Patrick Miller

Blacksburg

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Articles

Preaching the Gospel to People Sick of Irony

3 weeks ago | mereorthodoxy.com | Patrick Miller

This is the second part of a two-part essay exploring metamodernism. In part one, we suggest recent vibe shifts represent not only a rightward shift, but a post-postmodern shift. In the first essay, we defined the cultural shift that is now taking place. Now we will explain how Christians can contextualize the gospel in a metamodern world. In Center Church, Tim Keller calls Christians to follow the pattern of Paul by contextualizing the gospel.
‘Beast Games’: Family Fun or Mammon Worship?

2 months ago | thegospelcoalition.org | Patrick Miller

On December 19, 2024, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson released the first two episodes of his megahit Beast Games. It has since become Prime Video’s most-watched unscripted TV show, with more than 50 million viewers. The winner took home a $10 million cash prize, MrBeast runs YouTube’s biggest channel, targeted toward young adults. Unsurprisingly, Beast Games is marketed as a family friendly show in the vein of American Ninja Warrior or The Amazing Race.
Dopamine Media Is a Digital Las Vegas

Feb 12, 2025 | thegospelcoalition.org | Patrick Miller

Neil Postman suggested every era in American history is represented by a city. Boston was the apotheosis of revolutionary fervor. Chicago was the incarnation of industrial dynamism. New York was the personification of melting-pot America. And finally, Las Vegas became the avatar of overentertained America. Postman was right about Las Vegas. The city is world-renowned for its extravagant, ubiquitous entertainment. But Vegas is more renowned for something else: gambling.
Is Meta Chasing the Anti-Progressive Vibe Shift?

Jan 11, 2025 | thegospelcoalition.org | Patrick Miller

If you traveled back to the early 1960s, you’d be hard-pressed to find Christians hopeful about the country’s trajectory. The sexual revolution, hippie movement, and summer of love suggested the country was driving hard and fast toward libertine atheism. In 1966, TIME published their infamous “Is God Dead?” cover story. But five years later, the vibe changed.
How Ordinary Christians Can Build Kingdom Institutions in 2025

Dec 31, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Patrick Miller

The past year was characterized by apocalyptic predictions and institutional demolition. Our presidential candidates issued doomsday warnings about the end of democracy, the middle class, and the economy. Closer to home, some of last year’s most discussed Christian books were also chock-full of fear, calling for Christians to either abandon churches or deconstruct.
If the Twin Towers Fell After Twitter

Sep 11, 2024 | endeavorwithus.com | Patrick Miller

It’s 2001, and my middle school lacks a cell phone policy for one simple reason: hardly anyone under the age of 25 owns such a device. Back then, pagers were far more common. Smartphones, as we think of them, didn’t even exist. The BlackBerry would be released the next year, alongside Verizon’s launch of the first 3G network—a technology that allowed cellphones to access the internet at painfully slow rates.
Why Christian Parents Should Resist School-Issued Screens

Sep 9, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Patrick Miller

After the first day of middle school, John’s son, Jordan, arrived home with a new toy: a school-issued iPad. Of course, it wasn’t given as a toy. It was given as an educational tool, but to your average 12-year-old who’s never owned a smartphone or an Apple product—well, it’s cool. Curious about what Jordan could access on the device, John took the iPad to his room.
On My Shelf: Life and Books with Patrick Miller

Aug 26, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Ivan Mesa |Patrick Miller |Brett McCracken |Joe Carter

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. What’s on your nightstand right now? A lamp and definitely not my iPhone. If it were, I doubt I’d muster the requisite attention to pick up David Foster Wallace’s magisterially monstrous Infinite Jest. Yes, I admit this is a flex. Literally. The book is uncomfortably heavy. And likewise so is its story. But . . .
We Can't Come Down

Aug 6, 2024 | mereorthodoxy.com | Patrick Miller

Patrick Miller Patrick Miller (MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary) is a pastor at The Crossing. He offers cultural commentary and interviews with leading Christian thinkers on the podcast Truth Over Tribe, and is the coauthor of the forthcoming book Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, Not the Donkey or the Elephant.
Everyone has Their Own Facts Now

May 31, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Patrick Miller

Of course, calling all of this “information” is misleading. Perhaps we should call it content, because it’s not all equal and it’s not all equally true. But that’s part of the problem. What happens when you take a populous whose idea of an informed person is someone capable of juggling massive amounts of incoherent and contextless information (by “juggling” I mean, sharing it online with an emotive, self-justifying passion) and submerge them in a limitless morass of content?