Holly Pettit
@hollypettit.bsky.social
Harvard M.Div. in world religions / contemplative practice. Talks Buddhism, Christian mysticism, history, progressive theology, Paganism & politics. Former Army linguist & intelligence analyst. Writer for nonprofits.
I preached for the first time in a couple decades this morning.
The reading was on the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Thomas.
Afterward, the congregation clapped & several hugged me.
Instead of pushback, people had been taking notes.
They're hungry for #contemplative #faith
The reading was on the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Thomas.
Afterward, the congregation clapped & several hugged me.
Instead of pushback, people had been taking notes.
They're hungry for #contemplative #faith
November 16, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I preached for the first time in a couple decades this morning.
The reading was on the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Thomas.
Afterward, the congregation clapped & several hugged me.
Instead of pushback, people had been taking notes.
They're hungry for #contemplative #faith
The reading was on the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Thomas.
Afterward, the congregation clapped & several hugged me.
Instead of pushback, people had been taking notes.
They're hungry for #contemplative #faith
Reposted by Holly Pettit
James Talarico, candidate for US Senate from Texas, is a leading example of a what-would-Jesus-do Christian running on a highly progressive platform.
-- James Talarico on why he supports LGBTQ+ Rights, Abortion Rights, and much more...
youtu.be/7mv_8MTLyIg?...
-- James Talarico on why he supports LGBTQ+ Rights, Abortion Rights, and much more...
youtu.be/7mv_8MTLyIg?...
November 15, 2025 at 7:35 PM
James Talarico, candidate for US Senate from Texas, is a leading example of a what-would-Jesus-do Christian running on a highly progressive platform.
-- James Talarico on why he supports LGBTQ+ Rights, Abortion Rights, and much more...
youtu.be/7mv_8MTLyIg?...
-- James Talarico on why he supports LGBTQ+ Rights, Abortion Rights, and much more...
youtu.be/7mv_8MTLyIg?...
Reposted by Holly Pettit
A growing number of white progressive faith leaders are entering Democratic races ahead of 2026, aiming to counter the Christian right.
PRRI finds that Trump took 85% of the white evangelical vote and 57% of the white mainline/non-evangelical Protestant vote in the 2024 presidential election.
PRRI finds that Trump took 85% of the white evangelical vote and 57% of the white mainline/non-evangelical Protestant vote in the 2024 presidential election.
"Shocking" number of white clergy run as Democrats in 2026
"We're tracking about 30 white clergy who are running for office as Democrats around the country."
www.axios.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 PM
A growing number of white progressive faith leaders are entering Democratic races ahead of 2026, aiming to counter the Christian right.
PRRI finds that Trump took 85% of the white evangelical vote and 57% of the white mainline/non-evangelical Protestant vote in the 2024 presidential election.
PRRI finds that Trump took 85% of the white evangelical vote and 57% of the white mainline/non-evangelical Protestant vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Ask most American Jews about stoning Sabbath-breakers or banning gay marriage, and they’ll just laugh.
Leviticus’ purity laws are Jewish history, not contemporary Jewish theology — yet some Christians revive them as if nothing has changed.
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Leviticus’ purity laws are Jewish history, not contemporary Jewish theology — yet some Christians revive them as if nothing has changed.
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Clinging to Leviticus, Forgetting Jesus
The danger of weaponized Scripture—and the spiritual maturity our moment demands.
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Ask most American Jews about stoning Sabbath-breakers or banning gay marriage, and they’ll just laugh.
Leviticus’ purity laws are Jewish history, not contemporary Jewish theology — yet some Christians revive them as if nothing has changed.
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Leviticus’ purity laws are Jewish history, not contemporary Jewish theology — yet some Christians revive them as if nothing has changed.
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
This reminds me of the passage in the #GospelOfMary that says when we die, our material bodies return to the earth, our societal selves become the money & possessions that we pass along to others, and our spiritual selves rejoin God.
November 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM
This reminds me of the passage in the #GospelOfMary that says when we die, our material bodies return to the earth, our societal selves become the money & possessions that we pass along to others, and our spiritual selves rejoin God.
Current U.S. political theology:
• Jesus: crickets
• Leviticus: booked and busy
New essay on why ancient purity laws keep getting resurrected by #ChristianNationalists — and why Judaism moved on centuries ago:
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
• Jesus: crickets
• Leviticus: booked and busy
New essay on why ancient purity laws keep getting resurrected by #ChristianNationalists — and why Judaism moved on centuries ago:
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Clinging to Leviticus, Forgetting Jesus
The danger of weaponized Scripture—and the spiritual maturity our moment demands.
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Current U.S. political theology:
• Jesus: crickets
• Leviticus: booked and busy
New essay on why ancient purity laws keep getting resurrected by #ChristianNationalists — and why Judaism moved on centuries ago:
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
• Jesus: crickets
• Leviticus: booked and busy
New essay on why ancient purity laws keep getting resurrected by #ChristianNationalists — and why Judaism moved on centuries ago:
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
This congregation supported the abolition of slavery in the 1800s and #LGBTQ+ rights today. I'm co-leading its current confirmation class of sweet-natured & enthusiastic #teens -- moving toward the #future.
#ProgressiveChristian #Church
#ProgressiveChristian #Church
November 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
This congregation supported the abolition of slavery in the 1800s and #LGBTQ+ rights today. I'm co-leading its current confirmation class of sweet-natured & enthusiastic #teens -- moving toward the #future.
#ProgressiveChristian #Church
#ProgressiveChristian #Church
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire with a storm coming in from the south. #weather #NewHampshire
November 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire with a storm coming in from the south. #weather #NewHampshire
Reposted by Holly Pettit
So it turns out... the US air travel system was incredibly, deeply dependent on federal funding to just run day-to-day all this time, to the benefit of private airline shareholders, when everyone thinks that state-run trains are leeching off the government. Weird!
November 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM
So it turns out... the US air travel system was incredibly, deeply dependent on federal funding to just run day-to-day all this time, to the benefit of private airline shareholders, when everyone thinks that state-run trains are leeching off the government. Weird!
#Bowling and texting on a Saturday night in #Portsmouth, NH.
November 8, 2025 at 9:30 PM
#Bowling and texting on a Saturday night in #Portsmouth, NH.
You’ve probably never heard of the IDU — but it has already shaped #elections in more than 65 countries.
#Democracy #Politics
medium.com/minds-withou...
#Democracy #Politics
medium.com/minds-withou...
This Conservative Bloc Quietly Shaped Elections for Decades
Inside the International Democratic Union, the hidden alliance shaping right-wing politics in the U.S. and abroad
medium.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:26 PM
You’ve probably never heard of the IDU — but it has already shaped #elections in more than 65 countries.
#Democracy #Politics
medium.com/minds-withou...
#Democracy #Politics
medium.com/minds-withou...
Was the most elegant Greek in the New Testament — as well as the most confounding prose — written by this woman? #writersky #women
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Oh, Prisca -- I Am Disappointed
When the smartest woman in the early church writes the weirdest book in the New Testament.
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Was the most elegant Greek in the New Testament — as well as the most confounding prose — written by this woman? #writersky #women
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Reposted by Holly Pettit
ICE agents in Chicago violently detain a non verbal autistic man for being “non compliant”
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
November 8, 2025 at 8:15 AM
ICE agents in Chicago violently detain a non verbal autistic man for being “non compliant”
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
If Prisca really was the mind behind the Epistle to the Hebrews, then it becomes a window into the brilliant, complicated, unsettling #theology of a #woman who shaped the early church as a co-worker, close friend, and confidant of the Apostle Paul. #DivineFeminine
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Oh, Prisca -- I Am Disappointed
When the smartest woman in the early church writes the weirdest book in the New Testament.
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:50 PM
If Prisca really was the mind behind the Epistle to the Hebrews, then it becomes a window into the brilliant, complicated, unsettling #theology of a #woman who shaped the early church as a co-worker, close friend, and confidant of the Apostle Paul. #DivineFeminine
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
open.substack.com/pub/hollypet...
Christians have used candles, water bowls, stones—and yes, crystals—for #contemplative prayer for centuries. I wrote about how these tools actually work, with a story that began in a Boston antique shop. #meditation
.
medium.com/mystic-minds...
.
medium.com/mystic-minds...
How I Use My Crystal Ball During Meditation
A contemplative tool with ancient roots and surprising modern power
medium.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Christians have used candles, water bowls, stones—and yes, crystals—for #contemplative prayer for centuries. I wrote about how these tools actually work, with a story that began in a Boston antique shop. #meditation
.
medium.com/mystic-minds...
.
medium.com/mystic-minds...
Ever heard of the IDU? Probably not. Yet this global conservative network has shaped elections in 65+ countries since the 1980s.
My new piece unpacks how it started with Reagan & Thatcher, and why it matters for our democracy today.
medium.com/minds-withou...
#politics #globalpower #democracywatch
My new piece unpacks how it started with Reagan & Thatcher, and why it matters for our democracy today.
medium.com/minds-withou...
#politics #globalpower #democracywatch
This Conservative Bloc Quietly Shaped Elections for Decades
Inside the International Democratic Union, the hidden alliance shaping right-wing politics in the U.S. and abroad
medium.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Ever heard of the IDU? Probably not. Yet this global conservative network has shaped elections in 65+ countries since the 1980s.
My new piece unpacks how it started with Reagan & Thatcher, and why it matters for our democracy today.
medium.com/minds-withou...
#politics #globalpower #democracywatch
My new piece unpacks how it started with Reagan & Thatcher, and why it matters for our democracy today.
medium.com/minds-withou...
#politics #globalpower #democracywatch
I'm field testing new terms to replace "traditional values," a.k.a. those found in Leviticus.
My current front-runner is "antiquated values."
"Values from an ancient nomadic, livestock-based culture from western Asia" seems a bit unwieldy.
#ProgressiveChristian thoughts on a Sunday afternoon.
My current front-runner is "antiquated values."
"Values from an ancient nomadic, livestock-based culture from western Asia" seems a bit unwieldy.
#ProgressiveChristian thoughts on a Sunday afternoon.
November 2, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I'm field testing new terms to replace "traditional values," a.k.a. those found in Leviticus.
My current front-runner is "antiquated values."
"Values from an ancient nomadic, livestock-based culture from western Asia" seems a bit unwieldy.
#ProgressiveChristian thoughts on a Sunday afternoon.
My current front-runner is "antiquated values."
"Values from an ancient nomadic, livestock-based culture from western Asia" seems a bit unwieldy.
#ProgressiveChristian thoughts on a Sunday afternoon.
Q: What do Venezuela and Nigeria have in common?
A: Oil.
Thank you for attending this mini-seminar on recent (and threatened) hostilities.
A: Oil.
Thank you for attending this mini-seminar on recent (and threatened) hostilities.
November 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Q: What do Venezuela and Nigeria have in common?
A: Oil.
Thank you for attending this mini-seminar on recent (and threatened) hostilities.
A: Oil.
Thank you for attending this mini-seminar on recent (and threatened) hostilities.
Made the mistake of watching a CBS News short about air traffic control— turned out to be 10 mins of former Gov John Sununu whining re: the shutdown and blaming it on…guess who? He was a fairly middle-of-the-aisle R NH governor but sounds now like he’s trying hard for a place in the current admin.
November 2, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Made the mistake of watching a CBS News short about air traffic control— turned out to be 10 mins of former Gov John Sununu whining re: the shutdown and blaming it on…guess who? He was a fairly middle-of-the-aisle R NH governor but sounds now like he’s trying hard for a place in the current admin.
Reposted by Holly Pettit
Holy shit. Friends, here is a panel on the question "why don't Americans trust the media?'
I scrolled ... scrolled ... increasingly amazed ... scrolled ...
Nope. No one so much as *mentions* the 6-decade, billionaire-funded campaign by the right to destroy trust in media! Not even in passing!
I scrolled ... scrolled ... increasingly amazed ... scrolled ...
Nope. No one so much as *mentions* the 6-decade, billionaire-funded campaign by the right to destroy trust in media! Not even in passing!
Why Doesn’t Anyone Trust the Media?, by Jelani Cobb, Taylor Lorenz, Jack Shafer, Max Tani
Anatomy of a credibility crisis
harpers.org
November 1, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Holy shit. Friends, here is a panel on the question "why don't Americans trust the media?'
I scrolled ... scrolled ... increasingly amazed ... scrolled ...
Nope. No one so much as *mentions* the 6-decade, billionaire-funded campaign by the right to destroy trust in media! Not even in passing!
I scrolled ... scrolled ... increasingly amazed ... scrolled ...
Nope. No one so much as *mentions* the 6-decade, billionaire-funded campaign by the right to destroy trust in media! Not even in passing!
Reposted by Holly Pettit
Roger Ailes being upset that Nixon had to resign because the Watergate hearings were on tv every day and the reporting on them was accurate is the origin point of Fox News and right-wing media. This should be common knowledge and the starting point for any conversation about our media environment.
November 1, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Roger Ailes being upset that Nixon had to resign because the Watergate hearings were on tv every day and the reporting on them was accurate is the origin point of Fox News and right-wing media. This should be common knowledge and the starting point for any conversation about our media environment.
Reposted by Holly Pettit
I love how Rep. Joe Neguse reframed this question.
October 31, 2025 at 8:19 AM
I love how Rep. Joe Neguse reframed this question.
Reposted by Holly Pettit
A sentencing memo that linked Toronto to J6 and noted Trump shared Obama’s address vanished and was replaced with a watered-down version. A judge is now demanding answers. Erasing the truth isn’t justice. It’s authoritarianism 101: rewrite the record, protect the leader, and intimidate prosecutors.
THE DAY AHEAD: Judge demands answers about disappearance of sentencing memo
(After which a reference to Jan 6 and a reference to Trump were erased)
youtube.com/shorts/Kn_xE...
(After which a reference to Jan 6 and a reference to Trump were erased)
youtube.com/shorts/Kn_xE...
THE DAY AHEAD: Judge demands answers about disappearance of sentencing memo
YouTube video by Scott MacFarlane CBS
youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:26 PM
A sentencing memo that linked Toronto to J6 and noted Trump shared Obama’s address vanished and was replaced with a watered-down version. A judge is now demanding answers. Erasing the truth isn’t justice. It’s authoritarianism 101: rewrite the record, protect the leader, and intimidate prosecutors.
Anyone else find it odd how much the NYT is using the term "Obamacare" instead of calling it by its true name -- the ADA -- now that they're talking about rising prices? #ADA #Obamacare #FundingCuts #Healthcare #HealthInsurance
October 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Anyone else find it odd how much the NYT is using the term "Obamacare" instead of calling it by its true name -- the ADA -- now that they're talking about rising prices? #ADA #Obamacare #FundingCuts #Healthcare #HealthInsurance