Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
On The Rise: Why is there such an abundance of guttural, hurtful, and profane talk from church leaders?
Published 6 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.
Today, a powerful, short piece from Seth Godin, not directed at the church but definitely applicable, why the Chosen is so popular, reclaiming conversation, and how long it should take you to get out of a bad mood.
Why is There Such an Abundance of Nastiness in the Church Today?
Is that who you’re called to be? Really?
I’m increasingly concerned about the pastors and church leaders I see online who are using ‘extreme’ language and points of view to share their message attract followers.
Seth Godin wrote an incredible post that frames the issues perfectly. He was kind enough to give me permission to share the entire post here in the newsletter.
He didn’t write this for the church, but it, sadly, applies to many of us.
You ready?
Filtering Ourselves
We don’t use the same language or ideas with an in-law that we do with our bar buddies.
When the internet was young, people often chose to filter themselves online. We didn’t know who was on the other end of the pipe, and we knew it would be there forever. And typing feels more permanent and official than speaking…
Over time, the algorithms rewarded people who were guttural, hurtful, profane and, to use an overused and inefficient word, “authentic.” And so it flipped.
Now, social media is filled with amped-up rants that pretend to be unfiltered, and the standard for discourse is quickly eroding. There’s plenty of data to confirm that we’re spewing words and ideas that would never be tolerated in person, with friends.
Why should our standard for public behavior be lower than it is for the people we know?
Unfiltered doesn’t mean real. Because it’s our filters that make us who we are.
Why is there such an abundance of “guttural, hurtful, profane” in the Christian space these days? That’s a piercing question.
That might be one of the most important questions we ask ourselves in 2026.
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The Chosen is definitely a sensation, and this piece explains how it came to be and why it’s resonating so widely.
It’s Your Favorite Time of Year!
Tax season is upon us.
Tax season is coming… are you ready?
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I’m deeply concerned about the lack of meaningful conversation we’re seeing in our culture. We mostly just yell at each other or talk past each other.
This book, written in 2015, captures what’s at stake. As Turkle, an MIT professor, says
“Without conversations, studies show that we are less empathetic, less connected, less creative and fulfilled. We are diminished, in retreat.To generations that grew up using their phones to text and message, these studies may be describing losses they don’t feel.”
Exactly. Don’t let the timestamp this book carries (2015, so much Facebook) keep you from the critical message it’s conveying.
How Long Should It Take You To Get Out of A Bad Mood?
A quote I’m pondering.
James Clear has some helpful thoughts around recovering from a bad mood (ahem, leaders…we get in them too often):
Earlier this week I read a line that stood out to me, “Your goal in life should be to reduce the amount of time it takes you to get out of a bad state.”
The ability to bounce back quickly is a key skill in life.
My wife once told me, “When you're five, you can be mad for a day. When you're ten, you can be mad for an hour. By the time you're thirty, you get ten minutes—and then you have to move on.”
Life is full of moments of frustration and disappointment. Growth and maturity is learning to pull yourself out of a bad state faster.”
I’m not five anymore. I’m guessing you aren’t either.
Cheering for you,
Weekend Watching
David Kinnaman
Is America in revival? Well, not quite, according to Barna CEO David Kinnaman, who joins Carey to discuss 2026 church trends. New data shows overall American Christianity is still in decline AND that Gen Z men are dialing into Jesus, young adults are the most churched group in America, and that we're setting ourselves up for a succession crisis.
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Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
