Dodging Algorithms
It’s another Sunday morning, and lately I have been dragging myself to get to a house of worship. My usual place of worship is about an hour away, and the trip hasn’t been worth it to me as the preaching is tired. It’s the same old message that if you keep a book on your head and give your tithes and offerings, one day you will be blessed. I don’t even need to leave the comfort of my home for that style of preaching; I can just listen to YouTube.
Speaking of YouTube, I have been visiting a church much closer to my house where the minister had a stroke, and now instead of the church finding a new minister to preach, they play old YouTube videos. The man preaches straight from the Word of God, which I love, but it gets a little flat when I can listen to the same YouTube videos from home. I also visited for the last few months a mixed church where whites and Blacks worship together and the leadership seems to be two white brothers, but I was turned off a little as people speak in tongues where there is no praying, and it seems a little off, especially since there is never an interpreter. I believe in speaking in tongues, but I also believe it should be done in decency and in order.
I feel like I am in a church rut. Caught between shunning a liberal narrative built on prosperity preaching or one that is flat-lined by dry discussion and outbursts of tongues. I long for a church within my own community where I can hear the Word of God, fellowship, and go home with a Word in my heart.
Lately, I feel more and more like we are living in the last days. The church is being exposed for its idolatry and self-righteousness. Many no longer worship God in spirit and in truth but have turned faith into performance, politics, or personality. What we are witnessing now isn’t just about weak preaching or empty pews; it’s about a spiritual shaking.
I believe that shaking began in 2023, with the rise of new leadership in the United States and the war in Gaza that reignited old divisions around the world. Yet here in America, the divide has grown deeper, reaching even into the church. The death of Charlie Kirk has only widened that rift, revealing just how far we have drifted from truth and how easily the faithful can be drawn into idolatry, nationalism, and hate disguised as righteousness.
No, Charlie Kirk Was Not a Martyr
Though his death was tragic, he wasn’t killed because of the Gospel. Although he included conversations about the Word of God on his tours, they weren’t built on that premise. They were built on a principle of nationalism first and God second. He was killed because of a disagreement in ideology about transgenderism, an ideology that is stoked by Democrats and gassed up by algorithms. An individual killed Kirk supposedly because he disagreed with his stance on the transgender lifestyle, not because of his Biblical beliefs. And so, with that being said, Charlie Kirk was no martyr.
It was one thing for white commentators like Ezra Klein to speak about what happened to Charlie Kirk and describe it as devastating and tragic—a violation of his constitutional right to freedom of speech. It was another thing entirely for Ta-Nehisi Coates to respond with such coldness, rebuking Klein for expressing basic empathy. That exchange revealed just how polarized we’ve become. But what truly disturbed me was watching people like Allie Stuckey take to their podcast platforms to condemn Black voices like Jackie Hill Perry, who simply acknowledged that while the act was horrific, Charlie was not a martyr.
It’s as if white conservatives are demanding that we forget everything Charlie Kirk said about our community, ignore how tainted his rhetoric was when it came to race, and mourn him in sackcloth and ashes. We can grieve the loss of life without rewriting the truth. What’s happening now is not just political; it’s moral theater, a demand for silence from those who refuse to forget what was said about them.
The Incident That Stopped Me in My Tracks
Jamal Bryant called this out, though in his usual way of stirring controversy. I’ve written before about how he leads his flock astray, but in this case, even he couldn’t ignore the growing tension surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death. Bryant suggested that Black churches should not hold moments of silence for Kirk, a man whose record toward the Black community was undeniably racist. That statement exposed a deep divide within the Black community. Some felt that Kirk’s rhetoric caught up with him, while others, like myself, believed he still had the right to speak his mind. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequence, but it also does not mean a man should be killed for his beliefs.
Still, the disagreement among Black pastors wasn’t enough for some. White commentators and podcasters began chastising Black ministers for refusing to call Kirk a martyr, as though acknowledging his racism meant we were incapable of compassion. His death was tragic, but it should not be glorified or compared to the death of Jesus Christ. We can recognize the horror of his murder without erasing the harm his words caused.
Then came the moment that truly stopped me in my tracks. A young white woman with red hair and blue eyes stood in a pulpit rebuking Jamal Bryant, declaring that Black Christians who worship together are practicing “ethnic idolatry.” Hearing that, I was stunned. It revealed how far deception has spread. God is not coming back for a building or a denomination; He is coming for a people who love Him and live by His Spirit. That has nothing to do with color but everything to do with the heart.
Usually, the divide in America falls along political lines—left versus right, liberal versus conservative. But to see that same spirit of division invade the church was sobering. First, it was the white girl in the pulpit calling Black worship idolatry. Then, following suit, a white preacher on The King’s Hall Podcast declared that Black culture itself is evil and wicked. He went so far as to compare Black people to “Cretans,” calling us violent and fatherless, accusing us of being driven by demonic behavior. One of the hosts even claimed it was “part of Black culture” for a Black man to walk up to a white girl and cut her neck. That horrific act was clearly the result of mental illness, yet they twisted it into proof of collective evil.
Meanwhile, they ignored every school shooting this year, every church shooting this year, and even the case of a young Black boy found hanging in Alabama. To see that clip go viral was disturbing—it spoke volumes about the kind of hate that rises to the top of our feeds. The host even claimed that Black people molest more children, when the actual data shows the opposite. It was projection at its finest, evil disguised as moral authority. It felt as if Satan himself had taken off his cloak, sat down behind a microphone, and started accusing Black people of the very crimes so often committed by whites. It was sick, disturbing, and frightening to witness. I was grateful to see Black voices in the comments calling it out for what it was, but the fact that such hatred could go viral says everything about what drives the media and the algorithms that feed it.
The Week of Misinformation
Add to that commentators like Megyn Kelly and Steven Crowder taking to their podcast seats to discuss so-called “Black fatigue,” and it becomes clear that a dangerous pattern is emerging. Crowder even went so far as to film inside a Black barbershop—a sacred space and safe haven for many Black men—confronting them about the issues in their communities while ignoring the deep fractures within his own. It was all a bridge too far.
We were warned this was coming. After the election of Donald Trump, podcasts glorified for their prediction that he would win gained enormous power and influence. Many began to believe these hosts were the only truth-tellers while mainstream media had lost its integrity. But now the same problem has infected the podcast world itself. These shows are multiplying like weeds, and finding one that offers genuine, balanced information is like finding a needle in a haystack. Too many have taken their platforms and turned them into pulpits of hate—spreading hostility toward the Black community and contempt for the Jewish community.
The Flotilla and the Fire
Every year since around 2007 or 2008, activists have attempted to sail toward Gaza’s waters under the banner of the “Freedom Flotilla.” The stated goal has always been to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, but the reality has been far more complex. Each year follows the same pattern: activists make a public spectacle, the ship nears Israeli waters, Israel turns it around, and the world’s media erupts in outrage. These flotillas have never truly been about delivering aid—they have been about optics, provocation, and igniting global sympathy against Israel.
Once again, news of the flotilla hit the media—this time for the second time this year. Reports began surfacing that Turkey and Spain were now stepping in to assist in the effort, as if joining a moral crusade against Israel. Not long after the boat set sail, filled with self-proclaimed do-gooders bound to “help” the Palestinian people, a mysterious fire broke out on a plane. Almost immediately, whispers spread across social media suggesting that Israel was somehow responsible.
Before any facts were confirmed, the speculation grew darker—connecting the fire, the flotilla, and even the death of Charlie Kirk into a tangled web of conspiracy and blame. Podcasters jumped at the opportunity. From Sabby Sabs to Dave Smith to Rising Hill, hosts were quick to condemn Israel, weaving their outrage into a larger narrative of supposed oppression. But when it was later revealed that someone on board the flotilla had actually started the fire, the story quietly disappeared from the headlines. The damage, however, had already been done—truth once again buried beneath the weight of viral falsehoods and political agendas.
It feels like an all-out assault on both Blacks and Jews. Every event, every tragedy, is being twisted into fuel for hate. False prophets in suits and microphones are shaping public opinion, turning victims into villains and feeding division under the banner of truth.
Faith and the Conservative Fracture
Speaking of Christianity, the conservative split isn’t just political anymore—it’s spiritual. What once stood on the shared foundation of Judeo-Christian values has now fractured into competing camps: traditional Christianity, Catholicism shaped by ritual and hierarchy, and a version of Black culture that has been pimped, polished, and sold for influence. Candace Owens has become the face of that cultural manipulation—a Black podcaster embraced not for her discernment but for her usefulness in echoing white conservative outrage. And she’s not alone. Figures like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones have encouraged and platformed her, turning Black conservatism into performance art, a spectacle designed to make white audiences comfortable rather than to challenge them toward truth.
I don’t want to beat the Charlie Kirk story into the ground, but it’s hard not to notice how far its tentacles reach across the algorithm. It’s a case study in how ideology, media, and religion have merged into a single machine—one that thrives on outrage, feeds off confusion, and leaves the faithful fighting among themselves.
The Conservative Split: Israel and the Death of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk’s death has become a lightning rod, exposing deep fractures within conservative circles, and these fractures are being exploited by podcasters who see an opportunity to solidify their audiences and deepen divisions.
Candace Owens, who was supposed to be defending Charlie Kirk’s legacy, decided instead to attack Turning Point USA in the wake of his killing. She has been spreading conspiracy theories that Kirk was somehow killed because of his relationship with Jewish donors and Israel. According to leaked text messages that were confirmed as authentic, Charlie Kirk had indeed lost a two-million-dollar donation from a Jewish donor over his refusal to disinvite Tucker Carlson from an event. Kirk wrote in the texts, “Just lost another huge Jewish donor. Two million a year because we won’t cancel Tucker.” He also wrote, “Jewish donors play into all the stereotypes. I cannot and will not be bullied like this. Leaving me no choice but to leave the pro-Israel cause.”
But what Candace Owens did with this information was weaponize it. She has been on her podcast suggesting that Kirk was killed by Israel, by Mossad, or by some shadowy Jewish conspiracy, despite the fact that the FBI has a suspect in custody. She is feeding antisemitic conspiracy theories to millions of followers, turning a tragedy into a platform for hate.
And she is doing this while conservatives are already splitting between those who support Israel and those who do not. On one side, you have traditional conservatives who see Israel as an important ally. On the other, you have the Tucker Carlson wing that is increasingly critical of Israel and receptive to conspiracy theories. Charlie Kirk’s death has become the battleground for this fight.
The Algorithm Is Feeding Both Sides
What’s truly insidious is that the algorithms are feeding this narrative to both sides. To conservative Israel skeptics, the algorithm serves up Candace Owens videos, Tucker Carlson clips, and conspiracy theories about Jewish control. To pro-Israel conservatives, it serves up content about antisemitism and loyalty tests. To Black Americans, it does something even more sinister. It feeds two competing narratives. To some Black conservatives, it celebrates Charlie Kirk’s legacy while ignoring his racist statements about Black people. To other Black Americans, it highlights those racist statements and frames his death as karma. The algorithm doesn’t care about truth. It cares about engagement. And division is engaging.
The Real Victims: Black and Jewish Communities
What’s being lost in all of this is that both Black Americans and Jewish Americans are under attack, often by the same forces and the same algorithmic machinery. The same conspiracy theories that blame Jews for controlling media and finance are cousins to the ones that paint Black Americans as violent and undeserving. The same algorithms that radicalize someone into antisemitism can radicalize someone into anti-Black racism.
The young white woman who stood in Jamal Bryant’s pulpit calling Black worship “ethnic idolatry” didn’t come up with that on her own. She was fed a steady diet of content that taught her to see Black people as threats, as others, as wrong for simply existing in community with one another. The people spreading conspiracy theories that Israel killed Charlie Kirk are drawing from the same well of hate that has fueled persecution for centuries.
A Spiritual Warning
I am comforted in knowing that my faith has already prepared me for the wickedness that is to come. Scripture makes it clear that division over Jesus Christ would arise, and we are witnessing that division unfold before our eyes. People are now debating not only who Jesus is but whether the land of Israel belongs to the Jews or to the Palestinians. I’ve even heard white pastors say that Black people are welcome in their churches while also declaring that we are an evil people. Others justify slavery and use their podcasts to claim that Black Americans were never enslaved and are the most violent people who need to be kept in check.
At the same time, many call Israel evil for defending itself in a war it did not start. Some curse anyone who dares stand with or visit the land. And there are those who confess their sins to a man in a box and pray to Mary with rosary beads, as if the blood of Jesus Christ were not enough to grant us access to the throne of God. These are not just political arguments; they are signs of a deeper spiritual confusion. The same hatred that divides conservatives over race and Jews over Israel is the same spirit that has long sought to destroy unity in the body of Christ. My faith reminds me that this was foretold, that darkness would masquerade as light, and that truth would be traded for lies spread through screens and microphones.
Dodging the Lies
The algorithms have us spinning, and information is falling on us like bricks thrown from a window—too fast, too heavy to dodge. It comes down like rain, flooding our minds with confusion and fear. We are being turned against one another: Black against white, Jew against Christian, Protestant against Catholic, Democrat against Republican. The lines have blurred so much that many no longer see their neighbor as a soul, but as an opponent.
As I search for a church, a place where I can worship in peace, I have to remind myself that this is not just a cultural war, but a spiritual one. The weapons being used against us are invisible yet precise. Algorithms learn what makes us angry, what makes us afraid, what makes us hate, and they feed us more of it. Podcasters have built empires on our outrage, packaging division as truth and hate as conviction.
But we don’t have to play their game. We don’t have to repost their lies or share their hate. We can choose differently. We can return to discernment, to compassion, to truth. We can refuse to let the digital storm define us. Because at the end of the day, this is still God’s world—and no algorithm, no lie, and no voice of hate can silence His truth.
