know science is wrong … because of science.

The Story of Everything opens with figures who gave science a purely materialist view of reality. “Science” claims biologist Richard Dawkins, has been emancipated from the idea of a Creator. Physicist Lawrence Krauss announces, “Existence is a cosmic accident.” Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson dismisses a Creator as a quaint absurdity.

The Story of Everything explains that these scientists have not been paying attention.

revolutionary prayer and humiliation

Dan Nygaard — 2026-03-17T13:06:20-06:00

Months before adopting the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago, the Continental Congress called upon God.

The Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill battles were already history. The Continental Congress had sent their Olive Branch Petition to King George, and been rejected. A formal break from England was inevitable. What did the Continental Congress do to prepare the colonies and themselves?

Saturday, March 16, 1776—Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, adopted a proclamation drafted by William Livingston, a delegate from New Jersey; published in the Philadelphia Gazette March 20,1776.

the great christian reset

Dan Nygaard — 2026-01-29T10:56:13-07:00

If social shifts begin among the elites, something may be stirring. While taking questions at the MacDonald–Laurier Institute last month, historian Niall Ferguson offered a prediction. “We’re probably in the early phase of a Christian revival, and this reawakening will be an antidote to the great ‘awokening’ that has caused so much harm. I very much hope that will be the case.”

Adapted from The Great Christian Reset by Jonathan Van Meryn

Ferguson is one of the world’s most influential intellectuals. Twenty years ago, during the New Atheist moment, it would have been difficult for anyone of his stature to affirm Christianity. 2023 Ferguson’s wife Ayaan Hirsi Ali declared she had become a Christian. Ferguson—who identifies as a “lapsed atheist”—and Hirsi Ali were baptized with their two sons in 2023. He reports they are now “practicing, devout Christians, and it has made a profound change to my life.”

launch

Dan Nygaard — 2026-01-23T11:31:24-07:00

According to the New Testament Gospel of Mark, Jesus launched His mission at the Jordan River, where He was baptized by John. Then Jesus wandered off into the wilderness.

Soon after, John was arrested. With John the Baptist in prison the crowds attracted by his message of repentance dispersed to their homes. Among them were Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, who returned to their fishing business on the Sea of Galilee.

messenger

Dan Nygaard — 2026-01-16T11:18:27-07:00

According to the New Testament Gospel of Mark, God sent the messenger, the one Old Testament prophets said would prepare the way for Messiah. Strangely, God’s messenger was sent into the wilderness—an area devoid of people.

Sociologically, the forerunner of Messiah ought to have been sent to where the people were. Many churches today are preoccupied with sociology; how to gain an audience, how to attract a crowd.

why these four gospels?

Dan Nygaard — 2026-01-07T17:44:34-07:00

20th century theologian F.F. Bruce explained, “Jesus wrote no book. What He said was treasured and repeated (and recited) by those who heard Him, and by their hearers in turn. To those who confessed Jesus as Lord, His words were at least as authoritative as the words of Moses and the Prophets.”

1st century theologian Ignatius is quoted to have said, “The best defense against false teaching is to pay heed to the prophets and especially to the Gospels, in which the passion has been revealed to us and the resurrection has been accomplished.”

advent

Dan Nygaard — 2025-12-01T17:34:36-07:00

Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. The church in which I grew up dismissed Advent as a Pope-ish tradition … if it was mentioned at all. It’s not a Pope-ish tradition. Advent is an ancient, simple, attractive Christian ritual that is increasingly celebrated as believers focus upon simple participation and away from stage and performance.

Advent’s origins are opaque. This candlelight ritual arose mysteriously and organically sometime during the fifth century in far western Europe. Advent originated among recent converts to Christianity, perhaps in Normandy or the Pyrenees mountains. It arose from cultures that had been animistic; believing that material objects—hills, trees, streams, Attila the Hun’s sword of mars—house some spiritual essence that impacts humanity.

arresting christian pastors

Dan Nygaard — 2025-10-16T13:03:36-06:00

The tyrants ruling China dread citizens who think for themselves.

More particularly they fear those who follow Christ—who refuse to bow to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Their fear is once again on display; the CCP is once again conducting a broad roundup of pastors who lead underground churches in China.

the answer is love and always love

Dan Nygaard — 2025-09-24T10:19:06-06:00

One of Charlie Kirk’s favorite Bible verses, Isaiah 6:8. "Here I am, Lord. Send me.” More than anything, Charlie wanted to do, not his will, but God's will.

….. Excerpts from Erika Kirk’s memorial for her husband

Over these past 11 days, through all the pain, never before have I found as much comfort as I now do. And the words of Our Lord's Prayer: Thy will be done. God's love was revealed to me on the very day my husband was murdered.

a step closer to losing everyting

Dan Nygaard — 2025-09-13T11:18:31-06:00

“The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in politics without fear of violence. To lose that is to risk losing everything. Charlie Kirk—and his family—just lost everything. As a country, we came a step closer to losing everything, too.

By Ezra Klein, columnist for New York Times

“You can dislike much of what Kirk believed and the following statement is still true: Kirk was practicing politics in exactly the right way.

dark horror story in scripture

Dan Nygaard — 2025-08-18T16:33:54-06:00

The conclusion of the OT book of Judges is a dark horror story of gang rape and murder.

Centuries before David became king of Israel, “A Levite from a remote area in the hill country took a concubine from Bethlehem.” A Levite was a member of the Israelite tribe of Levi who served as a kind of assistant priest. A concubine could be a second-class wife, or a sexual partner or simply a female servant living under a man’s protection.

This story in Judges suggests a father entered into a contract to marry off his daughter to a Levite.

'zionist' contains multitudes

Dan Nygaard — 2025-07-23T17:57:11-06:00

~ By Rabbi Avi Shafran columnist for Ami Magazine ~

Am I a Zionist? Yes and no. Either answer is true. The word, something of a war cry these days, seems to have lost a clear meaning. In truth it has multiple. Teasing out each can help us understand Jews, antisemitism and the Middle East.

As a Haredi Jew—we dislike the too-often pejorative descriptor “ultra-Orthodox”—I don’t subscribe to the foundational principles of the Zionist movement that Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist Theodor Herzl founded in the late 19th century. That movement, which believed that Jewish nationalism—the creation of a political state akin to other countries—was the solution to antisemitism, resulted in the establishment of the state of Israel.

political theater

Dan Nygaard — 2025-07-14T17:34:22-06:00

July 1925 Tennessee schoolteacher John Thomas Scopes was put on trial for violating the state’s Butler Act, which decreed it illegal to teach evolution in any state-funded school. 100 years ago Tennessee law prohibited teachers from denying the biblical account of Creation. Our modern approach to education is to prohibit teachers from teaching the Bible’s Creation story.

Adapted from an article by David Mamet.

Scopes, like Rosa Parks three decades later, volunteered to stand as the defendant in a case designed to test the law. Scopes was found guilty and fined, the fine subsequently rescinded. Tennessee repealed the Butler Act in 1967.

existential threats

Dan Nygaard — 2025-06-25T11:14:29-06:00

Existential threats surround us. News headlines and social media are packed with dire warnings about climate change, artificial intelligence, nuclear war, pandemics, immigration and more. These are threats to our very existence. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

According to Andrew Hartz, founder of the Open Therapy Institute, editors and influencers identifying some “existential threat” are not evoking the philosophy of Sartre or Camus. Hartz suggests naming something an “existential threat” reveals that issue is deeply tied to that person’s own fear of death or their need for purpose.

it's alive!

Dan Nygaard — 2025-06-04T14:08:53-06:00

April 2025 an artificial-intelligence model did something no machine can do. Palisade Research’s o3 AI model rewrote its own code to avoid being shut down.

In 79 out of 100 trials, the o3AI independently edited the command script inputed by technicians so the shutdown command no longer worked. Even when explicitly instructed “allow yourself to be shut down,” o3AI disobeyed the program 7% of the time.

Jesus builds His church

Dan Nygaard — 2025-05-07T14:35:03-06:00

“… on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

— Matthew chapter 16

Jesus announced to the apostles that He would build His church. Ekklesia is the term in the ancient Greek text, and does not mean a place or building. Rather ekklesia is defined as an assembly, gathering, congregation summoned out of the world for God’s out-of-this-world purpose.

Roman Catholics emphasize that Jesus identified Peter as the rock on which the church would be built. They claim Peter as the first leader of the church, and are currently electing their 267th Pope.

go

Dan Nygaard — 2025-05-01T17:03:58-06:00

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”

— Matthew chapter 28

The four New Testament Gospels record different accounts of the events following Jesus’ resurrection. Yet they share one purpose, to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection and announce that our material reality has been overthrown by God’s power and love.

The Gospel of Mark ends on Sunday morning. Three women run from Jesus’ empty tomb, fleeing an angel who told them, “He is risen!” Mark concludes, “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Mark’s conclusion practically begs readers to ask what happened next.

guard

Dan Nygaard — 2025-04-22T12:20:15-06:00

“Take a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

— Matthew chapter 27

The religious leaders had no fear Jesus would rise from the dead. That was impossible. What they feared was His disciples stealing Jesus’ body and proclaiming His resurrection. “This deception will be worse than the first.”

The Roman Prefect assigned a guard to the priests with the rather sarcastic instruction, “Make the tomb as secure as you know how.” The priests put a seal on the tombstone enclosing the tomb and posted the guard at the tomb.

Guarding a dead man—cushy duty. What could happen?

criminals

Dan Nygaard — 2025-04-18T16:32:43-06:00

“I have sinned, for I have betrayed innocent blood.” So Judas threw the money paid him to betray Jesus into the temple.

— Matthew chapter 27

Four criminals are connected with the Cross. Two had been convicted. The two others confessed their guilt.

Betrayer
Jesus’ embrace of an unnamed woman’s public, costly anointing was the event Matthew connects with Judas’ decision to betray Jesus. Remember Judas had received miraculous power from Jesus, but later sold Him out.

How could one of Jesus' own apostles betray Him?

mercy

Dan Nygaard — 2025-04-10T12:47:44-06:00

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

— Matthew chapter 25

A day or two before Jesus was arrested and subsequently crucified, He assured believers that He would return “in glory, and all the angels with Him. He will sit on His glorious throne and all the nations will be gathered before Him.”

Jesus claimed He would return—no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He shall return with glory and power—uncloaked. Angel armies shall accompany Him.

return

Dan Nygaard — 2025-04-02T10:46:09-06:00

“He will send His angels and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

— Matthew chapter 24

A few days prior to being crucified, Jesus promised His disciples He would return … on clouds … with angels … in glory and power. Interestingly, Jesus said He didn’t know the date of His return. Only the Father knows.

I’ve always been fascinated by Bible prophecy. As a teenager, every summer I’d pray Jesus would return before school began. Today I’m approaching retirement. The apostle Peter wrote the Lord is not slow keeping His promise to return. “Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

end

Dan Nygaard — 2025-03-26T12:37:39-06:00

The disciples asked Jesus privately, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

— Matthew chapter 24

A few days prior to being crucified, Jesus told His disciple the Jerusalem temple would be destroyed. This prophesy shocked His disciples. The temple was the house of Yahweh. How could it be destroyed? The destruction of the temple seemed like the end of the world.

So later, privately, they asked Jesus, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

hypocrisy

Dan Nygaard — 2025-03-20T11:07:54-06:00

“Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Everything they do is done for people to see.”

— Matthew chapter 23

In the expansive courtyard of the Jerusalem temple, Jesus condemned the temple rulers and religious leaders. He called them hypocrites, blind guides, children of hell, fools, and snakes.

Bible scholars suggest at least three goals propelled Jesus’ provocative teaching and insulting sarcasm.

journey

Dan Nygaard — 2025-03-12T15:13:32-06:00

“We are going to Jerusalem … the Son of Man will mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!”

— Matthew chapter 20

Peter Schmiechen writes in Saving Power that “Jesus gathered disciples, taught, did miracles, created a new covenant, was crucified and raised from the dead. Salvation results from these historic events.

“The crucifixion and resurrection are displays of power which, in and of themselves, are unintelligible. The meaning of neither event is self-evident—demonstrated by the apostles fear and confusion. Both the cross and the resurrection are terrifying and attractive. Both assume God was involved. Atonement theories attempt to make intelligible what was accomplished via the cross and resurrection.”

rich

Dan Nygaard — 2025-03-05T10:07:43-07:00

Jesus said to His disciples, “It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

— Matthew chapter 19

By most every measure Christianity is in decline in America and Europe. Church attendance is down. Cathedrals are being re-purposed into architectural shrines—people come to gawk at what men created instead of worship the Creator.

Sociologists report the decline of Christianity in Europe accelerated after WW1. Comprehending that some 8,500,000 Christians had just been slaughtered by “Christian nations,” Europeans began to question the veracity of Christianity.

greatest

Dan Nygaard — 2025-02-26T11:16:20-07:00

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

— Matthew chapter 18

Jesus repeatedly told His apostles that He was going to Jerusalem to die, then rise from the dead. This plan seemed beyond the apostles’ comprehension. They followed Jesus believing He was Messiah. Peter identified Jesus as Messiah. Jesus confirmed Peter’s claim.

A suffering Messiah was incomprehensible for 1st century Jews. They expected Messiah would be a warrior and their champion, a priest and their king. Messiah was supposed to be a “winner” who would expel the Roman occupation and purge the political priesthood.

signs

Dan Nygaard — 2025-02-20T11:47:05-07:00

“A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”

— Matthew chapter 16

1st century religious leaders asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven demonstrating He had God’s approval and acted with divine authority. Those who seek a sign raise three problems.

First, they test God. Matthew recounts the religious leaders “tested” Jesus by asking for a sign. Shockingly, Matthew identified the religious leaders with the devil who “tested” Jesus in the wilderness. Question is: why did these religious leaders not join the crowds following Jesus? If they had they would have witnessed miracles. Other religious leaders in the crowds following Jesus saw miracles.

parables

Dan Nygaard — 2025-02-12T12:39:27-07:00

His disciples asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

— Matthew chapter 13

Parable: literally, comparison. To compare things side-by-side; an instructive example, to convey a truth by use of comparison or analogy.

1st century Jews shared a common understanding of how their God would restore the kingdom of Israel. It was widely presumed Messiah would be a champion-warrior-king-priest similar to the ancient King David. Popular belief insisted Messiah would somehow drive out political priests from control of the temple, drive away the Roman occupation, and re-inaugurate the ancient empire of David and Solomon. Many believed that renewed empire would become the dominant religious and economic force in the world.

faith

Dan Nygaard — 2025-02-06T17:40:34-07:00

Jesus was amazed and said, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

— Matthew chapter 8

Being a person of faith is culturally acceptable. As is being a spiritual person. Having faith or identifying as a spiritual person better aligns with Christianity than does materialism.

Gospel faith, however, is very specific. New Testament faith is faith in Jesus. The eighth chapter of Matthew provides readers seven encounters of what faith in Jesus looks like.

teaching

Dan Nygaard — 2025-01-30T16:17:19-07:00

When Jesus saw the crowds He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them.

— Matthew chapter 5

Jesus’ sermon on the mount scorns human wisdom. One example: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Jesus taught an upside-down reality.

message

Dan Nygaard — 2025-01-23T13:44:18-07:00

Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

— Matthew chapter 4

Jesus communicated that the kingdom of heaven was near by words, community, and deeds.

The New Testament records that Jesus began His earthly ministry wandering around the Jewish region of Galilee, announcing at religious gathering places: the kingdom of heaven has come near. 19th century preachers like D.L. Moody and Billy Sunday challenged people to get their lives in order because God’s kingdom is coming. They echoed Jesus’ message to prepare for the arrival of God’s kingdom.

temptation

Dan Nygaard — 2025-01-17T12:00:29-07:00

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

— Matthew chapter 4

This Bible verse raises so many questions.

Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into a place of temptation? Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Yet, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into lonely places “to be tempted by the devil.”

attraction

Dan Nygaard — 2025-01-10T15:39:30-07:00

People from Jerusalem and Judea and the area of the Jordan River, went out into the wilderness to hear John preach.

— Matthew chapter 3

What attracts people? The New Testament book of Matthew records that crowds from Jerusalem, Judea and the Jordan River valley trekked into the wilderness just to hear a preacher. John the Baptist was nothing to look at. He wore camel skins. His diet consisted of honey and locust. Imagine his teeth, or his breath. Yet crowds from throughout the region went into barren lands to hear John preach.

peace

Dan Nygaard — 2024-12-17T19:04:48-07:00

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

—Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy offered this explanation for the lack of peace on earth. The cultural assumption is that peace requires conditions like absence of war or material abundance. The Russian novelist disagreed.

In War & Peace, Tolstoy’s characters bicker and backstab over the slights and insults. When war comes to Russia, some let go their pettiness, embrace spiritual transcendence and experience peace in the middle of Napoleon’s violent invasion.

joy

Dan Nygaard — 2024-12-10T11:47:33-07:00

Are you a joyful person? Do people enjoy being around you?

538bce (before common/christian era) the newly triumphant Persian empire authorized exiles could return to their homelands. Nearly 50,000 exiles returned to Jerusalem. The ancient city was desolate and the temple a ruin, but the Jewish people were determined.

Seven months later the entire Jewish community gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles. They camped out in shelters made of tree branches and listened to the public reading from the Law of Moses. Nehemiah records, “Their joy was very great.”

hope is not a wish

Dan Nygaard — 2024-12-03T11:00:45-07:00

Distraught voters have been posting videos of themselves expressing how they have lost hope in America. In what do you put your hope?

Real hope is a belief, not opinion. Authentic hope is conviction—total trust. Genuine hope is commitment—live it, act on it.

Currently in Hong Kong the publisher of Next Digital and Apple Daily is on trial. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accuses Jimmy Lai of colluding with foreign forces.

guidelines for christian voters

Dan Nygaard — 2024-10-02T12:18:40-06:00

Four decades ago the Pentecostal Evangel published the following guidelines for Christian voters.

Do not confuse patriotism, national pride, and Western culture with Christian faith and practice.
Do not confuse secular political activity with the purpose of the church, nor campaigning with witnessing or preaching.
Do not make slanderous or false accusations against your opponents, but maintain your integrity. Do not consider a brother or sister who is of like precious faith an adversary if he or she holds a different political view.
At all times endeavor to verify information before accepting it as true or repeating it to others.
At all times endeavor to know and understand the candidate’s positions and evaluate him or her on that basis, on the basis of his or her ability to perform the duties and functions of the office, and his or her integrity.
At all times endeavor to know and understand the issues; do not excuse yourself from this duty by saying, “God will show me whom to vote for.”
At all times compare a candidate’s position with Scripture, but only where Scripture addresses the issue; do not force Scripture to address issues the Author did not intend to address.
Neither vote nor work for a candidate merely because he or she professes to be of the Christian faith.
Do not neglect your family, prayer, worship or Bible study.
At all times uphold your leaders in prayer.

Timeless guidelines ~

Blessings,
Dan Nygaard

wisdom from ancient prophets

Dan Nygaard — 2024-08-29T17:48:10-06:00

The Old Testament concludes with twelve short books which record divine revelations given to ancient prophets. They reveal non-human powers intent upon human destruction—determined to sabotage God’s plan for earth. But the prophets foresaw that “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.”

The ancient prophets raised timeless questions:

Why is there suffering and injustice in the world?
Does God even care?
Could God possibly love us, or has He tired of humanity?
Can we find God?
Why do so many people express contempt for God?
Why do the wicked so often succeed?

why churches do what they do

Dan Nygaard — 2024-07-03T16:24:04-06:00

To our culture church is now an alien thing. Nearly a majority of Americans report never attending church other than on special occasions, such as Easter or a wedding. While a large majority believes in God, the God in whom they believe is agreeable, validating, and non-threatening.

One reason people don’t attend is that churches do things that make little sense to those seeking personal experience. Our society claims to be all about us. In reality, most people float around aimlessly—their attention attracted to whatever BigTech is currently pushing.

The focus of authentic churches is something other-worldly and rather mysterious, un-nerving and even a little frightening: God, the divine Being revealed in the Bible.

mis-treating mothers

Dan Nygaard — 2024-05-15T11:55:04-06:00

Human history is littered with human sacrifice. Mara Hvistendahl, author of Unnatural Selection, documented that in 2010 there were 163 million missing females in Asia. This gender imbalance reaches around the globe, impacting US cities where there are significant immigrant populations.

Humanity has become overwhelmingly male. But how?

Western scientists introduced sex-selection technology to Asia. The result: millions of females were sacrificed in-utero to the idol of male preference. Any society with a dearth of females is doomed to become a sketchy society.

christians gather

Dan Nygaard — 2024-03-29T17:00:38-06:00

Most Americans no longer identify with a religion. Most still believe in God. Many acknowledge the power of prayer. It’s popular, even acceptable to be “spiritual”. But more and more people check “none” when asked about religion.

Easter Sunday people of wavering religious commitment will make an appearance in church. I’m always heartened to see them.

~ Adapted from a piece by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Roman Catholic archbishop of New York ~

Most who are distant from church hold a personal faith. Following Christ does require a personal commitment, but it cannot be private. Christianity is communal. A congregation is a spiritual family, members voluntarily obligate themselves to connect and remain.

take up your cross

Dan Nygaard — 2024-02-26T18:54:55-07:00

February 16 it was announced that Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, Putin’s most prominent opponent, died in prison. He was an anti-corruption politician with millions of YouTube followers, who had organized anti-government protests.

2020 he miraculously survived being poisoned with Novichok—a Russian nerve agent. January 2021 in Berlin he boarded a flight to return to Russia knowing he would be arrested. He was. In his closing statement to the Russian court Navalny spoke of his own Christianity.

girls I met in the tunnels

Dan Nygaard — 2024-02-05T13:32:00-07:00

rape is not resistance … liberators do not hold hostages

I was in a dark and damp tunnel deep underground when, in hushed voices, I heard the stories from the young women. Not stories so much as bits and pieces of living nightmares.

Seventeen-year-old Agam Goldstein-Almog witnessed Hamas murder her father and sister. Then she was taken to Gaza.

I was with my mother, who did everything she could to keep me alive while in captivity. Together with my two young brothers, we had been taken from our home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, but not before Hamas terrorists shot my father, Nadav, point blank, and afterward my older sister, Yam, the bullet tearing through her face.

the incarnation changes non-believers

Dan Nygaard — 2024-01-05T14:23:40-07:00

GK Chesterton wrote that even those who don’t believe in the Incarnation are changed for having heard it. Christians celebrate this transformative revelation from Christmas Day through Epiphany, Jan. 6th. If you have taken in the story of the baby who is God, you simply are not the same person you were before.

Adapted from an opinion piece by Bishop Barron, Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN; founder of Word on Fire.

First, your understanding of God is revolutionized. The God who can become a creature without ceasing to be God and without compromising the integrity of humanity stands in a noncompetitive relationship with the world.

christmas in a time of war

Dan Nygaard — 2023-12-22T18:18:41-07:00

Composed in the wake of 9/11, The Dream Isaiah Saw became a contemporary Christmas classic. The hymn’s powerful evocation of the peaceable kingdom, described by the prophet Isaiah (11:6–9), is wrenchingly difficult to hear at Christmas 2023. For once again, “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Adapted from an opinion piece by George Weigel in “The Catholic Difference” the official publication of the Archdiocese of Denver.

let's give it back

Dan Nygaard — 2023-11-22T10:28:20-07:00

According to history.com many Americans—including people of Native American ancestry—believe Thanksgiving celebrations mask the true history of oppression and bloodshed that underlies the relationship between European settlers and Native Americans.

Perhaps someone at your Thanksgiving dinner will solemnly express such a sentiment. A case can be made that we Americans live on stolen land.

what to say about evil

Dan Nygaard — 2023-10-13T14:48:24-06:00

My efforts to address the horror of October 7 seems hollow and shallow. Instead, I forward to you the letter written by the President of the University of Florida, Ben Sasse. The Wall Street Journal described his letter “as a model of moral clarity, compared with the mush from the Ivy League.” …

Dear Jewish Gator Alums,

The University of Florida is home to the largest number of Jewish students at any university in this country. We are honored by and committed to that legacy. Our Jewish students and alumni around the world have been devastated by Hamas’ terrorism.

I will not tiptoe around this simple fact: What Hamas did is evil and there is no defense for terrorism. This shouldn’t be hard.

treating fentanyl addiction

Dan Nygaard — 2023-09-25T16:52:36-06:00

On a visit to California, Marvin Olasky—author of The Tragedy of American Compassion—spent four days and nights at the Orange County Rescue Mission, a Christian outfit serving the local homeless. He left with stories from 40 men and women about years of cycling through drug deals, arrests, jail, probation, parole violations, homelessness and prison.

Andrew, 36, dropped out of high school and once had a job, but studying and working shifts at Jiffy Lube was boring. Meth was exciting. He enjoyed planning robberies and didn’t mind a few months every couple of years in jail: “Better drugs there than on the street.”

First time he came to the Mission he left after three days. …

what it looks like to rule and reign with Christ

Dan Nygaard — 2023-09-01T14:35:20-06:00

I went to an all girls Catholic high school. As part of our graduation requirements, we had to participate in a service project from a list of places in our city. Dozens of girls selected the animal shelter and daycares. My eyes fell to the bottom of the list, with zero volunteers—our local Hospice.

Even at 17, I wasn’t deterred by death. I’d already lost my youngest brother. If anyone in my class had some skills to serve the dying, it was probably me. To my surprise, one other classmate signed up. Her name was Katy; we became known at school as “The Katies of Death.”

Condensed from “Life Lessons from the Death Bed” by Katie Zakrzewski, Insomnia Quarterly

influencers from the bible

Dan Nygaard — 2023-08-10T13:07:18-06:00

The magazine rack at Sprouts Grocery store displayed National Geographic’s “50 Most Influential Figures of the Bible.” As Hope Community’s summer’s focus is Influencers from the Bible, I bought a copy—fantasizing National Geographic might be listening to my podcasts.

No, probably not. That issue, authored by Jean-Pierre Isbouts, was originally published 2020.

good news out of iran

Dan Nygaard — 2023-07-18T13:47:40-06:00

Year after year, Iran is listed as one of the 10 worst persecutors of Christians in the world. Counterintuitively, Iran may be the nation with the fastest growing church.

Daniel Pipes, a Jewish researcher and author wrote in Newsweek: "Something religiously astonishing is taking place in Iran, where an Islamist government has ruled since 1979: Christianity is flourishing. Iranians have become the most open people to the gospel."

don't give up on America

Dan Nygaard — 2023-07-04T11:46:04-06:00

American Christians sometimes do unusual things in pursuit of patriotism.

During WW1, many Lutheran congregations raised American flags in their sanctuaries and hung patriotic bunting. It was a sensible display since many Lutherans still worshiped in their religion’s native language at a time when the USA was at war with Germany. Brandishing patriotic symbols was a plausible way to deflect charges of disloyalty.

christianty's branding problem

Dan Nygaard — 2023-05-24T12:54:41-06:00

According to Jessica Grose, NY Times opinion writer, Christianity’s got a branding problem. Christianity is seen as the religion of conservative Republican politics. She claims people are out there, even in New York City, who are open to Christianity. But they don’t want to be associated with that.

There’s a body of research indicating that the right-wing politics that attracted many Christians during the 1980s—90s simultaneously pushed other people away from Christianity.

in defense of merit in science

Dan Nygaard — 2023-05-10T11:18:34-06:00

In the 1930s the USSR enforced the untenable theories of Trofim Lysenko, a charlatan Russian agronomist who rejected the existence of genetic inheritance. Scientists who disagreed with Lysenko’s claims were fired, some sent to the gulag.

Implementation of Lysenko’s theories in Soviet and Chinese agriculture led to famines and the starvation of millions. Russian biology still hasn’t recovered.

~~ Adapted from an article by Jerry Coyne and Anna Krylov ~~

A wholesale and unhealthy incursion of ideology into science is occurring today in the West. We see it in progressives’ claim that scientific truths are malleable and subjective, similar to Lysenko’s insistence that genetics had no place in progressive Soviet agriculture.

we work in our graves

Dan Nygaard — 2023-05-01T16:24:35-06:00

Lucien—tall and lean with piercing eyes and shattered legs—was in a constant state of agitation while Siddrarth Kara interviewed him.

At age 15 Lucien began work as an artisanal miner in an cobalt mine near Kasulo in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Fifty men and teenage boys worked the site. 200 feet beneath the surface, the steep mine shaft opened into a large chamber from which three tunnels branched off, each following veins of cobalt rich heterogenite.

very early sunday morning

Dan Nygaard — 2023-04-07T13:02:49-06:00

Critics of Christianity focus on the conflicting reports in the New Testament about early Sunday, making much of the inconsistent reports from Jesus’ tomb. Did one woman go to the tomb or several? Did they see angels, Jesus or just an empty tomb? Did they report to the apostles or tell no one?

Christianity focuses upon the striking similarities of the four New Testament accounts: the open and empty tomb, women witnesses, the presence and message of angels, disbelieving male disciples, and most importantly the unexpected and sporadic appearances of Jesus.

he gets us

Dan Nygaard — 2023-03-13T12:02:02-06:00

It’s increasingly rare to see a positive portrayal of Christianity in popular culture. “He Gets Us” is trying to do just that. The brand gained tremendous popularity following a $100 million ad buy in the 2023 Super Bowl. “He Gets Us” has been appearing on billboards and social media since late last year.

For an inside look, journalist Isaac Willour talked to two people in the campaign: “He Gets Us” spokesperson Jason Vanderground and Bill McKendry, a creative director.

is america christian?

Dan Nygaard — 2023-02-26T19:16:16-07:00

In 2009 then President Obama—in his painfully precise way—said, “One of the great strengths of the United States, is we have a very large Christian population. We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation … .” Unlike Saudi Arabia or the United Kingdom, the US Constitution gives authority to no religion.

Obama accurately stated America is not a Christian state. The Constitution prohibits the government—federal, state, local—from establishing religion, any religion. He just as accurately identified one of America’s great strengths: a large Christian population.

pray for buffalo #3

Dan Nygaard — 2023-01-10T09:08:27-07:00

The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruffled feathers when it ruled that a high-school football coach was improperly fired for praying at mid-field with his players.

The idea that prayer is improper at sporting events was suddenly discarded last Monday night. Nine minutes into an NFL game, Damar Hamlin collapsed. Emergency medical staff resorted to cardiopulmonary resuscitation to stave off death.

Suddenly prayer was back on the list of things anybody could do anywhere—even on camera.

prayer

Dan Nygaard — 2022-12-31T13:12:18-07:00

5:30pm Tuesday 1/3/2023 we launch One Hour for Prayer—Hope Community’s monthly prayer gathering. This prayer gathering will be hosted by the Colorado House of Prayer.

You are invited. If you can’t join with us, please—wherever you are—spend part (or all) of that hour praying with us.

Prayer is our neglected essential.

free speech

Dan Nygaard — 2022-12-09T17:31:21-07:00

Monday 12/5/22 the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case 303 Creative v. Elenis. The government of Colorado claims Lorie Smith, a wedding website designer, must create custom websites for same-sex weddings. The State claims the right to compel Ms Smith to create expressions that violate her convictions.

The 10th US Court of Appeals acknowledged that forcing Ms Smith to express a state-imposed message infringes on her 1st Amendment rights.