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 Matthew Tyson
As a pro-life advocate, I honestly don’t care a bit about who is on the Supreme Court.
I want to repeat that for the sake of clarity.
When it comes to abortion, I do not care if the SCOTUS leans more to the left or to the right.
By Rita Chapman
Every summer vacation at Kikongo, packs of bored little boys run through the grasslands and forests, looking for ways to amuse themselves. Their days are filled setting traps for rats, birds, and squirrels, or chopping down saplings for small construction projects.
By David Albert Farmer
Every preacher must ask herself or himself with some frequency (weekly?), “What is my primary allegiance?” If one’s greatest allegiance is job security, well, honesty is good for the soul if not for sound sleep.
By Jon Carlson
“Fear is the beginning of despair even as hope is the beginning of daring.”
– Thomas Aquinas
How often have you felt despair this election season? A little pessimism here, some cynicism there… taken together, it adds up to despair, causing us to wonder how (or even whether) things could ever get better.
By Anna Baker
I consider myself to be a patriot. I am thankful for the rights that American citizenship brings to my everyday life, and I am thankful for those who have fought for me to be able to have those rights.
By Allison Duncan
Even if you think you’ve decided which candidate you’re voting for, you may still be researching other candidates who will be on the ballot. So as you wade through the various campaign promises and attack ads, watch out for logical fallacies often employed to persuade you.
By Jon Carlson
“Fixating on differences leads us to ignore glaring commonalities.”
– Christena Cleveland
Do you picture Jesus as liberal or conservative? Put another way, do you assume that Jesus more or less agrees with your political views?
By Kathy Khang
If you want to read a book that will make you want to move into an under-resourced urban community to change the lives of said community’s residents and feel like a hero, find another book.
By Elrena Evans
The presidential election is one week away. Organizations like Rock the Vote, Project Vote and Voto Latino are working hard to increase voter registration and, ultimately, turnout. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are courting the minority vote.
By Jim Baton
“Nobody knows my name.”
I remember my wife complaining about this to me after we’d already lived several years in Indonesia. Even friends and neighbors called her “Jim’s Wife,” “Evan’s Mom,” or “Alisha’s Mom.” I knew how she felt–many of the neighborhood kids called me “Uncle White Man.” My wife wondered wistfully, “Why is it they can’t just see me for me?”
She wasn’t alone.
By Mark Glanville
Many Christians feel lost at sea this election. For some, the traditional loyalties that previously anchored them have been severed. Many feel thrown off-course, with no obvious way forward.
Perhaps this disorientation is prompting Christians to inquire anew into how the Bible engages American society.
By Elrena Evans
The week school began this year, I was chatting with one of the therapists at my son’s elementary school. She asked who his teacher was for second grade, and when I told her, she smiled.
By Jon Carlson
“What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life…”
– Henri Nouwen
People often talk about how difficult a life in politics can be.
By Amanda Martinez Beck
The idea that it is the will of God for us to be healthy, wealthy, and successful is at the heart of the prosperity gospel. Preachers of this gospel lay out what needs to be done—how much money needs to be given, what we need to “name and claim” for ourselves—so that our lives reflect this supposed will of God.
By Zakiya Jackson
Who will weep with me
I can feel the ancestors hoping
praying
dripping with blood fervor anticipation…
By Jennifer Carpenter
This fasting and prayer guide is a simple, non-comprehensive resource to use with your community to help focus minds and hearts on the greatest commandment for all Christians: Love God and love your neighbor.