Spiritual Formation Archives

We Got Us: Jamal Bakr’s Journey From Incarceration to Community Transformation

(A Storytellers Collective Feature)

In neighborhoods across the United States, cycles of violence, incarceration, and disinvestment have shaped generations. Yet within these same communities, there are also stories of resilience — stories that challenge us to imagine what becomes possible when people refuse to be defined by their worst act, and when communities commit themselves to the long work of repair and flourishing.

Hanging in the Balance: An Israeli/Palestinian Pilgrimage

By Reesheda Washington

There is such a stark contrast between the two regions that one might easily, though erroneously, be lured into the deceptive ease of seeing only two worlds: that of Israel and Israelis, and that of Palestine and Palestinians.

Tightly Wound: Addressing Affective Discomfort

By Elisabeth T. Vasko

In recent years, I have taught an upper-level Christology course in which we examine race, gender, and power. Sometimes my students register their dissatisfaction with reading Christology from the margins (James Cone, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Marcella Althaus-Reid) instead of the center (Anselm, Barth, von Balthasar, and Rahner).

Combining Christian Practice with Social Enterprise

By Rebecca Phillips

Come late summer, the rolling Palouse wheat fields stretch like a golden carpet south to the breaks of the Snake River Canyon. Far below, the river winds through rocky channels on its way to the Columbia River and eventually the Pacific Ocean.

Caring as Giving

By Amy Knorr

As I walked toward the grocery store entrance, I cringed. The table by the door and the guy in front of the table could mean only one thing: some organization was asking people to give.

"How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds" by Alan Jacobs

Reviewed by Mark Hijleh
It’s a venerable idea in liberal arts education: We are interested in teaching students not what to think, but how to think.

Taking Jesus to the Voting Booth

By Beth Kearney

As a sophomore in college, I was convinced that being an evangelical Christian translated into voting a straight party ticket. Three years later, I am discovering that my faith precludes a blanket endorsement of any one political party.

Longing for Home: A Review of "Once We Were Strangers"

By Aimee Fritz

Last week, our pastor started his fourth Sunday sermon in an ongoing series about prayer. I held my pen ready over my notebook, eager to learn something new. He told us we were going to focus on The Lord’s Prayer, or what the Catholic tradition calls the Our Father.

Speak Up, Lead On: A Discussion with Kathy Khang and Natasha Sistrunk Robinson

By Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Kathy Khang, and Natasha Sistrunk Robinson

On Monday, October 22nd, CSA’s Nikki Toyama-Szeto met with Kathy Khang and Natasha Sistrunk Robinson at Busboys & Poets in Washington, DC to discuss their recent books,Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up and A Sojourner’s Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World.

Prayer of Confession

By Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being, we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us.

We Were the Least of These: Sexual Abuse and the Church

By Elaine A. Heath

It was the middle of summer, and I was preaching through a series entitled “Men, Women, and God.” While the congregation was accepting of me as their pastor, they still tended to have patriarchal views about gender.

The Church’s Oppression of Women

By Stephen Mattson

American Christianity has been a horrible place for women. It ignores them, abuses them, assaults them, objectifies them, oppresses them, and then attempts to theologically rationalize it all as being “Biblical” and “holy.” The Church has been a willing co-conspirator in the widespread affliction of women.

Paddling Perspective: Educate Against Hate

By Nasreen Fynewever

I push the paddle to the side and let my kayak float for a few moments to consider the real reasons why we want our schools to be the incubators of both free thought and inclusive practices.

A Prayer for Women and Survivors

By Ellie Wilber

God,

We feel afraid, angry, and powerless. We are hearing, from so many voices, that we do not have value in this society. That if we speak up we will not be heard.

The Crucial Importance of Holistic Reconciliation

By Al Tizon

I wish that the words “gospel,” “church,” and “mission” had no need of additional adjectives to convey their compelling truths. I wish that when outsiders heard these words, they would imagine a community of ordinary but loving people who shine the light of God in a darkened world (Matthew 5:16).

The Dangerous Words of Modern Martyr Archbishop Oscar Romero

By Oscar Romero with Michael Lapsley

Oscar Romero spent just three years as Archbishop of San Salvador, but by the time he was murdered in 1980 he had become a shepherd to all the people of El Salvador, and the outspoken advocate of its oppressed peasants.

Online Articles