This Online Articles area (formerly our Library) gathers reflections, op-eds, and essays that engage the pressing questions of faith, justice, and public life. Here, you’ll find hundreds of thoughtful and engaging pieces from scholars, practitioners, and everyday Christians — leaders and writers who bring fresh insight and faithful imagination. These articles are meant to spark deeper discipleship, fuel courageous action, and equip the church to embody the gospel in a complex world. We invite you to explore, learn, and join the ongoing conversation toward a fuller expression of Christian faithfulness and a more just society.
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CSA’s free weekly publication, a carefully curated collection of original articles at the intersection of spiritual formation and social action.
By Amy Knorr
(Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series exploring what it means to love our neighbors in an increasingly digital world. In Part 1, Amy Knorr considers the church’s calling to practice compassion, peacemaking, and genuine neighboring online.
By Terence Lester, PhD
At times, public discourse on war becomes detached from the lived realities experienced by those directly affected. It is troubling to hear everyday citizens in the United States, along with some commentators and journalists, speak about war without meaningful proximity to conditions on the ground, often engaging it from a place of detachment that distances them from its human consequences.
By Scott Bessenecker
(Editor’s note: At the time of this writing, rhetoric around a potential U.S. escalation with Iran has intensified, with language that frames overwhelming military force as decisive and necessary. In moments like this — when calls for power grow louder and the stakes feel existential — Christians are again faced with an old and urgent question: What does faithfulness to Jesus require of us?)
Imagine Christians in one country believing it was their biblical duty to fight in a war against Christians of another country.
By Giselle Soares
(Editor’s Note: As Christians for Social Action, we are committed to making space for voices from within the global church, especially those whose experiences are shaped by conflict, constraint, and deep faith.
By Alyssa Sickle
(Editor’s note: As we enter Holy Week, we’re holding space for the parts of the story that feel unresolved — the places where loss lingers and hope is hard to see. These reflections by our CSA staff invite us to pay attention to what God may be doing in the middle of it, not just after it.)
On the second Sunday of every month, the members of my church know it’s time for our favorite fellowship tradition.
By Laurie Nichols
(Editor’s note: As we enter Holy Week, we’re holding space for the parts of the story that feel unresolved — the places where loss lingers and hope is hard to see. These reflections by our CSA staff invite us to pay attention to what God may be doing in the middle of it, not just after it.)
“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” (Prov.
By Avril Z. Speaks
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the funeral of my dear friend. To say that his death was a shock is an understatement. Even writing that sentence still gives me chills.
By Kristyn Komarnicki
(Editor’s note: As we enter Holy Week, we’re holding space for the parts of the story that feel unresolved—the places where loss lingers and hope is hard to see. These reflections by our CSA staff invite us to pay attention to what God may be doing in the middle of it, not just after it.)
“Nothing that dies stays dead.” Theologian Tamice Spencer-Helms said this in a recent conversation with podcaster Connie Chen.
By Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
(Editor’s note: This is Part 4 of a four-part series exploring Christian faith, theology, and peacemaking in the Holy Land. In this concluding installment, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon offers a call to faithful Christian response through prayer, solidarity, advocacy, and relationship-building.
By Daniel Yang
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Some know this refrain from Edwin Starr’s song “War” as a contemporary pop culture reference to the 1970s. But decades removed from the Vietnam War for which it was written, the question still hangs in the air with great relevance for today, if not more.
By CSA Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The seven-song project grew out of a year of listening to stories from organizations working for justice, creation care, and community renewal.
March 23, 2026 — In a cultural moment marked by rapid news cycles, political tension, environmental crisis, and widespread exhaustion, many Christians are quietly asking what hope actually looks — and sounds — like today.
By Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
(Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of a four-part series exploring Christian faith, theology, and peacemaking in the Holy Land. In this installment, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon examines how theological frameworks — particularly those connected to Christian Zionism and dispensationalism — shape Christian attitudes toward Israel and Palestine.
By Melanie Mock
Two days after the United States began bombing Iran, I dropped my oldest son at the airport in Portland, OR. He was headed to National Guard boot camp, and will be gone for 10 weeks.
By Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
(Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a four-part series exploring Christian faith, theology, and peacemaking in the Holy Land. In this installment, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon turns from history and biblical interpretation to lived experience, examining how physical barriers, borders, and political structures shape the daily realities of Palestinians and Israelis alike.
By Scott Bessenecker
A story attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi goes something like this: Once, Francis and another friar were walking past an ornate cathedral when the friar declares, “The church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold I have not,’” referring to Peter’s words to a lame beggar at the Temple gate.
By Mae Elise Cannon
(Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a four-part series exploring Christian faith, theology, and peacemaking in the Holy Land. In this opening article, Dr. Mae Cannon invites readers into a biblically grounded vision of shalom — challenging common assumptions about conflict in the region and examining how Scripture has often been misread in ways that obscure God’s purposes for peace.
By Rubin McClain
Last year, at the beginning of Lent 2025, I joined a group of students, scholars, and activists on a Sabeel trip to the “Holy Land.” While I was reflecting on what exactly is “holy” in a moment in which the region is filled with strife and conflict, the arid landscape echoed back to me as a forceful impression of my dreary thoughts.