Sojourners Articles

New, Improved Terrorists!

Ed Spivey Jr. — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Even al Qaeda can use rebranding.

God's Passionate Vulnerability

Martin Smith — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Reflections on the Common Lectionary

Rev. Gerald L. Durley

Anne Marie Roderick — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Four Questions for Rev. Gerald L. Durley, Pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Gerogia.

How to Proclaim Restoration

Andrew Wilkes — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Missional Preaching: Engage, Embrace, Transform, by Al Tizon.

From the Hollers to City Streets

Beth Newberry — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Stream of Conscience, by 2/3 Goat

Chronicling Belief's Strange Wonders

Brittany Shoot — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Sweet Heaven When I Die: Faith, Faithlessness, and the country in Between by Jeff Sharlet.

Art With a Brutal Heart

Gareth Higgins — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The best parts of the Disney worldview look like the eschatological images in a Martin Luther King Jr. speech; the worst merely bolster a culture of privilege and exclusion.

The Boss's Musical Indictment

Danny Duncan Collum — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Springsteen sings what politicians won't say: We were robbed and the thieves have escaped justice.

New and Noteworthy

Julie Polter — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Jumped In: What Gangs Taught Me about Violence, Drugs, Love, and Redemption — Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It — When the Drum is Beating — Everyday Missions: How Ordinary People Can Change the World

The Vagina Dialogues

Julie Polter — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We've come a long way, baby. Or have we? Is it too much to ask legislators to speak cogently about women's health?

The Sacred Fish

D.S. Martin — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

You can’t desire to catch the sacred fish / as much as he desires to be caught / & yet / he darts through the dim depths / with tail swerve & swish

A 'Bizarre and Peculiar' Ruling

E.J. Dionne Jr. — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case didn't actually make corporations into people, but it did undercut the role of actual, live human beings in elections.

Can These Bones Live?

Emilie Teresa Smith — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

In Guatemala, 44,000 people were "disappeared" during decades of war. Now workers there seek to resurrect a buried history and human dignity.

Paul's Letter to the 1%

Reta Halteman Finger — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The apostle's attack on elitism in Corinthian church and society speaks a clear message about inequality today.

The Face of Hate

Joanie Eppinga — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

An interview by Joanie Eppinga with Rebecca Barrett-Fox, a scholar who finds the appalling, the unexpected, and the human inside Westboro Baptist Church.

A Farm Grows in Motown

Korla Masters — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Detroiters often use the phoenix rising from the ashes as a metaphor for the city's resilience. Worms might be just as apt a symbol this time around.

An Assault on Local Democracy

Bill Wylie-Kellermann — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Michigan's "Emergency Manager" law and Detroit's future.

Resurrecting Detroit

Elizabeth Palmberg — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Angela Glover Blackwell believes in Detroit's future, and she has a vision for how to get there. Failure is not an option.

Chasing the Wild Goose

Cathleen Falsani — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Scripture teaches that the Spirit of God was in that still, small voice. But every now and again the Spirit arrives with flapping wings and honking, too. Like that old gray goose.

Stunned and Hopeful

Lynne Hybels — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Few people I know believe peace in the Holy Land is really possible—unless it begins with Israeli and Palestinian Christians.

Trade Agreements vs. Democracy

Conrado Olivera and Jed Koball — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Lawsuits help corporations run roughshod over governments and the environment.

From the Archives: June 1990

Maria Riley — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Women's Concerns

Preventing an Iranian Bomb

David Cortright — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

History shows engagement, not attack, dissuades countries from developing nuclear weapons.

Personhood for Profit

Vincent Miller — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Seeing corporations as people, are we making ourselves over in their image?

Fairness for Whom?

Jim Rice — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Fairness matters, especially for people on society’s margins—and that conviction goes far beyond tax equity to every aspect of public policy. For people of the Book, it’s much more important than politics; it’s a matter of faith.

Comparisons For the Cross

Norm Mundhenk — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Citizens vs. Citizens United

Vince Schumacher — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Like Father, Like Sun...

Ed Spivey Jr. — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Becoming a dictator is a great way to get out of homework.

New Wind, New Flesh

Martin Smith — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Reflections on the Common Lectionary.

Death by Individualism

Danny Duncan Collum — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

There is no vaccine against selfishness.

Into the Dark Woods

Rose Marie Berger — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

As the human soul matures, we are confronted with moments that force us to let go of yet another thin veil of self-delusion. The "right road," the moral high ground, sinks into a thicket of gray.

College Students Find Life 'Better Together'

Eboo Patel — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Gathering people from different faiths to serve others is one way of living out the command of Jesus to offer comfort to the afflicted.

Fictional Truths

Julie Polter — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Four novels with nothing in common except storytelling done well.

Fun, Fantasy, and Other Deep Truths

Richard Vernon — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Nick Harkaway, writer of novels that brim with humor and meaning, talks about legacy, not-so-silly writing, and the moral to our stories.

More Books on Faith and Politics

Debra Dean Murphy — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Bearing Witness in Contentious Times

Debra Dean Murphy — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Four books that encourage people of faith to bring more light and less heat to the public square—and to our pews.

The Five Stages of Grief

E. Ethelbert Miller — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

"Denial / This has nothing to do with blackness. / This has everything to do with blackness."

Doing it the Hard Way

Betsy Shirley — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Gamaliel's Ana Garcia-Ashley is the first woman of color to lead a national community organizing network, faith-based or otherwise. And she's pulling no punches.

Driving Toward Cuba's Future

Wes Granberg-Michaelson — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A U.S. church delegation this winter discovered a Cuba at the crossroads of change.

Psalm 65

Ellen F. Davis — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Psalm 65 — translation by Ellen F. Davis

Nourishing Words

Julie Polter — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Books on food and farming.

Work of Many Hands

Ivone Guillen — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

When you pick an apple in the store, think of those who held it first. A day in the life of a farm worker.

God the Farmer

Ellen F. Davis — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Psalm 65 gives us a unique portrait of a deity who tends the soil, waters its furrows, and crowns the year with a rich harvest.

Diet, Exercise, and Temples of the Holy Ghost

Danny Duncan Collum — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

From Mississippi to Kentucky coal-mining country, churches are taking on the public health crisis of obesity.

Welfare for (Very Rich) Oil Companies

Bill McKibben — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Subsidizing coal is like finding that beer-drinking college student and paying him to sit in a bar all day and night—it’s not just unnecessary, it’s ludicrous.

From the Archives: May 1980

Archbishop Oscar Romero — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A Pastor's Last Sermon

Not Worth the Gamble

Phil Blackwell — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Internet sales of lottery tickets are shortsighted and wrong.

Kicking a Bad Habit

Robert Brenneman — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Many in Central America say it's time to consider decriminalizing drugs.

Injustice in the Food Chain

Yvonne Yen Liu — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Low-wage work and racial inequity are rife in jobs that move food to your table.

Obesity in a World of Hunger

Jim Rice — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A new definition of malnutrition is emerging, as formerly developing countries are globalized into “fast-food nation” lifestyles.

Slavery Today

Stan Glenn — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Resisting Prison Profiteers

Melanie S. Pinkert — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Don't Mourn—Fact Check

John Patterson — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

From the Archives: April 1981

Melanie Morrison — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Presence of God

2-for-1 Bomb Sale! Supplies Unlimited!

Ed Spivey Jr. — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

In fact, my knowledge of Brazil is limited to that tall Jesus statue overlooking a city, and the fact people can be naked on the beaches while speaking Portuguese.

God's Cross to Bear?

Martin Smith — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Reflections on the Common Lectionary.

Trading

Jeanne Murray Walker — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.
—Wordsworth

Meet the New Boss

Danny Duncan Collum — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Piano-playing cats or union organizing drives—Google and Facebook don’t care. They just keep a sieve in the flow to collect information that can be sold to advertisers.

A Family's Identity Crisis

Anne Marie Roderick — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Pariah, written and directed by Dee Rees. Focus Features.

Isaiah and the Foreclosure Crisis

Rose Marie Berger — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

What does God's "settlement" look like?

Art and Exile

Makoto Fujimura — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The painter Makoto Fujimura imagines what God might say to the church about its frequent rejection of the artists.

A Sci-Fi Take on Adolescence's Brutal Truth

Gareth Higgins — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Along with the silent film The Artist, Haywire, and War Horse, the smartest wide-release recent movie is Chronicle, a kinetic fusion of Breakfast Club-style teenage angst with post-9/11 violence-as-a-way-of-life (or at least way-to-be-noticed).

New & Noteworthy

Julie Polter — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Worship Across the Racial Divide: Religious Music and the Multiracial Congregation, by Gerardo Marti; The Forgotten Bomb; Let It Burn; Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis.

Soul Force vs. The Assassin

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Gandhi and the Unspeakable: His Final Experiment with Truth, by James W. Douglass.

Life Under Empire

Julie Clawson — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

What The Hunger Games and the gospels have in common.

A Mile in Your Shoes

Joel C. Hunter — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We need to build understanding as well as skills to break the cycle of poverty, because our obligation as Christians is not just help, it’s love.

'Everything Will Live Where the River Goes'

Ched Myers — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A Bible study on water, God, and redemption.

'The Plants are Family to Us'

John Bacher — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Forests throughout North America would not be the same today without the trailblazing work of a small Mohawk Catholic community in Quebec.

The Innocence List

Kimberly Burge — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

There are many reasons to abolish the death penalty. Innocents on death row may be the most compelling.

Banking For the Rest of Us

Stacy Mitchell — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Banking used to be an agreement between neighbors, not a transaction between chairmen of the board. It's time for a new set of rules—banking policies for the 99 percent.

'Why I Hate Religion, But Love YouTube'

Cathleen Falsani — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The lesson for me, as the parent of a middle school child, was to pay closer attention.

'And God Created ... Corporations'

Bill McKibben — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Corporations want to store up treasure on earth — that's their whole, entire, complete, and utter point.

A Hire Law for Churches

Melissa Rogers — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Supreme Court decision on the ministerial exception deserves a "hosanna" — and prayerful consideration.

Destroying Our Rights to Save Them

Dianna Ortiz — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The U.S. government continues to claim the authority to detain and kill without trial.

Stifling the Persian Spring

Reza Aslan — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

How U.S. and Israeli threats are undermining the democracy movement in Iran.

Are Voter-ID Laws Racist?

Jim Rice — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

More than 5 million voters could be affected by new Voter-ID laws and (coincidentally?) a disproportionate number of them are people of color.

Avoiding Arrogance

John McRae — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

United in Christ

Ronn Garton — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Just Say No

Rev. John Burow — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

From the Archives: March 1973

Bill Lane — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Lessons from Vietnam

New & Noteworthy

Julie Polter — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Homies and Hermanos: God and Gangs in Central America; The Amish; Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit; The Ethical Vision of Clint Eastwood.

There's Something in the Water...

Ed Spivey Jr. — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Who knew hideous sea creatures had their own club?

The Foolishness and Weakness of God

Martin Smith — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Reflections on the Common Lectionary, Cycle B.

Why I Love Credit Unions

Rose Marie Berger — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The bigger the financial corporation, the quicker your dollar exits your community.

Four Questions for Chris Hoke

Elizabeth Palmberg — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The tattooed former meth cook, Zach, is at the heart of the business—the artisan coffee roaster.

What Kind of God Do You Have?

Stacia M. Brown — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Excerpt from Accidents and Providence by Stacia M. Brown, 2012.

Were You There?

Andrew Wilkes — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Cross and the Lynching Tree, by James H. Cone.

10 For Home Viewing

Gareth Higgins — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A perfect time to catch up on the 10 best Blu-ray releases of the past year.

Sharia Hysteria

Danny Duncan Collum — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Muslim cops and football coaches (oh my!) -- the next step in the right wing's efforts to keep Americans in fear.

Down and Outraged

Shefa Siegel — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A dispatch from the shrinking middle class.

Against the Night

Belle Fox-Martin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We are the lay of the land— / pocked, hilled, knowing every ember / and seed imprinted on our bones.

Faith at the Tipping Point

Ada María Isasi-Díaz and Elizabeth Palmberg — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

An interview with theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz on solidarity, public life, and the blessings that come when you really listen.

Heavenly Energy

Sven Eberlein — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

In the wake of last year's Fukushima disaster, German chancellor Angela Merkel announced the country would phase out nuclear power. Churches are at the forefront of Germany's new solar revolution.

What's Next for Jubilee USA?

Eric LeCompte — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Bible speaks of a "year of the Lord's favor" -- the year of Jubilee. We need it now more than ever.

Jubilee and Beyond

Elaine Storkey — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Bible-inspired movement set the standard -- and the inspiration -- for future campaigns for change.

Land of Milk and Immigrants

Shaun Duvall — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A new wave of arrivals makes its mark in America's dairy country.

'Do Not Grow Weary or Lose Heart'

Vincent Harding — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Many people who were hopeful for change in the wake of Barack Obama's election have become disillusioned by the rancorous politics of the last few years. What does it take to sustain the struggle for justice over the long haul?

The Common Bond of Blood

Lynne Hybels — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

"Do you invest it in revenge, or do you think creatively?”

A Different Kind of Atheism

Eboo Patel — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Chris Stedman's "faitheism" doesn't hate God, it loves people.

Too Little, Too Late?

Francesca de Gasparis — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The U.N. climate change talks in South Africa were a major disappointment -- but the struggle continues.