“Roots of Freedom” by Lisa Sharon Harper from Sojouners (August 2016).  “THE NATION’S FIRST blockbuster television miniseries, Roots, shocked the nation when it started airing on Jan. 23, 1977. Based on Alex Haley’s research on his own family’s story and adapted for television from Haley’s novel, Roots offered the world its first cinematic depiction of Africa and […]

Wider World—“The Ambition Explosion” by David Brooks in the New York Times, (11/27/14).  “In 1976, Daniel Bell published a book called “The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism.” Bell argued that capitalism undermines itself because it nurtures a population of ever more self-gratifying consumers.”  A related biblical theme:  “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set […]

  “Selling the Protected Area Myth” by Richard Coniff, a contributing opinion writer, in The New York Times (6/10/18). “[Change] will at times entail setting aside our profits and our precious convenience . . . But the alternative is to spend our lives in a world increasingly without wildlife.”  A related biblical theme: “They will not hurt or […]

  “Working-Class Blues (and Grays)” by Sherry Lee Likon in Sojouners (July 2016).  Frustration and resentment can draw working-class people in multiple directions – including activism.  Faith-based people can help channel this activism to make various parts of life more just; we need to be part of the answer.  A related biblical theme: “But he […]

“Caring for the Poor is Government’s Biblical Role,” by Jim Wallis in Sojourners (August 30, 2012) – Jeremiah, speaking of King Josiah, said, “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went. Biblical theme: “The biblical understanding of justice clearly includes both procedural and distributive aspects. That the procedures must be […]

“Matthew Desmond Talks About the Church’s Response to Housing Instability,” an interview with the Pulitzer winning author of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Betsy Shirley from Sojourners (June 2017).  Desmond says, “What can people who have experienced eviction teach the church? I think that they can teach about how much human […]