From editorial director of ideas and books Bonnie Kristian: I started working on my essay about repair the better part of a year ago, starting by interviewing a Missouri pastor and author named Patrick Miller. He’d written about American Christianity’s need for a positive, repair-oriented vision on social media and at Mere Orthodoxy.

But in his posts, Miller also criticized CT, accusing us of “liquidating institutional trust, and building a platform off the sins of Christianity yesterday.” I disagree, of course, with that characterization of CT’s work. Yet I found Miller’s broader thoughts on repair worthwhile, and I wanted to pick his brain. We’d briefly met when I was in Missouri a few years ago, but that criticism gave me pause.

Ultimately, I decided to reach out anyway. Miller was willing to talk, and we had a great conversation. You’ll see him quoted toward the end of my article, bringing a note of hope I couldn’t muster on my own. And thinking back to that interview during election season, I’m reminded of 1 Peter 4:7–11, where Christians are exhorted to be sober-minded, hospitable, and loving amid our differences.