Ben Sternke
@bensternke.bsky.social
Episcopal priest / Co-Vicar The Table Indy / Co-Founder Gravity Commons / Author: *Having the Mind of Christ* (IVP 2022) / #YNWA / bensternke.substack.com
“When you _[action]_, I felt _[emotion]_, because the story I told myself about that was _____. Can you help me understand?”
^ I’m convinced that memorizing these words and using them in conflict will eliminate 95% of the unnecessary relational pain in your life.
^ I’m convinced that memorizing these words and using them in conflict will eliminate 95% of the unnecessary relational pain in your life.
August 30, 2025 at 12:31 PM
“When you _[action]_, I felt _[emotion]_, because the story I told myself about that was _____. Can you help me understand?”
^ I’m convinced that memorizing these words and using them in conflict will eliminate 95% of the unnecessary relational pain in your life.
^ I’m convinced that memorizing these words and using them in conflict will eliminate 95% of the unnecessary relational pain in your life.
"Write something. Draw a doodle. Paint a picture. Make music. Volunteer. Get involved in political organizing. Seek out your local scene and find out what it’s all about. These individual acts cannot break the chains that capitalism binds us with on their own, but they’re a start."
Why America Still Needs Punk Rock
A brief history of our most rebellious musical genre, as seen through its DIY zines.
www.currentaffairs.org
August 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
"Write something. Draw a doodle. Paint a picture. Make music. Volunteer. Get involved in political organizing. Seek out your local scene and find out what it’s all about. These individual acts cannot break the chains that capitalism binds us with on their own, but they’re a start."
For 10 million kids to live in poverty in a society where the 100 richest people grow their wealth by $1.5 trillion is a form of child sacrifice.
Earning More but in Worse Shape: Hardship Overwhelms Many American Families
Nearly half of kids in the U.S. live in households below the middle class as inflation and the end of Covid relief hit working parents.
www.wsj.com
August 5, 2025 at 6:46 PM
For 10 million kids to live in poverty in a society where the 100 richest people grow their wealth by $1.5 trillion is a form of child sacrifice.
We imagine our “free will” lies in our ability to choose against God, but what if choosing against God is actually evidence that our wills are not truly free (yet)?
The Ultimate Beauty that Satisfies Our Desire
What if choosing something other than God is evidence that our wills are not truly free (yet)?
bensternke.substack.com
July 2, 2025 at 6:25 PM
We imagine our “free will” lies in our ability to choose against God, but what if choosing against God is actually evidence that our wills are not truly free (yet)?
"This is the most deeply immoral piece of legislation I have ever voted on in my entire time in Congress." - Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). This isn't disagreement over "policy," it's grotesque and evil to cut off millions of people from healthcare to even further line the pockets of billionaires.
June 30, 2025
"This is the most deeply immoral piece of legislation I have ever voted on in my entire time in Congress,” said Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT).
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
"This is the most deeply immoral piece of legislation I have ever voted on in my entire time in Congress." - Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). This isn't disagreement over "policy," it's grotesque and evil to cut off millions of people from healthcare to even further line the pockets of billionaires.
What if love is the “almighty” power that will eventually enfold the whole world in its embrace? What if saying that God is almighty is the same thing as saying that God is love? What if God’s power has been constantly operating in a hidden way since the dawn of creation?
The Kind of Power God Has
Yes, God is "almighty," but not like we think
bensternke.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 4:43 PM
What if love is the “almighty” power that will eventually enfold the whole world in its embrace? What if saying that God is almighty is the same thing as saying that God is love? What if God’s power has been constantly operating in a hidden way since the dawn of creation?
“The trouble with bad religion – what makes it toxic – is that it’s a way of teaching you to ignore what is real… One of the tests of actual faith, as opposed to bad religion, is whether it stops you ignoring things.” - Rowan Williams
June 30, 2025 at 1:26 PM
“The trouble with bad religion – what makes it toxic – is that it’s a way of teaching you to ignore what is real… One of the tests of actual faith, as opposed to bad religion, is whether it stops you ignoring things.” - Rowan Williams
An observation: The oneness of heart and soul that the Holy Spirit created among the early church issued forth in communism, and this was a sign of God’s grace at work among them (according to scripture).
The Communism of the Early Church
...was a sign of God's grace at work among them
bensternke.substack.com
June 26, 2025 at 2:33 PM
An observation: The oneness of heart and soul that the Holy Spirit created among the early church issued forth in communism, and this was a sign of God’s grace at work among them (according to scripture).
Naming God as “Father” has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with origin (and Jesus).
Why We Name God as Father
It's about origin and relationship, not gender
open.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Naming God as “Father” has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with origin (and Jesus).
A reminder: if you have to work for a living, you are *already* in solidarity with 99% of the population. The trick that wealthy people play on us is convincing us that our solidarity lies somewhere else (with other "white" people, e.g.).
June 23, 2025 at 2:34 PM
A reminder: if you have to work for a living, you are *already* in solidarity with 99% of the population. The trick that wealthy people play on us is convincing us that our solidarity lies somewhere else (with other "white" people, e.g.).
"ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills." Ya think? You are literally outsourcing the thinking required to write.
ChatGPT's Impact On Our Brains According to an MIT Study
The study, from MIT Lab scholars, measured the brain activity of subjects writing SAT essays with and without ChatGPT.
time.com
June 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
"ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills." Ya think? You are literally outsourcing the thinking required to write.
What a chilling piece: “Even if most Americans haven’t abandoned their private sense of empathy, many don’t seem terribly bothered by the rancidness of their leaders... the rapid normalization of spectacular corruption, the desensitization to lawless power, the acceptance of moral collapse."
No One Can Offer Any Hope
Even if most Americans haven’t abandoned their private sense of empathy, many don’t seem terribly bothered by the rancidness of their leaders.
www.theatlantic.com
June 5, 2025 at 11:24 PM
What a chilling piece: “Even if most Americans haven’t abandoned their private sense of empathy, many don’t seem terribly bothered by the rancidness of their leaders... the rapid normalization of spectacular corruption, the desensitization to lawless power, the acceptance of moral collapse."
What percentage of our national politicians are NOT millionaires? A serious question.
June 4, 2025 at 9:28 PM
What percentage of our national politicians are NOT millionaires? A serious question.
A reminder: fascists only have as much power as we’re willing to give them by our compliance.
May 29, 2025 at 8:24 PM
A reminder: fascists only have as much power as we’re willing to give them by our compliance.
In the interest of not getting used to the unconscionable actions of our current administration, it’s worth saying that grabbing people off the street and, without due process, sending them to foreign concentration camps is not “deportation.” It’s kidnapping and enslavement.
May 29, 2025 at 3:19 PM
In the interest of not getting used to the unconscionable actions of our current administration, it’s worth saying that grabbing people off the street and, without due process, sending them to foreign concentration camps is not “deportation.” It’s kidnapping and enslavement.
The paradox of the Ascension is that “Jesus goes away in order to be more fully present. Jesus has taken humanity into the presence of God, and now is present on earth in his divinity through his body, the church. Jesus is in heaven *and* on earth. We are on earth *and* in heaven..."
He Abides With His Church On Earth
A reflection on the Collect for Ascension Day
open.substack.com
May 29, 2025 at 12:34 PM
The paradox of the Ascension is that “Jesus goes away in order to be more fully present. Jesus has taken humanity into the presence of God, and now is present on earth in his divinity through his body, the church. Jesus is in heaven *and* on earth. We are on earth *and* in heaven..."
Sometimes the story I tell myself is that my tears are a problem to fix, so it was encouraging to be reminded of the Orthodox tradition of weeping. Especially these days, we ought to go and weep. There is no other way but this.
Go and Weep
I wrote about this four years ago, but I recently have been reading some more about the role of weeping in the Orthodox tradition.
richardbeck.substack.com
May 28, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Sometimes the story I tell myself is that my tears are a problem to fix, so it was encouraging to be reminded of the Orthodox tradition of weeping. Especially these days, we ought to go and weep. There is no other way but this.
Deportation is big business. www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
The Billion-Dollar Business Behind Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
From January to May, the government awarded 50% more funding to companies involved in immigration removals than last year.
www.wsj.com
May 28, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Deportation is big business. www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
Just say no to shame-based dentistry.
May 23, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Just say no to shame-based dentistry.
“The members of the Republican majority are behaving not like traditional conservatives but like revolutionaries who, having seized power, believe they must smash up the old order as quickly as possible before the country recognizes what is happening.”
The Largest Upward Transfer of Wealth in American History
House Republicans voted to advance a bill that would offer lavish tax cuts for the rich while slashing benefits for the poor.
www.theatlantic.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:02 AM
“The members of the Republican majority are behaving not like traditional conservatives but like revolutionaries who, having seized power, believe they must smash up the old order as quickly as possible before the country recognizes what is happening.”
The "thorns" of Jesus's parable don't kill the plant, they just render it perpetually adolescent, unable to produce fruit. It's an easy place to get stuck in our faith.
The Thorns that Throttle the Word
A reflection on the trickiness of the thorny soil in Jesus's parable
open.substack.com
May 20, 2025 at 8:54 PM
The "thorns" of Jesus's parable don't kill the plant, they just render it perpetually adolescent, unable to produce fruit. It's an easy place to get stuck in our faith.
A meditation on God’s vulnerability and ours.
Tempted as We Are
A meditation on God's vulnerability and ours
bensternke.substack.com
May 16, 2025 at 6:12 PM
A meditation on God’s vulnerability and ours.
Tariffs are a tax on the poor.
Trump’s tariffs will be paid by the poor – while his tax cuts help the rich | Robert Reich
The math doesn’t work in the president’s economic promises, which will create a giant upward transfer of wealth
www.theguardian.com
May 15, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Tariffs are a tax on the poor.
A sacrifice AND an example? In this economy??
April 11, 2025 at 12:55 AM
A sacrifice AND an example? In this economy??
"It is possible to clearly name harm and injustice without scapegoating. The refusal to scapegoat actually *sharpens* your critique, rather than diminishing it." - Pádraig Ó Tuama (at a workshop I attended today)
April 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
"It is possible to clearly name harm and injustice without scapegoating. The refusal to scapegoat actually *sharpens* your critique, rather than diminishing it." - Pádraig Ó Tuama (at a workshop I attended today)