Becoming Reparative Communities
By Terence Lester, PhD
(Editor’s note: This is the final piece of our 4-part series on economic injustice. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. In this final piece, Dr.
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 Terence Lester, PhD
(Editor’s note: This is the final piece of our 4-part series on economic injustice. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. In this final piece, Dr.
By Laura Markle Downton
Editor’s Note: This week, we are reposting CSA staff selections of the most memorable articles of 2017. Today’s selection was chosen by Kristyn Komarnicki, Director of Dialogue and Convening for CSA.
By Katelyn Durst
The many tunnels
honeycomb me in
one by one,
I become frozen in deep blue.
I become noisy as a bee cloud.
I become holy like a rooted tree.
By Melanie Springer Mock
Here’s an honest admission: Several times while reading Lily Burana’s new book Grace for Amateurs: Field Notes on a Journey Back to Faith, I consulted the copyright page, confirming again that Grace for Amateurs was really published by Thomas Nelson, the notoriously evangelical (and, in my mind, notoriously traditional) press.
By Katelyn Durst
This year began with tears
dark nights where there was
no teapot whistling on the stove to
keep us warm.
Many of us had hopes and dreams
but they were dashed like an ocean
wave across a rocky coast.
By Allison Duncan
Cute middle school kids filed onto the risers for the charter school holiday concert. Boys with hair slicked back, girls with Mom’s bright pink lipstick a bit clumsily applied. Some surveyed the audience, grinned once they located a relative, and waved shyly.
By Elrena Evans
I first learned about nonviolence from a bull.
My childhood copy of Ferdinand was beautiful—the red cover, the flowers, even the lettering. I remember very clearly the way the light and dark shading of the font played together in perfect harmony in the title on the cover.
From CSA
Are you looking for the perfect gift for a loved one, or something to read over the holidays? CSA’s staff have compiled a list of thoughtful books on faith and social justice that will deepen your understanding of what it means to live on earth, as it is in heaven.
From Churches for Middle East Peace
For Immediate Release: The Unilateral Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital Constitutes a Grave Threat to Future Peace
Washington, D.C. – December 5, 2017 – President Trump is expected to announce Wednesday his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S.
By Roger Hutchison
When I think of you
I see yellow.
Yellow is the flickering flame of a candle.
Yellow is a sour lemon.
Yellow is a sunflower
standing tall and proud.
By John Seel, Ph.D.
When rejection is the overwhelming context, being treated as a political ping-pong only aggravates the sentiment. Such is the day-to-day reality of DACA dreamers, who don’t need partisan debate as much as a group hug.
By Sarah Withrow King
I was a Christian long before I started advocating for animals. And though I’ve scoured the Bible looking for something like “Blessed are the vegans, for they shall inherit the tofu,” I’ve not found a direct blessing of my plant-based life from Jesus.
From Prayers for the Holy Land
What images come to mind when you hear the words “little town of Bethlehem”? Idyllic, holy scenes of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus alongside friendly barnyard animals?
For a North American living in Bethlehem, this cozy scene feels like a childhood dream.
By Maryada Vallet
She walks the dusty trails until her ankles swell and her back pulsates in pain. Her womb, distended in the eighth month of pregnancy, slows her down, yet also gives her an almost transcendent determination.
By Kristyn Komarnicki
At the launch of CSA’s PrayforDREAMers campaign last month, when DACA recipient Vanessa Upegui-Seel spoke at Eastern University about her experience as an undocumented immigrant who was bought to the US at the age of 12, I learned three things I hadn’t known before:
1.
By Matt Curcio
People with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the US. As many as one in five Americans have a permanent and life-altering disability.
Yet, more often than not, we are left out of conversations in both the public and faith-based sectors.
By Joe Tatum
What we do behind the scenes often shows our truest intentions, especially when advocating for the marginalized. The film Roman J. Israel, Esq. (directed by Dan Gilroy, in theaters now) opens with its namesake writing a legal briefing in which both the plaintiff, and the defendant, are himself.