Dear friends,

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped launch my new book Reviving the Golden Rule last week. The reviews on Amazon and GoodReads have been so encouraging. One reader called the book “a beacon of hope” for our time.

If Reviving the Golden Rule is speaking to you, I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a review on Amazon (only if you purchased it there please) or GoodReads (for all other purchases). My goal is to reach 30 by Friday 🙂

Today I’m delighted to share three quick invitations into Reviving the Golden Rule.

1. Interactive Webinar 

First, please join me for a live webinar on Tuesday, October 14th at 12:30pm EST with my friend Keri Ladouceur and the Post-Evangelical Collective. We’ll explore how the ancient ethic of neighbor love holds transformative potential for justice, healing, and human flourishing today. I hope you’ll register for this free, one-hour conversation here and bring questions.

2. Book Excerpt 

Second, Red Letter Christians just published a new excerpt from Reviving the Golden Rule called “Ruth: The Divine Love that Overcomes Othering.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

Frederick Buechner has been a major inspiration in my faith journey and writing. Buechner wrote with rare honesty. His goal wasn’t to impress people or prove that he was right. His writing sought to tell the truth, including about our pain, doubt, joy, and the mystery of trusting God and choosing love. “Here is the world,” he wrote. “Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”

Brian Allain introduced Buechner’s words to the Internet and led the Frederick Buechner Center for many years. He now leads the Faith and Justice Book Group.

It was such an honor to talk with Brian on his podcast about my new book Reviving the Golden Rule. We explore the inspiration behind the book, the overarching story that it tells, and how loving our neighbors integrates our deep pain with enduring hope. I invite you to watch the video on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Spotify.

Buechner wrote, “To love your neighbor is to see your neighbor... Read More

Dear friends,

Today is a special milestone in my journey. My new book Reviving the Golden Rule: How the Ancient Ethic of Neighbor Love Can Heal the World is out now! It’s available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook (narrated by your truly) on Amazon, BookShop, and wherever you buy books.

Happily, today is also the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and the International Day of Nonviolence. Gandhi meditated daily on Jesus’ teaching about loving our neighbors and called Jesus’ way “nonviolence par excellence.” 

Why It Matters

A recent statement reminded me of why this book matters to me so much. It also illustrates why I believe reviving the ethic of neighbor love is so important today.

Donald Trump was speaking at the memorial for Charlie Kirk on September 21st. An audience of around 100,000 people was gathered in the wake of Kirk’s horrific killing. Of course, Trump knew that the world would also be listening.

To this national and global audience, the American president declared, “I hate my opponents and I don’t want what’s best for them.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

There’s only six days left until the release of Reviving the Golden Rule on October 2nd. The book will also be available as an audiobook wherever you enjoy listening. 

Today I’m sharing a 60-second meditation on “the one thing” that Paul said is truly worthy of our attention. In our world of radical complexity clamoring for our attention, recentering in this offers clarity and conviction. I’m also sharing Part 2 of my conversation about the book with Lisa Jernigan on the Amplify Peace Podcast.

I hope you’ll pre-order your copy of Reviving the Golden Rule, gift one for a neighbor, and join me in this healing work of renewal.

The One Thing

“[All moral imperatives] are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor.”

– Paul (Romans 13:9-10)

The Roman Empire idolized power and prosperity. Its culture normalized violence, especially against people labeled “enemies.” So when Paul wrote to Jesus’ first followers in Rome, he clarified the “one” thing that truly matters: loving others as ourselves... Read More

Dear friends,

My new book Reviving the Golden Rule is less than two weeks away. It will be available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook.

In anticipation of its release on October 2nd, I’m sharing a 60-second meditation on how the golden rule helps us read the Bible with love at the center. I’m also sharing Part 1 of my conversation about the book with Lisa Jernigan on the Amplify Peace Podcast.

I hope you’ll pre-order your copy of Reviving the Golden Rule, gift one for a neighbor, and join me in this healing work of renewal.

Is It Biblical? 

“[Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

– Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40)

The Bible gets quoted by various people for varying purposes. The implications can be massive. How do we know who’s reading the Bible right?

According to Jesus, love is the litmus test of legitimate Bible interpretation... Read More

Dear friends,

Last weekend, I attended the Church at the Crossroads conference in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. About 800 of us gathered together in person and online.

This conference did something unusual and difficult. It invited American Christians to reckon with Israel’s devastation of Gaza. Our host, Daniel Bannoura, told the audience that if we’ve ever wondered how we might have responded to American slavery or the German Holocaust or apartheid in South Africa, we know by how we respond to Gaza today.

Unsurprisingly, the conference was intense. There were over fifteen official speakers and many more voices. They filled these two and a half days with profoundly inspiring but equally heartbreaking messages.

Looking back, here’s what most impressed me about the conference: its resolute commitment to the ethics of Jesus.

I saw this in three ways.

1. Unwavering Nonviolence

Every speaker affirmed an explicit, emphatic commitment to nonviolence. This was the unwavering consensus.

Recall the grim context. We heard again and again about Israel’s devastation of Gaza, including the killing of around 20,000 Palestinian children and the destruction of Gaza’s hospitals, schools, and homes... Read More

Dear friends,

What’s golden to you? What really captures your heart? Below, I’ll share a 60-second meditation on what Jesus considered most important in life. He offers a different vision of value that shows the way of hope today.

I’m also sharing the recording of the first podcast interview on my book Reviving the Golden Rule. I’ve never done a podcast conversation like this before. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Thank you for joining me in reviving the golden rule,

Andrew

True Gold

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.”

– Jesus (Matthew 7:12)

Powerful politicians promise us a “golden age.” They tell us to get behind them and expect to get ahead of others. Jesus made an alternate offer: the golden rule. In this moral economy, others count just as much as ourselves. Our desire is reoriented around everyone receiving the care they need. While a golden age accepts double-standards and increasing inequality, the golden rule aspires for moral integrity and mutual flourishing... Read More

Dear friends,

The stories we tell about one another have incredible power in shaping our relationships and societies. Below, I’ll share a 60-second meditation on how Jesus talked about “the other” in his culture. Jesus shows us what hopeful, healing storytelling can sound like in our world today.

If you want to dig deeper, I’m also sharing the recording of the first webinar on my book Reviving the Golden Rule. This conversation was so thought-provoking, and I trust you’ll enjoy it.

Thank you for joining me in reviving the golden rule,

Andrew

A New Story

“Do this and you will flourish.”

– Jesus (Luke 10:28)

The stories we tell about others shape our relationships and world. In Jesus’ society, Samaritans were often storied as villains. Religious, ethnic, and political differences marked them for rejection. But Jesus rewrote the script. When a religious leader asked him about how to go to heaven, Jesus told a story about a good Samaritan who practiced love for his suffering enemy... Read More

Dear friends,

Are you also troubled by the way “others” are being talked about and treated today?

In recent days, the president moved to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of

War. This expensive move sends a message of hostility near and far. He then announced a “Chipocalypse,” comparing ICE’s “war” against our undocumented neighbors in Chicago to dropping napalm on people in the Vietnam War. (His words “I love the smell of deportations in the morning” was a reference to the infamous movie line “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”) Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has defended ICE stopping people in L.A. simply on the basis of their ethnicity or appearance. This is racial profiling that none of us would want to be subjected to.

There is such a great need to revive seeing “others” as our neighbors today. God is calling us to reclaim loving our neighbors as the heart of a faithful ethic. This courageous love is the ancient way to a better future of true dignity, security, and peace for all people... Read More

Dear friends,

Do you follow the news?

Last night, I read about a young man killing children in Minneapolis. And then about the Israeli military bombing journalists and medical staff in a hospital in Gaza. And then about the Russian military attacking Kyev and leaving more people’s lives in rubble.

Reading these stories – facing these realities – is extremely painful to me. Seeing images of starving children in Gaza is especially distressing. I confess that I want to turn away.

I know that turning away doesn’t make this evil stop. But facing it head-on can feel overwhelming to me. In a split second, I can experience a tailspin of (1) desperately wanting this suffering to end, (2) not knowing what to do about it, and (3) feeling like my tank of hope just spilled a little emptier.

Where the Headlines Meet the Heart

For the last month, I’ve been working on an experiment. To be honest, it’s felt very vulnerable to me, so I haven’t even announced it until now... Read More

Dear friends,

Has a small space ever felt surprisingly spacious to you?

This week, I spent three days in a tiny, sound-proof recording booth in Chicago. That little room had just enough space for a chair, microphone, music stand, and a shelf with bottles of water. Once I squeezed in and closed the door, I couldn’t see or hear anything outside the “studio brick.”

And yet, inside that space, thousands of years of history and so many inspiring people and places in our world came to voice. More personally, decades of my life and some of my most cherished memories came alive afresh. I was recording the audiobook for Reviving the Golden Rule.

Reviving the Golden Rule book tells the story of how “Love your neighbor as yourself” emerged in an unlikely community amidst violent empires. It then traces how neighbor love has brought healing across the human adventure.

This love has been embodied in some of our most beloved ancestors like Ruth and Boaz in ancient Israel, Julian of Norwich in medieval England, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany... Read More

Dear friends,

This is a really special moment in my journey. I’m so grateful to share it with you.

Today I unboxed the first physical copies of my next book Reviving the Golden Rule: How the Ancient Ethic of Neighbor Love Can Heal the World. After years of working on this project, it felt surreal to hold it in my hands. (It will officially release on October 2 and is available for pre-order now.) My wife Lily kindly captured this milestone in this 2-minute video.

The opening section is called “Gratitude” and names many of you who have helped make this book possible, including my editors Colton Bernasol and Zach Gordon at IVP Academic. I want to give special thanks to Lily, my board, Graham Smith (happy early birthday!), and Beth and Hythem Shadid for their incredible encouragement in this long journey.

I love several things about this book, and I hope you’ll also find these aspects energizing.

Stories

Reviving the Golden Rule is grounded in real-world stories, both from my life and people around the world... Read More

Dear friends,

Shane Claiborne has inspired my journey with Jesus for years. I’ll never forget reading his book Jesus for President in Ethiopia back in 2008. That book introduced me to someone who took Jesus’ words more seriously than I was familiar with. Shane didn’t simply “believe in” Jesus; he sought to live his way in our world. I began asking, “What if Jesus really meant what he said?”

Shane recently invited me onto his podcast Red Letter Christians to talk about my book Blessed Are the Others. Our conversation is a quick 30 minutes. But we cover a lot of good ground: the heart of Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes, the fears we face in following him, the striking contrast between how Jesus understood “blessing” and how many of us do today. We wrapped up by talking about spiritual inspirations and practices that sustain us in following Jesus now.

I loved what Shane said early into our conversation: “Jesus is the best corrective to the things that have gone wrong in parts of Christianity… The idols and aspirations of America are the Beatitudes on their head.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been afraid of heights. Terrified is probably the more accurate word.

I’ve always loved being in water and swimming. Pools, rivers, lakes, oceans — these are my happy places. But I was the kid who’d climb up the diving board and then freeze at the top. The short fall between the board and the water scared me to death.

My fear of heights has traveled with me on land across the decades. On the first anniversary of my dad’s death in April, Lily and I went for a long hike at Starved Rock State Park. We walked through the lush forest with birdsong ringing in every direction. At last, we arrived at the top of Wildcat Canyon. A solid deck with a sturdy railing invited us to look out over the edge into this wondrous hole in the earth. But simply inching up to the railing and taking a picture to view at a safe distance made my body tense up and tremble... Read More

Dear friends,

Today is my 42nd birthday. This essay is longer and more personal than usual. Writing it has been a gift for me. I hope it also arrives as a gift for you.

I invite you to read it straight through or spend time in sections that seem most relevant to you. Thank you for sharing the journey of life.

Yours with gratitude,

Andrew

Synchronicity:

Divine Presence in Human Experience

Last year, my birthday was unlike any other in my life. It was my first since my dad died.

Today, a year later, his death still “hurts so good,” as dad would playfully say in painful situations. I think of him daily and am still surprised by the unpredictable waves of grief that wash over me.

Since his death, my attention has been expanding to God’s mysterious presence in my experience, especially in everyday life and deep grief. Jesus promised, “I am with you always.” Paul wrote, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

Happy Mother’s Day! I’m delighted to share my latest essay on gentleness published by Cultivare. It was appropriately paired by Jonathan Bachman’s iconic photograph of Ieshia Evans, a mother and nurse, who defiantly faced riot police with gentleness at a Black Lives Matter protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 9, 2016.

I hope this meditation encourages you!

Andrew

Gentleness: Pure Power

“The soul is highest, noblest, and worthiest when it is lowest, humblest, and gentlest.”

Julian of Norwich

For just a moment, imagine that you have access to great power. In fact, go all the way and imagine that you enjoy godlike power – the power that created the universe and can outlive death. What might spring out of you and into your relationships and world?

Gentleness is the Apostle Paul’s surprising answer. When the empowering presence of God suffuses our lives, gentleness springs out of us and spreads between us (Galatians 5:23).

This was delightfully divergent theologizing... Read More

Dear friends,

Happy (almost) Easter! I’m delighted to share two invitations with you this week: Lily’s new painting newsletter and a meditation on radical joy even when we catastrophize.

First, Lily is launching a monthly newsletter called Echoes of Time. Each newsletter will feature one of Lily’s beautiful paintings and a very brief meditation. Lily’s work is deeply grounding, healing, and joy-giving. I eagerly invite you to sign up for this monthly gift from Lily and enjoy the sample below.

Second, I recently published an Easter meditation called “Joy: Our Eucatastrophe” with Cultivare. This one meant a lot to me, especially as I reflect on the first anniversary of my dad’s death this month. I’m including it below and hope it nurtures a liberating joy in you as you reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection this week.

Yours with joy,
Andrew

Echoes of Time by Lily DeCort

“The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

Last week, Dr. Mae Cannon and I shared a rich conversation about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s wisdom for today’s traumas in Israel and Palestine. As I prepared for this discussion, I was struck again by just how much wisdom Bonhoeffer still has to teach us. I’m grateful to Churches for Middle East Peace and Evangelicals for Justice for hosting this event. The recording is available here.

Today is the 80^th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s execution. Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazis in the Flössenburg concentration camp on April 9, 1945 at the age of 39. The official charge against him was “acts of subversion of military power.” Bonhoeffer earned this deadly honor by refusing to join the German military and assisting the resistance to Germany’s dictator Adolf Hitler.

To honor Bonhoeffer’s life and witness, I’m sharing the full remarks that I prepared for my conversation with Dr. Cannon. I hope these brief meditations on Bonhoeffer’s wisdom help expand your vision of God in our world and embolden your courage to resist dehumanization in our time... Read More

Dear friends,

Has there been a special day in recent months when you felt deeply alive? Maybe you felt like yourself, known and loved as such, and surrounded by kindred spirits. I desire that for all of us.

I experienced that precious gift on February 13th this year in Washington, D.C.. There was joyful laughter from open hearts. There were vulnerable tears of honest grief. Throughout, there was an ambient presence of togetherness in hope amidst a disturbing time in America.

We gathered at Anne Snyder and David Brooks’ beautiful home near the Capitol. Our purpose was to launch my book Blessed Are the Others, to listen live to Jon and Val Guerra’s prophetic EP American Gospel, and to share searching conversation. With words, songs, and friends, we explored the way of Jesus in the heart of the American empire.

Anne Snyder, editor-in-chief of Comment Magazine, warmly gathered us with words from the Prophet Jeremiah. Kate Schmidgall, my publisher at BitterSweet Collective, summoned us: “Welcome to the resistance.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

On February 6^th, I was generously invited to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC and then to speak at the Middle East Dinner later that night. My speech was titled “The Jesus We Haven’t Heard Yet.”

The positive response to my message encouraged me. It has been shared over a thousand times on Facebook and watched over 3,500 on YouTube. Afterward, the respected spiritual director, Bill Hailey, wrote on his Substack, “Grief and love certainly are shot through Andrew’s address at the NPB, which he offered with great humility. I believe [his words] were given by God for him to say. In this way, Andrew’s words at the NPB are not just prophetic, they are important to hear and heed.”

After the main event on Thursday morning, I wrote a very critical post about what I had observed there. Following tradition, the president was the guest of honor and gave the final speech, which was interrupted with applause 24 times... Read More

Dear friends,

The man began to cry as he told me his story. I had known him for many years, but this was the first time I saw tears stream down his face. 

He grew up in a rural town where there was no sustainable work. Because of his family’s poverty, his dad left home and became a traveling construction worker.

It was a bittersweet survival. On the one hand, his dad made a little money and helped the family eat. But on the other, they were growing up without a father.

Eventually but unsurprisingly, his dad got badly injured on a job site. He tried to continue, but the construction company provided no medical insurance. It treated him and the other workers as throwaways.

His broken body could no longer do the heavy work, and he had no choice. He returned home to his impoverished family — injured, empty-handed, and humiliated. 

But his dad was devoted to his family and continued fighting for their survival... Read More

Dear friends,

Tomorrow, January 20th, is a significant day in the United States and around the world. We’ll witness the commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, the inauguration of president Trump, and the first full day of the ceasefire in Israel-Palestine.

On this significant day, I warmly invite you to join me and Pastor Munther Isaac from Bethlehem for 30 minutes of prayer at 11am Central (12pm Eastern; 8pm Ethiopia). Our meditation will focus on Jesus’ promise, “Blessed are the nonviolent, because they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). I can’t think of a more timely theme for this important day and the unpredictable days ahead.

Our online prayer gathering is hosted by Churches for Middle East Peace and is free for all. You can learn more and register here.

I also warmly invite you to listen to my 60-minute conversation with Pastor Munther and Ben Norquist from last November. We discussed Jesus’ Beatitudes and how they speak to our world today... Read More

Dear friends,

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! 

We’re not only heading into a new year. We’re also entering the second quarter of the 21st century and a volatile cultural moment. 

Amidst many joys, the signs of our times are troubling: we see rising violence and authoritarianism around the world, including here in the United States. According to PRRI’s “2023 American Values Survey,” more than one in three Americans (38%) believe that the country is so badly off track that they would support an authoritarian leader to try to fix it. More than one in three white Evangelicals (37%) agree, and almost half of Republicans (48%) agree. Almost one in four Americans (23%) believe violence may be necessary to save the country, and almost one in three white Evangelicals (31%) agree.

As Bob Dylan sang in 1963, “The times they are a-changin’.” 

At the start of this new year and quarter century, I want to introduce you to the ethics of Alexei Navalny (1976-2024)... Read More

Dear friends,

A very merry Christmas to you from snowy Chicagoland!

This Christmas season, I’m delighted to offer three gifts of encouragement, orientation, and beauty. 

If you’re looking for an encouraging but honest Christmas sermon, I preached last Sunday on “Ending to Begin.” This is one of the most personal sermons I’ve ever given. It tells several stories from my life in which the endings I feared in my journey opened into new beginnings of hope. As we meditate on the birth of Jesus, we discover that his story is also our story: we end to begin. I hope this message is encouraging to you.

Christmas has become such a polarizing topic in the culture war. We hear slogans like “Put Christ back into Christmas,” and yet I observe that even our Christian messaging often ends up missing Christ. Last night, I visited a local church which gave a Christmas tract to each of its guests. The tract claimed to tell the true story of Christmas, and yet it described Jesus as a “hero” and “warrior” – words the New Testament never uses to describe the Prince of Peace... Read More

Dear friends, 

How are you feeling after the American election? 

Some of my friends have expressed a sense of triumph, like God has answered their prayers and America is destined for unprecedented greatness. Other friends have expressed a sense of despair, like the worst has happened and things are falling apart. 

In this post-election polarization, I’d like to offer two responses. 

The first is a sermon I gave on the Sunday after the election. In this message, I invite the community to refocus our attention on Jesus’ core teaching and how Jesus’ earliest followers sought to practice this teaching in the Roman Empire. It’s a call back to the basics, starting with an increased awareness of our vulnerability and belovedness. My sermon begins at minute 31 in the recording.

The second is a webinar that I did with Peter Anderson at Peace Catalyst. This open-hearted conversation focuses on post-election peacemaking and how Jesus’ Beatitudes can serve as our guide into this vital practice... Read More

Dear friends,

Blessed Are the Others is now a full week old and already blessing others. I’ve been so encouraged by your feedback and reviews on Amazon. Here’s three:

“This book is Andrew’s superbloom.” Chase

“Andrew DeCort wrote a moving, powerful book that will change your mind & your life if you let it.” Ellen

“I am looking forward to finishing this book already! It’s a page turner so far!” Carole

Today I’m delighted to share an excerpt from Blessed Are the Other’s introduction. I call it “The Trailhead to the Way.”

I hope you enjoy the journey and consider buying the book, writing an honest review on Amazon and GoodReads, and sharing it with your networks.

Blessings!

Andrew

The Trailhead to the Way

For James Baldwin. Thank you for your honesty. 

“The great problem is how to be – in the best sense of that kaleidoscopic word – a human.” James Baldwin

In this trailhead to our journey, I want to map out some of the terrain we’ll travel together... Read More

Dear friends,

Blessed Are the Others is available NOW for purchase on Amazon!

I warmly invite you to join me and help this book bless more readers. All you need to do is:

1. Buy Blessed on Amazon.
2. Review it on Amazon and/or Goodreads.
3. Share the book with your personal networks and social media platforms using #BlessedAreTheOthers. Your post can be as simple as “I love this book!” or “This book will bless you!” Here’s a graphic to make sharing easy!

The next seven days are crucial! The more momentum we build now, the better chance Blessed Are The Others has of reaching a wider readership.

Here’s what some of our most prophetic faith leaders, singer-songwriters, and professors are saying about this book:

I’d be so thrilled if you’d join me in sharing this book and blessing others. 

Yours with joyful blessings!

Andrew

 .. Read More

Dear friends,

My new book Blessed Are the Others: Jesus’ Way in a Violence World is being released on Tuesday, September 24th!

I’ve just recorded the first podcast on the book with John Morehead at the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy. I loved our conversation and am delighted to invite you take a listen. It’s available on Spotify, YouTube, PodBean, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you’d like to help push this baby out into the world, here are three simple steps that’d be extremely helpful:

1. Buy Blessed Are the Others on Amazon on Tuesday Sept 24. The book is scheduled to go live at 8am EST. If you search my name and/or “Blessed Are the Others,” it should pop up 🙂
2. Post a review of it on Amazon and GoodReads. I’d be THRILLED if we have 50+ reviews by the end of Tuesday!
3. Share it in your networks and channels. Kindly use the graphic below and the hashtag #BlessedAreTheOthers to help me follow/share your posts 🙂

The first seven days are crucial for building momentum and working the algorithm magic... Read More

Dear friends,

Music played an important role in the writing of my new book Blessed Are the Others. As Beethoven said, “Music is the mediator between the soul and the sensual.” Or as Nietzsche quipped, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” 

While I was writing this book, my beloved dad passed away on April 27 at the age of 80. Blessed Are the Others is dedicated to Padre or “dear old dad” (D.O.D.) as he liked to sign birthday cards. Here’s a picture of D.O.D. trying to grin after telling me a joke the day before he died. 

In Padre’s honor, I’m sharing a “Blessed Are the Others Playlist” of the 80 songs – plus a few – that inspired me while I was laboring with this little baby. Some of them make me laugh. Others make me cry. All of them make me feel alive. 

I don’t expect you to listen to 80+ songs! But I do warmly invite you to check out some of the music that helped me process my grief, unlock joy, and say yes to the Beatitudinal Way of Jesus... Read More

Dear friends,

I’m delighted to announce that my new book is being released on September 24! 

It’s titled Blessed Are the Others: Jesus’ Way in a Violent World 🙂 You can visit this baby’s online home here. 

I believe Blessed Are The Others is my best work yet, and I can’t wait for you to read it. This little book has received numerous glowing endorsements from diverse people I deeply admire. Here’s a sample:  

“This book is required reading for those who understand the need for a deep connection between subtle analysis and empowered spirituality, especially as it relates to the prophetic Christian tradition!”  Dr. Cornel West, philosopher and activist 

“Blessed Are The Others is a profound and transformative journey into the depths of human suffering, resilience, and the pursuit of justice. Through personal narratives, historical reflections, and spiritual wisdom, Andrew DeCort challenges understandings of compassion, equips us to navigate complexity with grace and courage, and invites us into the paradoxical joys of Jesus’ ‘Beatitudinal Way.’” 

Dear Friends,

The Chicago March on the DNC yesterday was powerful.

We marched in the streets to protest the United States’ funding of Israel’s devastation of Gaza. Together we embodied our resistance to the impoverishing, unimaginative binary of Democrat versus Republican, conservative versus liberal, Trump versus Harris — an adversarial democracy. We united around our shared commitment to universal human dignity, security, and peace for all people, especially for our beloved but besieged and bombed Palestinian neighbors.

Many things will linger in my memory from today. Here are just a few:

The protest was huge.

Many thousands of people came out and marched together for the dignity and security of our Palestinian neighbors. I met people from Wisconsin, California, and across the US and the world.

The protest was peaceful.

I observed many people expressing kindness and care to one another. People who accidentally bumped into one another or stepped on each other’s toes apologized and made sure everyone was safe... Read More

Dear friends,

I hope this finds you well!

I haven’t published Stop & Think  for a month. I’ve been writing like crazy but totally immersed in finishing my next book. I can’t wait to share its title, cover, and order link with you soon. BitterSweet is planning to publish it on September 24^th.

I think this is my best work. It comes from a very deep place in my soul. I hope you’ll check it out.

Until then, I’m delighted to share a short story with you from a day in my life with my mom. In many ways, it gets to the heart of what my new book is all about.

Yours with gratitude,

Andrew

Wiping My Mom’s Butt: True Religion

I wiped my mom’s butt last night for the first time in my life. It was a full-circle moment — from her wiping mine as a helpless baby to me wiping hers as a 78-year-old woman.

Why share that “private” moment at home here publicly?.. Read More

Dear friends,

The shooting at former President Trump’s rally today was reprehensible. In its wake, “Civil War” and “Prayer” are trending together on Twitter.

So, how should followers of Jesus pray in a time of so much uncertainty, grief, and fear?

Why not pray the way that Jesus himself taught us from the beginning of his movement? Jesus offers us a seven-part spiritual practice.

I believe it’s exactly what we need to orient ourselves in crisis moments like this. Here’s a quick refresher:

1. Our Father in heaven

When we pray with Jesus, we enter into the presence of our Father. And so, hate for the other must be surrendered. In our most basic identity, we are not enemies or aliens. We are siblings in God’s family. Praying with Jesus reminds us that we are we.

2. Hallowed Be Your Name

When we pray with Jesus, we renounce a false familiarity with God. God is not our group’s mascot or political weapon... Read More

Dear friends,

Today, after 248 years, can be legitimately described as America’s first post-democratic Fourth of July.

We’ve had plenty of pre-democratic Independence Days. This is because our republic existed for over a century without giving Native and enslaved people, women, and others the right to vote.

But today is something different. It’s on the other side of the presidential office being given dictatorial powers of impunity. The historian Heather Cox Richardson has correctly named that our country has undergone a “coup.”

In honor or infamy of this 4th, my mind goes to our dear old brother Karl Marx. Marx called for “a ruthless critique of everything,” and that’s precisely what I think America needs today.

If you’re allergic to Marx, that’s fine. I disagree with him on plenty of things. But that old scary bearded German has a lot to teach us about our time and its task.

In 1843, when Marx was just 25, he wrote a short but powerful essay entitled “For a Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing.”.. Read More

Dear American Christian,

Can you imagine your life without America? (If you’re a citizen of another country, kindly insert your own.)

Can you still feel life, liberty, and happiness if you imagine America as part of your past and no longer part of your future?

If you can’t, you’re probably more American than Christian. Your nationality has shaped your humanity more than your spirituality.

It’s time for us to go back to Christianity 101 and remember the very basics:

1. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down… Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to practice everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 24:2; 28:19-20)

2. Paul wrote, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20)

3. Peter taught, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from corrupt desires, which wage war against your soul.”

Dear friends,

This is a story of unconditional love.

On Mother’s Day, my mom told me, “When you entered this world, your daddy was there when you came out.” Starting from that primal moment, my dad was always with me, whether in person or across the distance during my many years of living in Ethiopia.

Throughout my life, dad always made me feel loved, accepted, and secure. This wasn’t primarily because of the things he told me. I don’t remember him ever saying, “Andrew, I will always love you unconditionally.” Dad didn’t talk this way. It was because of who he was and the way he treated me.

When I was growing up, my dad didn’t have many rules. He didn’t care how I cut my hair. I didn’t need to be home by a certain time, and I often got home in the middle of the night. There weren’t places I couldn’t go, and I was free to explore pubs and clubs in Chicago with my friends... Read More

Dear friends,

Today marks seven days since my dad – Joseph James DeCort Jr. – died (February 9, 1944 – April 27, 2024). It’s a kind of sabbath in this new world with(out) my dad living in it.

I won’t simply call it a world “without” dad, because I don’t believe that. He’s still here, with us, near us — but in a different way that’s more mysterious and difficult to access and discern.

When I walked on the prairie path the day after he died, I felt the wind on my body and told Padre, “I feel like you’re close to me; you’re in the wind now.” And I knew that to be true. I could feel his presence on my skin, even as I often wake up with a dull sense of absence now.

He went home to his Creator a week ago on April 27 at 9:14pm due to cardiac arrest. He had gotten the flu and fell out of bed on April 18... Read More

Dear friends,

On October 7, Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis and others, and kidnapped over 200 people. This was an act of atrocious terrorism. Today marks six months since Israel started militarily devastating Gaza in reaction to Hamas’s violence.

I invite you to consider this very limited summary of the devastation.

Israel’s violence has killed over 33,000 Gazans or 1 out of every 70 image-bearers of God in Gaza. This includes more than 25,000 women and children. What Israel described as its 9/11, Israel has inflicted over 27 times on Gaza.

Israel’s violence has injured over 75,000 Gazans or 1 out every 30 image-bearers of God in Gaza.

Israel’s violence has inflicted “extreme food insecurity” on more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people. Some, including children, are starving to death.

Israel’s violence has destroyed or damaged over 50% of Gaza’s infrastructure. Over 60% of homes and 80% of schools have been damaged or destroyed.

Israel’s violence has displaced around 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes... Read More

Dear friends,

Over the weekend, I watched Tucker Carlson’s 127-minute interview with Vladimir Putin from start to finish. The interview has been watched over a hundred million times and offers important, if troubling, windows into our time.

I’m sharing some notes that I took on the discussion as I watched. As always, thank you for stopping and thinking with me.

1. Authoritarian Strategy and Psychology

From the start, Putin immediately tries to embarrass Tucker for not understanding history. After checking him, Putin says he’s going to talk for thirty seconds.

He then gives a thirty minute monologue. In fact, the whole first hour and much of the “interview” is a monologue by Putin. When Tucker actually inserts questions, Putin often responds as if he’s merely transitioning to the next point in his lecture.

Putin models authoritarian strategy and psychology 101: intimidate (or ingratiate) your dialogue partner and then dominate what is said with your single story.

2. Imperial History and Psychology

Putin then gives a bogus history of Russia that no historian would take seriously... Read More

Dear friends,

This is such a special Stop & Think for me to share with you. I’ve written before about my wife Lily’s journey of becoming a painter. Today I’m delighted to announce that Lily is now making her paintings available for purchase on her new website.

As a writer who works in words, the wordless power of Lily’s paintings has been deeply moving and enlivening to me. Each time Lily finishes another canvas, I experience afresh how her work communicates meaning and evokes presence in a way that bypasses words. Her paintings bathe the viewer’s consciousness in beauty. They open space for deeper feeling and cast mirrors for fresh reflection. They open windows for seeing and being seen in new ways. Peace and freedom, honesty and hope well up. This word-transcending, presence-opening quality in Lily’s paintings has been tremendously refreshing, healing, and grounding to me.

In recent weeks, I’ve shared a preview of Lily’s website with a few friends, and it’s been a delight to hear them describe a similar experience... Read More

Dear friends,

Happy New Year!

Today is the first day of 2024. How do we want to begin this new year? What might the Spirit be saying to us and inviting us into?

As I prayed and listened over this time in my life, I heard four simple words: Do not be afraid! Perhaps this message is also relevant to you.

Confessing My Fear

I have to begin with a confession. In many ways, 2023 was a year of fear for me. Looking back, I can see how fear haunted me, limited me, strove to trap me, block me, and pull me under.

I began the year with the fear that I would be rejected and abandoned by people I love.

I was dogged by the fear that I couldn’t heal from traumatic wounds in my soul and that I would always feel broken and empty inside.

I was haunted by fear that I could no longer write and that my vocation was coming undone... Read More

Dear friends,

This week, I’m continuing my meditation on this holy Christmas season and how God enters into our world. At the end of my essay, I’ll share five other Christmas-related articles that have spoken to me, especially in this time of such heartbreaking war in the land where Jesus was born. Please receive Lily’s and my warmest Christmas greetings and prayers for peace, comfort, and joy.

Yours with love,
Andrew

Mary’s Faith

Last week, I began with the question, “How does God come?” We explored the story of Jesus’s birth and saw that God comes through patience, vulnerability, and ordinariness.

Today, I want to ask us another question that takes us a bit deeper: “Has God ever asked you to make a decision that changed your life?” This question leads us into Mary’s story and the mystery of how God is born in our world.

As we contemplate it, I invite you to pause for a brief moment to remember your own journey and ponder more personally: Has God ever asked me to make a decision that changed my life?.. Read More

Dear friends,

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the sacred Christmas season. Advent is a Latin word that means “coming” or “entering in.” As you can see, it’s the root of our word “adventure” or the start of something new. Most simply, then, Advent is the holy time when we remember and enter in to God’s coming to us in the birth of Jesus.

Today I want to reflect on a simple but profound question. When God adventures and comes in person to earth, how does God come? I want to draw your attention to three aspects of God’s coming in the Christmas story.

First, God comes with patience. 

In the journey of God’s coming, there are hundreds of years of anticipation and waiting. Think of the prophets who are quoted in the stories of Jesus’s birth.

Isaiah, the prophet who spoke of the Messiah being born to a young woman, lived seven hundred years before Jesus was born... Read More

Dear friends,

The heartbreaking violence in Israel-Palestine hit very close to home on Saturday. A few miles away from where I grew up in Illinois, a six-year old boy named Wadea al-Fayoume was murdered.

What was this child’s crime?

Wadea was a Palestinian Muslim. On Saturday, he and his 32-year-old mother Hanaan were at home when their landlord, Joseph Czuba, brutally attacked them. He stabbed Wadea to death and tried to kill Hanaan, seriously injuring her. Reports indicate that Czuba believed this little boy and his mom were dangerous – simply because they were Palestinian Muslims. Mirroring the atrocious violence in Israel-Palestine, he attacked them with a military-style knife. The FBI is investigating this murder as a hate crime.

Sadly, Czuba had several crosses displayed on the property where he attacked precious Wadea and Hanaan. Somehow this “Christian” landlord believed that publicly memorializing the violent murder of Jesus and then violently murdering a small child were not incompatible. This breaks my heart to its core... Read More

Dear friends,

Violence and grief are surging in Israel-Palestine, the land where Jesus lived and taught, was murdered and rose again.

As blood and tears flow, the wisdom and beauty of Jesus’s spiritual practice impresses itself on my humanity once again. Jesus designed this prayer in the fires of his generation’s high-conflict. Today in ours, it glows in the heat and shows us the way of peace. 

I find hope in Jesus’s practice: 

“Our Father” 

God is our Parent — equally the Parent of Israelis and Palestinians, of estranged family members and factory workers, of the living and the dead. Of all people and all nonhuman creation. God says to us, “You are my beloved children; I delight in you.” 

In the presence of our Father, we are family, not enemies. To open our consciousness to God is to remember that we are we — inseparably connected, equal in value, children of our Father and siblings to one another.

“Hallowed be your name”

We cannot weaponize G-d for any human project or power... Read More

Dear friends,

I’m delighted to share that my video course “Neighbor-Love” is now fully available for free on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeziyh573d9AU69g-noPjAjV0F4Z5YWKg

This seven-lecture course dives deep into the history, spirituality, and contemporary practice of neighbor-love. It’s core message? We’re all fundamentally connected, equally precious in value, and invited by God to make love the very center of our lives.

Each lecture unfolds through several short videos – typically between two and five minutes long. This bite-sized pacing keeps the feast light and lets you sample what looks interesting to you.

Neighbor-love is such a beautiful, hopeful, transformative way of being human. It plots a thought-provoking story of spiritual and cultural revolution, leading to historic innovations like public hospitals and human rights. Jesus promised, “Love God and your neighbor, and you will flourish” (Luke 10:28). I hope this course energizes your faith and flourishing as we write together today’s chapter of neighbor-love.

In the course, I delve into many of our most inspiring teachers and practitioners – from Jesus to St... Read More

Dear friends,

A woman named Suzen recently reached out and told me a bit of her story. She describes herself as a “Mexican mama” with a love for storytelling. I was so inspired, and Suzen generously agreed to let me share her experience with you.

This summer, Suzen and her husband Chris heard about my book Flourishing on the Edge of Faith while listening to a podcast. They were preparing for a road trip, and they decided to read it together as they traveled.

Unsettling Us-vs-Them 

The first chapter stuck with Suzen. It’s all about how Jesus teaches us to call God “Our Father.” Suzen grew up praying the “Our Father” and experienced it as a dusty “man-made ritual.” But Jesus’s invitation was surprising and life-changing, in his context and ours still today.

The first people Jesus invited to call God “our Father” came from wildly different backgrounds. Many of them looked at one another with deep suspicion, frustration, and even hatred... Read More

Dear friends,

Not long ago, I received a text message unlike any I’ve ever received before. To my knowledge, it was literally the first time in my life. What was so unprecedented?

The text‘s sentences were grammatically perfect. There were no spelling errors. The vocabulary was colorful and rich. The meaning of the message was warm and full of gratitude.

But none of this was totally new. The novelty of the message was that I knew it was generated by ChatGPT.

The person who sent it to me is a dear friend for whom English is their second language. They are very capable and expressive in English; we’ve been communicating for many years. But I knew they couldn’t write this “perfectly” in English.

Receiving this unprecedented text was an interesting experience. On the one hand, it was the most technically advanced, colorfully expressive text message I’ve ever received from this friend. It was “perfect” and would seem like their “best.” But on the other hand, it was probably the most meaningless text that I’ve ever received from them... Read More

Dear friends,

How do you celebrate the Fourth of July or a similar patriotic holiday in your national context?

One of my habits is to read Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” I consider this one of the most powerful and profound speeches in American history.

I also see it as an enduring paradigm for faithful Christian patriotism today. It shows us how people of faith can wisely commemorate political holidays and relate to their countries. Below, I’ll summarize Douglass’s faithful patriotism as appreciation, confrontation, and aspiration.

This week, I invite you to spend some time reading or listening to Douglass’s speech. Sadly, both links only offer brief excerpts. The full speech is available in this new collection of Douglass’s writings, which I’ll quote from below: Douglass: Speeches and Writings (New York, NY: Library of America, 2022), edited by David Blight.

In what follows, I offer a brief introduction to Douglass’s life leading up to his historic speech and then unpack it as a paradigm of faithful patriotism... Read More