Politics & Society
The duly elected Black men expelled from a state legislature—155 years ago
The expulsion of Justin Jones and Justin Pearson recalls the Original 33, expelled by Georgia’s anti-Reconstruction White majority in 1868.
Ordinary American stories
Edward Curtis traces two successive generations of Syrian Muslims across small towns and cities in the Dakotas, Iowa, and Indiana.
The White church still owes “Letter from Birmingham Jail” an answer
King’s letter is so soaked in US history that 60 years later we almost forget it was addressed not to the nation but to specific Christian pastors.
Maria Ressa’s fight for democracy in the Philippines
The renowned journalist explores how the authoritarianism and corruption she has been fighting for 35 years are now aided and abetted by the internet.
Restorative justice with Anselm
The satisfaction theory of atonement offers my incarcerated students something the substitution theory does not: a way to make amends and be restored.
April 7, Good Friday (John 18:1-19:42)
Evil uses people’s anxieties, fears, and prejudices to twist good intentions into cruel deeds.
Priyanka Kumar considers the birds
Her elegant memoir is packed with information on the animals and landscapes she observes—and the threats to their future.
The problem with artificial intelligence is us
As long as AI is trained on human behavior, it will tend to replicate our worst flaws.
Kwame Bediako’s Christianity without domination
The Ghanaian theologian offered new methodological approaches in the wake of imperialism.
Philomena Cunk’s 21st-century expertise
Like Drunk History and History of the World Part II, Cunk on Earth is very funny. But the larger joke is that fake news is winning.
Anti-racism’s mission drift
Privileged progressives have turned their attention from structures and systems to sentimentalism.
The language of rights and its limits
My niece Butterfly has me thinking about bodies, love, and responsibility.
Why did conservative evangelicals turn against the environment?
It was mostly politics, argues historian Neall Pogue.
More than 100 faith leaders are trying to prevent Andre Thomas’s execution
Imagine what might happen if they poured that energy into abolishing the death penalty in Texas.
Cheap grace in South Africa
Eve Fairbanks traces the experiences of three South Africans to diagnose the country’s unrealized promises.
When women speak more than truth
She Said and Women Talking examine the collective power of women’s words for a MeToo era.
Getting organized to help migrants in Chicago
“The buses have stopped coming,” says Katarina Ramos, “but there’s still a need for services for the people who were transported here.”
Tyre Nichols’s killing is not an exception
Police violence against Black citizens is written into the script of American culture.
Smashing statues
Iconoclasm isn’t just an expression of anger. It’s how we try to make new worlds.