Opinion

Photo by Zach Camp on Unsplash

First unveiled in April 2023, and endorsed by more than 100 conservative organizations, Project 2025 is a 922-page document that serves as a to-do list for the next conservative president to accomplish. Activists, journalists, and many religious leaders have been warning the public for months about what they see as some of Project 2025’s more extreme policy proposals and the ways in which the blueprint would push our nation toward autocracy and Christian nationalism.

A bench, tree, and field of wildflowers on the prairies of Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisc., on July 24, 2023. Hannah Keziah Agustin/Sojourners. 

In the quiet oratory of Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisc., I spent my mornings gazing at the face of Jesus. On the far wall of the room where we prayed hung an icon of Jesus holding a tablet that read, “Behold, I make all things new.” Outside the prairie was a technicolor parade of coneflowers, whorled milkweed, and purple loosestrife, while robins, cardinals, and song sparrows continued their song; but it was hard for me to believe that Christ was making things new in the present.

President Joe Biden gestures as he departs following a press conference during NATO’s 75th anniversary summit, in Washington, D.C., July 11, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman

No wonder it is so difficult to integrate authentic spirituality into the world of secular politics — which often measures worth in terms of winning and acquiring. The values of our political culture often contradict the wisdom of faithful Christian community. That’s why President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw his candidacy for reelection felt so breathtaking. Voluntary relinquishment of political power is not commonly seen as a virtuous act, but rather a disorienting, shocking abandonment of prevailing norms.

Sara Augustin 7-22-2024

Olympic rings are displayed at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, ahead of the event, on July 22, 2024. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

As a dedicated sports fan, I am extremely excited to watch this year’s lineup of the 2024 Summer Olympics, starting in Paris on Friday, July 26. The U.S. women’s basketball team is competing for their 8th consecutive gold medal; Simone Biles may just win it all — again; and though I know nothing of the sport, I am always excited to catch a fencing bout. However, as a Christian, I am also paying close attention to the ways in which religion is being utilized — for good and for bad — at this year’s Olympic Games.

JR. Forasteros 7-18-2024

The stage is pictured as multiple shots ring out at Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Penn., July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

“It’s a shame he missed.”

That was the first thought I had when I saw that someone had attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. My second thought was, “You shouldn’t think that — you consider yourself a peacemaker and pacifist.” I wondered how my Christian commitments could erode so quickly.

Lexi Schnaser 7-17-2024

Illustration by Carlos PX via Unspalsh. 

Like any other Gen Zer, I’ve grown up hearing about the potential harms of social media: As early as elementary school, teachers and parents warned us of stranger danger, not just in the grocery store, but also online. I was 12 when I got my first social media account on Instagram (even though my hand-me-down iPod Touch didn’t have a camera). In seventh grade, I, and many of my classmates, wrote our final essays for English class on the influence of social media on teenage girls’ body image. I was in junior high when news broke that Facebook user data had been improperly harvested to manipulate U.S. voters. In my high school’s speech and debate club, I learned about dangers of doxxing — posting people’s personal information, like addresses, online as a way to target them for violence. And in my own work here at Sojourners, I regularly see the hate and homophobia that shows up in social media comments.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wis. Megan Smith / USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters. 

Many of us are feeling fear, disorientation, or anger at this moment. As Christians, we need to meet perilous feelings with a resolve to follow Jesus and remember his teachings: The truth will set us free, and we must learn to love our enemies.

Michael Woolf 7-11-2024

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

I had been doing therapy for a decade with little results, but things really began to change when I started meditating.

Kirk Franklin performs with Chandler Moore of Maverick City Music during the Kingdom Tour at The FLA Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Nov. 17, 2022. Robert Bell/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images via Reuters. 
 

Gospel music is my oasis in troubled times. My colleagues can also attest that it’s the background music by which I conduct most of my work.  

Nathan Hosler 7-08-2024

Video footage from a drone, released on May 8, 2024, by the Israel Defense Forces, showing the place where IDF artillery and fighter jets struck over 20 Hezbollah terror targets in the area of Ramyeh in southern Lebanon. The IDF claim they struck, “military structures, and terrorist infrastructure”. They added: “During the strikes, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of weapon storage facilities in the area.” Via Reuters.

A group of us stood on a hill overlooking northern Gaza this spring, not far from the border fence. We were close enough to see the buildings of Beit Hanoun and Jabalia. After a few minutes of description by our guide, we surveyed the scene with binoculars. On closer inspection, what had appeared to be buildings turned out to be rows of rubble. While for months we have viewed such images on screens, actually seeing the destruction, through plumes of smoke and dust, was surreal.

Greta Lapp Klassen 7-01-2024

animation from 'Join or Die'

Join or Die is described in promotional materials as, “A film about why you should join a club...and why the fate of America depends on it.” Featuring heavy-hitters like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, along with many influential scholars, the film argues that the loneliness epidemic is a threat to democracy and the public health of the nation.

Sara Augustin 7-01-2024

Trucks transporting detained undocumented leave an immigration detention center in the Dominican Republic to be deported on May 17, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Henry Romero

Despite the familiarity of home, Haitian citizens are attempting to leave their country to flee to the United States and neighboring countries in hopes of a better life. Some Haitians are doing this illegally. But what does it mean to enter a country illegally? What are we to make of borders and those who seek to cross them?

People watch the first presidential debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, from a tavern in San Diego, Calif., on June 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake

When election season rolls around, both politicians will no doubt hope to have the votes of people living at or near poverty, particularly those living in the urban centers of swing states. But what hope can people experiencing poverty have that their government has their best interests at heart when most candidates only seem to acknowledge their existence as voters rather than as people with inherent dignity and very specific and urgent needs?

San Antonio residents sign a petition in the hallway while waiting to enter a political rally on Nov. 22, 2013. Photo: Bob Daemmrich / Alamy via Reuters Connect.

It’s easy to be skeptical, even cynical, about the value of sign-on statements as vehicles for achieving any true progress. The key criticism I hear is that these statements and resolutions don’t actually do anything. To some folks, signing on to statements might seem performative or even harmful: a way to soothe our consciences over the brokenness we see all around us by making us feel an illusory sense that we have done something, a sense that creates the permission structure for us not to take any real action to solve the issue in question. To others, these statements aren’t useful because they don’t change anyone’s mind on the issue in question, and instead merely “preach to the choir.”

Then-President Donald Trump and then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participate in their first 2020 presidential campaign debate held on the campus of the Cleveland Clinic at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 29, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

With presumptive Republican nominee Donald J. Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee President Joe Biden preparing for their upcoming presidential debate on June 27, what do Generation Z Christians hope for in the 2024 election?

Simón Cázares 6-17-2024

Local residents take part in the first church service after Tropical Storm Harvey at the Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I. El Triunfo church in east Houston, Texas, U.S., September 3, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Walking into Iglesia La Gloria de Dios Internacional, a Latino Pentecostal church in the heart of Hialeah, Fla., I felt nervous to be on church grounds. I’m Mexican American, but I don’t speak Spanish; I’m an autistic person who really doesn’t like new situations. And even though it’s now been a year since I moved back home to Miami from Minnesota, I am still a bit self-conscious of my Midwestern accent. But most importantly, I am an atheist and an openly queer and trans person living in Florida.

A monument in Richmond, Va., to Barbara Johns, a young Civil Rights activist who fought for equal education. Image by Traveler1112 RM / Alamy via Reuters Connect

You don’t have to be a civil rights history nerd to understand why these milestones matter today: In case you haven’t noticed, we’re currently in the midst of a major backlash against racial justice, including many of the rights and freedoms that inspired civil rights leaders. These include book bans, assaults on DEI programs, the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action programs in higher education, and forestalled efforts to transform our justice system and end racialized police violence. These courageous actions taken by our predecessors aren’t just a milestone to celebrate with a nice speech and a historical plaque; these actions reverberate through time, offering us inspiration and resilience for the unfinished cause of freedom and justice.

Maria J. Stephan 6-13-2024

A sign for a prayer service in Bedford, N.H., in advance of the 2016 presidential election. Andrew Cline / Alamy via Reuters Connect.

Commitment to democratic norms is not a matter of political partisanship. The vast majority of Americans believe in, practice, and defend democracy — but there are partisan elites with powerful antidemocratic impulses gaining a foothold. People of faith have values rooted deeper than any political ideology and have led powerful pro-democracy movements around the world. In Hope and History, Vincent G. Harding reminds us that history, like our democracy, is not a spectacle but a task; it’s “a destiny that is still ours to create.”

Ryan Duncan 6-13-2024

Photo by Michele D'Ottavio / Alamy via Reuters Connect

This June, I’m anchoring myself in a spirit of gratitude by focusing on the people who’ve left a meaningful mark on my spiritual journey. The list of people below is not an exhaustive one, but I hope that by sharing the way they’ve impacted my life, I can impart a small portion of their courage, kindness, and wisdom to others. Some of the people I mention below identify with the LGBTQ+ community while others are simply allies and advocates. What matters is that regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, each of us was created by an incredible God who delights in our presence, and who invites us to join them in beloved community

Katherine Pater 6-06-2024

Rev. Nicole Berry, a United Methodist pastor, holds a sign that blocks off conservative Christians who protested at the August 12, 2023 Pride celebration in Eugene, Ore. Photo by Paul Jeffrey / Alamy via Reuters Connect.

I won’t impose my 21st-century language or conceptions on this person, and say that he was trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or queer, but it’s clear that he did not conform to the social understanding of gender binaries or sex in the ancient Greco-Roman or Jewish world. There’s no getting around that. He was also from one of the farthest-off places early Christian disciples had heard of. The Ethiopian in this text is likely not from the Ethiopia that we know today, and instead is likely from a place called Kush that today is now part of South Sudan.