Cody Hall

What I'm reading, writing, and thinking about.

What I’m Crunching — September 14, 2025

Posted on Author CodyPosted in What I'm CrunchingLeave a Reply

Books I’m Reading

A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South

I’m proceeding through this great book. I appreciate the detail and attention given to the intricacies of the dynamics between different factions of the Creek Nation. I had no idea some of the events occurred. One interesting point is how the early Georgians (residents of the U.S. of Georgia) were encroaching more and more upon the lands granted to the Creek Indians by the U.S. Federal Government.

Like in many historical conflicts, many variables exacerbated the conflict and a downward spiral continued (including a civil war among the Creeks) until a larger, full-blown war broke out.

On Charlie Kirk

Earlier this week, I was speechless on hearing the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. After taking a few days to process, here are a few thoughts.

  • All violence grieves God’s heart:

    The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.
    Genesis 6:5-6

    The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.
    Psalm 11:5

    He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
    He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
    Psalm 72:13-14

    When God’s image bearers use their power and resources to harm one another, God is grieved. Over labor day weekend, eight were killed and 50 wounded in Chicago. God was just as grieved by this, and we should be too.
  • Charlie died living out values that were central to his belief system: open dialogue, the debate of ideas, and the right to free speech espoused in the U.S. Constitution. Many in our nation oppose these values, as demonstrated by their violence toward them.
  • Often, removing the primary voice behind a movement or belief system doesn’t slow down the momentum of the movement. It accelerates it. I firmly believe this will be the case here.
  • We are deeply embroiled in a period of populism, where moderates (centrists) disappear and everyone is on one extreme or the other. These periods have happened many times throughout history:

    Late Roman Republic (c. 133 BC – 27 BC)
    French Revolution (1789 – 1799)
    Weimar Republic (1918 – 1933)

    Only God—using courageous centrist leaders—can stop us from spiraling down into further violence. May God have mercy on the United States of America.

Tweets I’m Reading

If you have feedback for me, if something resonates and you want to see more of it, reply in the comments below. You can also tweet at me on Twitter @the_cody_hall.

I look forward to hearing from you!

If you’re not yet subscribed you can do so here:

This field is required.

Leave a Reply