Politics & Public Policy Archives

Building Futures from the Ground Up: How Zion’s Closet Is Transforming Title I Schools

By Terence Lester, PhD

(Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of a 4-part series on economic injustice. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. In this post, Dr. Terence Lester shows how compassion can grow into systemic change.)

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In 2016, with the support of my family and board of directors, I launched a campaign called MAP16 (March Against Poverty) to walk from Atlanta, GA, to the White House to raise awareness about homelessness in the U.S.

Moving Past Fear Through Story: A Review of “Disruptive Witness”

By Amanda Martinez Beck

A decade ago, I was pursuing my master’s degree at Baylor University, researching the idea of hospitality as social justice in Latin American short story. The stories I read challenged the filter I had been brought up with as the daughter of a Cuban refugee.

Undoing Domination

By Michael Anthony Howard

There are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone. It is amazing when you think about it. The Milky Way isn’t even very big. Every star has an approximate average of 1.6 planets.

The Pain, the Powerlessness, the Past: The Minority Experience

By Adrian Pei

When we treat minorities as having inherent value, we will seek to listen and learn about how we can better serve and represent minorities and their deepest needs. We will ask them, “What perspectives and contributions are we missing?” We will give minorities authority to shape and influence the diversification process.

Climate Change and the Church: Advocating for Care of Creation

By Ruth Ivory-Moore
Being created in God’s image carries with it the responsibility of acting in a manner that shows the character of God’s love for all of creation. A reflection of God’s character embodies traits that include love, mercy, care, and justice.

Is Self-Care Selfish?

By April Yamasaki

When a friend asked me recently about my next book, I replied rather sheepishly, “Well, it’s supposed to be on self-care—ironic, I know, since I need to take better care of myself these days.”

“That’s often how it is with those in the helping professions,” he said.

An Alien’s Psalm

By Ed Hays
I wear the mark of your disapproval
and your often unspoken words
pierce straight to my soul,
“Why didn’t you stay where you belong?”

Sabbath and God’s Creation

By A. J. Swoboda
To begin, take a moment and recall the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath…On it you shall not do any work . . . nor your animals” (Exodus 20:8, 10). The original Sabbath command as found in the Mosaic covenant immediately connects the dots between our rest and the rest of the animals that we depend on and are responsible to care for.

Um El Kheir / Mother of Good

By Jessica Hill

Amidst the daily realities of living under occupation in Palestine, as the threat of demolition of homes and property hangs in the air, inspiring individuals and communities continue to be committed to peace.

The Good Life: A Review of "The Tech-Wise Family"

By Michael Lee

In The Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch offers a vision of the good life—a world in which individuals, families, and communities flourish by living according to God’s order. When we are living well, our lives are full of rich relationships, we acquire skill and mastery in our work, and we cultivate awe for the created world.

Child Welfare and the Opioid Epidemic

Are recent increases in child welfare cases related to the opioid epidemic?
More than a decade of sustained declines in child protective services maltreatment reports, substantiated reports, and foster care placements started reversing course (for the worse) in 2012.

They Will Not Be Forgotten: The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice

By Kimberlee A Johnson

They were lynched. Mutilated. Dragged, dismembered, drowned. Strangled, stabbed, shot. They were beaten, burned, hanged. And they will not be forgotten.

Thanks to the vision, research, and hard work of the Equal Justice Initiative and its founder Bryan Stevenson, thousands of African American people whose lives were tragically ended as a result of racial terrorism will be remembered.

Do We Need a Day of Rest?

By Christine Aroney-Sine
Why is it so difficult to make changes we know are good for us? I think one of the reasons is that often we focus more on the symptoms of our problem rather than on the actual disease.

The Institutional Crisis of Evangelicalism

By John Seel

In moments of institutional crisis, it is easy to respond in such a way as to make matters worse. Panic does not lead to wise decisions. Many evangelical organizations are facing this situation.

Improv and the Will of God

By Bonnie O’Neil

Entertain a conversation on the “will of God,” and you will most likely find yourself discussing sovereignty, omniscience, and the immutability of God. Wade a little deeper into the discussion and invariably talk of “God’s will” shifts to discovering God’s particular Plan for one’s life.

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