social justice

A conversation with activist and scholar Liz Theoharis about the Poor People’s Campaign, Paul’s letters, jubilee, and more

Felipe Hinojosa profiles resistance movements from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when religion and politics were inextricably linked.

Anna Madsen’s theological call for taking a stand

Albert Raboteau profiles seven people who shaped the theology and practice of activism in 20th-century America.

To Mary Clark Moschella, joy is a countercultural phenomenon.

Miss Brooks would be 100 years old today. Her poetic-prophetic vision is worth celebrating.

Looking for a Lenten devotional? Try one of these.

Today's laborers are more likely cleaning toilets than mining coal. But there's still a need to organize.

What happened to the civil rights movement? David Chappell offers a carefully wrought study of a nation's fitful waking from a beautiful dream.

Like it or not, Wikipedia is here and it will probably stay. Everybody from third grade history students to graduate level scholars use them. Even when Wiki pages cannot be cited, we still use them. We are forming history on that site. 

As church leaders, we have our ears, hearts, and words. We pray that God will use them. But we also have limitations--time, energy, and ability. And even though we feel helpless, like we can never do enough, sometimes being the person who takes the picture, who tells the story is our most important job.

Our intellectual architecture is being dismantled. But it is also being reassembled. I use the architecture metaphor because I believe that what we are creating will be in place for many decades to come. 

As a writer, being a part of denomination has incredible benefits and difficulties. Here are some things I learned about the relationship between the two.

For about a month, there has been an ongoing discussion about the term “mainline.” I refuse to use it because it doesn't adequately reflect the diversity of our social justice influences.

We can't predict the future, but we can look at the interesting things that are happening now, and we can dream about where God might be calling us. When imagining what might be coming, there are a few approaches or attitudes that can orient us. 

What are we doing to combat poverty in our country and make sure that we join the voices of the prophets who speak out against injustice? Often denominational churches work hard on these issues, but we do it within our particular silos and we may not effectively communicate our work.