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 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 Soong-Chan Rah
When I look at the church, what gives me hope?
Hope arises when I hear the voices of those who had previously been silenced or marginalized cry out from the depths.
By Bridget Eileen Rivera
When I look at the church, what gives me hope?
When I look at the church, I see women stepping up as leaders and holding their brothers to account; I see people of color reminding the world of God’s justice and calling the church to repentance; I see queer people persevering in the faith and living in the safety of God’s love; and I see a global body of Christ that is so much bigger than Western culture.
By Whitney Bauck
In the book Art and Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts, authors Hilary Brand and Adrienne Chaplin draw a parallel between modern-day art museums and religious shrines: “Go inside any gallery and the atmosphere is hushed and reverent.
By Rob Dalrymple
When a pastor spotted this line in a prayer, he used it to spark a controversy about “hate” that missed key lessons about “prayer.” This article helps us understand prayer in a way that is particularly relevant for those advocating for justice.
By James A. Cates
A review of No Longer Strangers by Gregory Coles
We all want to be “me.” Unique. Different from everyone else. But not too different. Not so different that others might see us as eccentric.
By Gregory Coles
The genius of Christian unity, of the body of Christ acting like a body composed of different parts, is that we become wiser and more whole in fellowship with each other. Our tensions, like tendons, make us able to reach in multiple directions without tearing apart.
By Robert Chao Romero
To foster racial reconciliation, structural reform, and constructive dialogue, I present here a framework of Critical Race Theory in Christianity.
1. Community Cultural Wealth and Social Justice. From a biblical vantage point, every ethnic group of the world possesses distinct, God-given, cultural treasure/wealth.
By Robert Chao Romero
As a practical response to the spiritual borderlands of institutional Christianity and Ethnic Studies, I propose a new academic project—that of Critical Race Theory in Christianity. To those who may be unfamiliar, Critical Race Theory (CRT) examines the intersection of race, racism, and U.S.
By Robert Chao Romero
Author’s note: Critical Race Theory has been the subject of much controversy in some Christian circles. As a follower of Christ, pastor, and professor of Critical Race Theory at UCLA, I feel that it is important for me to chime in, because much of the controversy flows from misunderstanding.
By Raedorah C. Stewart
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed into the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
By Rosalba Bea Rios
Fully conscience of the suffering that lay ahead, Jesus chooses to spend his last evening alive surrounded by his beloved friends. He savors his roasted lamb.
By Jason Koon / photos courtesy of The Center, Utica
It may not be evident on the surface, but a walk down Bleecker Street in the small city of Utica in upstate New York is a vastly different experience than it was 20 years ago.
Please watch this important video statement from Asian American Christian leaders.
We invite you to sign this open letter from the Asian American Christian Collaborative in response to the recent killings in Atlanta of eight people, 6 of Asian descent.
By Stephen Mattson
Christianity has had a horrible year, and decade, and a pretty bad last few hundred years, actually. In fact, depending on who you talk to, it’s pretty much been a train wreck from the very start.
By Randy Woodley
Shalom is communal, holistic and tangible. Shalom is not for the many, while a few suffer, nor is it for the few while many suffer but it must be available for everyone. In this way, shalom is everyone’s concern.
By Victor Andre Greene
As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause. He does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number … See, we have searched this out; it is true.