The Witness Protection Program: When God’s People Go into Hiding
By Terence Lester, PhD, and Emiola Oriola Jr., EdD
“If you scared, go to church. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.” [1]
Ice Cube did not write those words as theology.
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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By Terence Lester, PhD, and Emiola Oriola Jr., EdD
“If you scared, go to church. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.” [1]
Ice Cube did not write those words as theology.
By Molly Lorden
During the season of Lent, Churches for Middle East Peace is focusing on Jerusalem as a city shared by three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This week, we look closer at the deep meaning Jerusalem holds for the Jewish people.
By Melanie Springer Mock
Sophfronia Scott and her son, Tain Gregory, have a compelling story to tell. In December 2012, Tain was a third-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary, the school that became synonymous with the tragedy of school shootings when 20 first-grade children and six adult staff members were killed at Sandy Hook in a massacre that took only moments.
By Drick Boyd
I want to address what is one of the toughest challenges in talking with white folks about race: their tendency to turn any discussion or controversy about race into something else—a process I call White Deflection.
By Amy Simpson
I’m an unsatisfied Christian. You could also call me a disappointed Christian, a restless Christian, a Christian who sometimes feels suffocated by the weight of my own unmet hopes and expectations…
By Bonnie O’Neil
Ash Wednesday, the first day of the 40-day period called Lent that ends on Easter Sunday, marks the beginning of our journey of reflection to the cross. On this day, pilgrims take their first steps on the Via Dolorosa, as we accompany Christ on his way to Calvary.
CSA’s Nikki Toyama-Szeto joins twenty Christian leaders in a reading of Matthew 25, a powerful scripture that speaks to God’s concern for the most vulnerable. Watch the two-minute video below, as we dig deeper into God’s word to explore more of what it means for us as a church to share in God’s concern for refugees and immigrants.
By Nikki Toyama-Szeto
As news from North Korea increasingly fuels both our news feeds and our public imagination, I often find myself wondering: are the stories true? Is life in North Korea really like stepping into a time capsule?
By Drick Boyd
In The Things White Folks Say, Part 1, I began to discuss some of the common statements white folks make when the topics of race and racism come up in conversation. I said that these statements are most often made in an attempt to either explain or defend a person’s current attitudes and/or inaction on issues and concerns related to race.
By Anna Redsand
Silentium—Latin, meaning variously silence, being still, keeping silence, noiselessness, stillness, quiet, repose, obscurity. Canadian poet and writer of non-fiction, Connie Braun, meditates on all of these meanings in this rich exploration of her Mennonite family history in Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and Canada.
By Lisa Sharon Harper and Nikki Toyama-Szeto
CSA is delighted to announce the launch of Lisa Sharon Harper’s new podcast on Freedom Road! On the inaugural episode, CSA Executive Director Nikki Toyama-Szeto joins Lisa and other faith leaders to talk about #MeToo.
By Christiana Peterson
Our families were decidedly weirded out by our strange choice to move to an intentional community. It’s not that they were surprised or even unsupportive. After all, they were used to both of our somewhat spontaneous adventures as single people.
By Matthew Hunsberger
As a former “Side B” gay Christian, I completely understand the arguments for traditional Christian views on LGBTQ-related beliefs,
By Drick Boyd
In the course of talking with white folks about race issues, there are some common statements white folks often make that are designed to either explain or defend their current attitudes and/or inaction on issues and concerns related to race.
By Miguel De La Torre
We are called by God to be good stewards of the earth. Unfortunately, racism gets in the way. Environmental racism, defined as the link between the degradation of the environment and the racial composition of the areas where degradation takes place, is all too prevalent among communities of color in the US.
By Melba Pattillo Beals
I was determined to remain a Central High student to complete my task of integration. I focused on putting as much of my energy as possible into coping mechanisms for surviving the abuse of each day.
By John Seel
Over the course of the next few weeks the fate of DACA recipients—the “Dreamers”—hangs in the balance. When interviewed about these developments on the nightly news, Dreamers lament being seen and used as a political football.