SIGNS AND WONDERS

The Outrage Economy, Elevation Church, Jane Austen

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (perhaps even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.

Cui Bono? That’s Latin for “Who benefits?” For you cinephiles, it’s a famous line from the Martin Scorsese film “The Departed.” My friend Will Hinton used it as the title of an article about social media and outrage culture. He says that when we engage in social media conversations, we should always ask “who benefits?” by the polarization and outrage, and that — as Christians — the answer to that question should guide our behavior. I just got off an hour-long zoom call with Will to discuss the ideas in his article, which is the best thing I have read about media and how Christians should and should not participate in public conversations. Stay tuned for that conversation on the MinistryWatch podcast in the next few weeks. Until then, here’s Will’s Substack article.

MinistryWatch 1000 Database Updates. Our MinistryWatch 1000 database has financial and other information for the 1,000 largest Christian ministries in the nation. Except…now it has information for more than 1,350 ministries, with total annual revenue of $46 billion. We have made some significant new features to the database. We now track the amount of money a ministry receives from the federal government, and we have enhanced explanations of our ratings within easy view. If it’s been a while since you checked it out, you can give it a spin by clicking here.

Elevation Church Assets. Elevation Church, the Charlotte-based megachurch, has released its annual audit. Among some surprises is the fact that the church has more than $345 million in net assets, including $45 million in cash and nearly $200 million in investments. Another $150 million or so is in property and equipment. I will let you decide if this is too much, about right, or not enough. What I can say is that these numbers are outliers. These numbers make Elevation one of the richest churches or Christian ministries in the world.

Artificial Intelligence and Federalism. Donald Trump’s executive order related to artificial intelligence (AI) has many limited government conservatives shaking their heads. The executive order says: “It is the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance the United States’ global AI dominance through a minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI.” The Dispatch reports, “To that end, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to establish an AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state laws that conflict with his stated policy and threatened to withhold federal broadband funding to states that keep their own AI regulations on the books.” Lots of states already have laws on the books, so this EO is causing consternation for those who believe states should be “laboratories of liberty” and/or those who believe in principles of federalism and subsidiarity. By the way, if you care about these issues (and you should, as AI is rapidly taking control of our economic lives), I recommend the complete article from The Dispatch I quoted from above. You can find it here.

Jane Austen Lives. The great English novelist Jane Austen was born 250 years ago this week. She was the daughter of an Anglican clergyman, and her books reflect a sophisticated understanding of Christianity. Scholars say her faith was sincere but understated, typical of moderate 18th-century Anglicanism rather than the more emotional Evangelical movement of her time. In fact, she viewed the emotionalism of evangelicals with some skepticism, though later in life she came to appreciate it more. For an interesting “take” on Austen and her treatment of religion, read this article from one of my favorite publications, “The Imaginative Conservative.” By the way, 2026 looks to be a banner year for Austen adaptations. New treatments of “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice” are in the works, as is “The Other Bennet Sister,” focusing on Mary Bennet from “Pride and Prejudice,” adapted from Janice Hadlow’s novel. I am, honestly, not looking forward to these latter-day adaptations, as early takes on them indicate that they indulge in more than a little revisionism. But we’ll see.

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