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January 13, 2021

Volume 138, Issue #1

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Features

First Person

In search of sanctuary

When my church opened its doors to an immigrant family, we had to reimagine the meaning of sacred space.

by Amy Frykholm

First Person

Saying goodbye to my mother during the pandemic

She died in her nurse’s arms.

by Tom Montgomery Fate

Why some young Black Christians are practicing hoodoo

The ancestral religious practices of the African diaspora were forced underground by the White church.

by Dawn Araujo-Hawkins

Reflection

Ecclesiastes has some things to say about COVID-19

The ancient wisdom text urges us to find joy in the limits of the present moment.

by Brent A. Strawn

Why Jane Goodall reminds me of Dorothy Day

The remarkable, costly life of a secular saint

by L. Roger Owens

Books

A US son of Salvadoran parents explores his complex identity

Roberto Lovato’s harrowing memoir is a process of personal and collective unveiling.

by Jeannine Marie Pitas

Finding a way forward after the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh

A collection of remembrances that bind the living and the dead

by Ross Carmichael

Why do we write and read poetry?

For both Paul Mariani and Mark Jarman, the mystery is theological.

by Jeffrey Johnson

Thinking better about autism

Grant Macaskill’s reflection on neurodiversity becomes a stimulus to renewal of faith.

by Samuel Wells

Departments

The global church in an English village

The Londoners who come to Aylesford as pilgrims are an impressively polychrome microcosm of Christianity.

by Philip Jenkins

First Words

Christian liturgy should reflect the unconditional nature of grace

This might mean changing the order of certain elements.

by Peter W. Marty

On Art

Solidarity Is Always in Season, by Ricardo Levins Morales

Ricardo Levins Morales is an organizer, workshop leader, and social justice strategist....

art selection and comment by Lil Copan

From the Editors

What can Biden do without cooperation from Congress?

Lots of things. Here are a few priorities.

Faith Matters

Tending love in a time of trauma

My mother grew up in a violent home. But violence was not the totality of her life.

by Brian Bantum

News

New documentary on slain Guatemalan bishop debuts on HBO

A new HBO documentary on the legacy of Guatemalan Catholic bishop Juan Gerardi, who was murdered in the aftermath of the country’s long civil war, highlights the role of Catholic clergy in the fight for democracy in Central America....

by Claire Giangravé

People

Episcocal Diocese of Chicago elects first African American, first woman diocesan bishop

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago has elected Paula E. Clark as its next bishop. She will be both the first African American and the first woman to serve as diocesan bishop in Chicago....

by Emily McFarlan Miller

People

Russian Jehovah's Witness sentenced to prision for religion

A 66-year-old Jehovah’s Witness in Russia has received a six-year sentence for practicing his faith, a particularly harsh penalty in a country where rape is punishable with a three- to six-year prison term and kidnapping with a five-year term....

by Adelle M. Banks