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Welcome to the second half of 2022.
As a news writer, I’ve participated in my share of year-end roundups. But a half-year roundup somehow feels harder, so I won’t attempt it. I’ll leave that to the brilliant culture writers wrapping up the best movies, TV shows, and music of the year so far.
I won’t be making any predictions for the last six months of the year either. The last six months, and particularly the last month of conservative Supreme Court decisions, has set the stage for the next six months and beyond. But predictions should serve to anticipate the work ahead of us, not as a pundit’s parlor trick.
What I do have to offer is a recap of the best articles of this last week, to help prepare us for the work ahead.
1. Women’s Needs Are Holy. Overturning Roe Ignores That
Life is precious, but I am not fooled by violent rhetoric that cloaks its control of bodies with a singular concern for unborn babies. By Moya Harris via sojo.net.
2. The Hidden Life of a Christian-College Professor
For years, Kathy Lee, a professor at an evangelical university, kept her sexual identity a secret. Then she decided to come out. By Emma Green via newyorker.com.
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi Reminds Us of the Value of Monasticism
At every turn, Kenobi’s life illustrates service as sacrifice. By Elyse Durham via sojo.net.
4. California Seized Land From a Black Family 98 Years Ago. Officials Just Voted to Return It.
Bruce’s Beach was a thriving resort community for Black families when the state took the land under the guise of eminent domain in 1924. It will now return to the Bruce family. By Curtis Bunn via NBCNews.com
5. The Christian Roots of Abortion Sanctuaries
Some faith communities are re-imagining the future of sanctuary as federal abortion rights are struck down. By Michael Woolf via sojo.net.
6. The Supreme Court Tries to Overrule the Climate
A destructive decision in West Virginia v. E.P.A. By Bill McKibben newyorker.com.
7. ‘Are We Advocating for Something By Existing?’
Student and alumni activists seek to protect LGBTQ rights and challenge Title IX exemptions on Christian university campuses. By Lexi McMenamin via Sojourners.
8. The Little Turtles That Could: 45 Endangered Sea Turtles Hatch in Texas
“It really is one of the greatest wildlife-conservation successes of our time here in Texas.” By Saliha Bayrak via texasmonthly.com.
9. Exploring the Gospel Through the Lens of Grief
Singer-songwriter Natalie Bergman navigates deep loss and fervent faith in her solo work Mercy. By Mitchell Atencio via Sojourners.
10. Out of the Shadows: The Queer Life of Artist Beauford Delaney
Revered by Georgia O’Keeffe, James Baldwin, and many more, queer Southern painter Beauford Delaney was almost lost to history. By Tyra A. Seals via scalawagmagazine.org.
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