Duane Shank was Associate Editor for Sojourners magazine and was on the staff from 1995 to 2014.
Duane has been active as an organizer and administrator in the peace and justice movement for 35 years, beginning as a draft resistance and antiwar organizer during the Vietnam war. He has worked as a community organizer in the rural south, in interfaith coalitions, and in the nuclear weapons freeze and Central America solidarity movements of the 1980s. His positions have included Associate for the National Inter-religious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors; National Coordinator for the Committee Against Registration and the Draft; Deputy Director and Acting Executive Director for SANE/Freeze; and Research Fellow for the Institute for Policy Studies.
Duane attended Eastern Mennonite University. He is a Anabaptist/Mennonite, and currently an active member and serves on the worship leadership team of the Community of Christ ecumenical congregation in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His views on faith and politics have been shaped by (among others), John Howard Yoder, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Oscar Romero.
Duane is married to Ellen Kennel. They have a daughter, Celeste, a graduate of Goshen College, IN, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago Divinity School.
In addition to family, church, and work; his passions are baseball (Washington Nationals), blues (Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan) and bluegrass music (Ralph Stanley), and barbecue.
Posts By This Author
No Time to Think
The avalanche of information available via the Internet is both a blessing and a curse. Used judiciously, it is an invaluable tool for research -- making what used to take hours in a library now just a few clicks away. Any piece of information, no matter how obscure, is at our fingertips.
The proliferation of blogs and listservs mean an amount of information that is simply impossible to keep up with. We have news summaries several times a day and instant breaking news headlines as they happen. And then there is the rise of a new social media. Facebook has enabled us to connect with friends and family, so we know immediately the latest cute thing their toddler did, what they're cooking for dinner, and the most recent book they read. On Twitter, we share thoughts and activities in 140-word tweets.
All of this means we know more than ever, but never have time to think about it. Neal Gabler, a senior fellow at the Annenberg Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, lamented in a piece in The New York Times Sunday Review:
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
I have gotten so used to stories of violence in the news every morning that I confess they don't move me as much as they should, or used to. Today: Three straight days of killing in Karachi with 42 dead; Syrian tanks shelling the city of Hama, where more than 100 people have died since Sunday; U.N. peacekeepers killed by a landmine in Sudan; daily deaths in Libya; bombings in Baghdad and assassinations in Kandahar. It goes on and on.
On My Bookshelf: The 10 Books I Always Reach For
My office has two overflowing bookshelves, with more books stacked on top and on the windowsill. But above my desk within easy reach is a small shelf. On it I keep those books I most regularly use in thinking and writing. Here are the top 10.
1. The Bible: What can I say about the foundational source of God's guidance in everything? I read or refer to it nearly every day. It was given to us "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
2. The Book of Common Prayer: I am not Anglican/Episcopalian, but there is something in the formal prayers of the traditional liturgy that resonate with my soul. On those days I really don't feel like praying or can't find the words, it's comforting to have a place to turn for inspiration.
Should Christians Celebrate Passover?
This evening I will lead a Passover Seder observance in my Christian community. We've done it for years and always find it inspiring to reflect on God's liberation from slavery. And it's the occasion for a delicious potluck feast.
This week I saw an article written last spring on Jews' concerns over Christians celebrating Passover. It seems that more Christian churches are using "Christianized" versions of the seder, reinterpreting the meal's symbols to reflect Christian beliefs. Said one rabbi, "They take our symbols, our holiday, our ritual and start investing them in Christian meaning."
The Top Ten Stories of April 11, 2011
Quote of the day.
"Having given the Republicans more than I am sure any Democrat in the House ever envisioned, it was surely unnecessary to pile on the District of Columbia and give them some frosting on what was already a very big cake." - Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s "non-voting delegate" on Friday's budget agreement including riders affecting D.C. local tax revenue.
(Washington Post)
1. Chinese arrested for public prayer.
"The police detained more than 100 members of an underground Protestant church on Sunday after the congregation tried to pray in a public plaza in the north of the capital."
(New York Times)
2. Government shutdown averted.
"A budget stalemate that gripped the nation ended just before a midnight deadline Friday as congressional leaders and the White House agreed to a package of spending reductions to avert a federal government shutdown."
(Los Angeles Times)
3. Budget cut details controversial.
"The eleventh-hour drama Friday night to avert a government shutdown doesn't guarantee easy passage of the $38.5 billion in spending cuts, as critics from the right and the left are still picking at the landmark deal as the final vote approaches this week."
(Politico)
4. Young immigrant activists 'come out' to protest.
"Young activists had pinned their hopes on the Dream Act. When it was put to bed, they started a new strategy: 'Coming out' as illegal immigrants and protesting their uncertain fates in this country."
(Los Angeles Times)
5. CEO paychecks growing.
"At a time when millions of Americans are trying to hang on to homes and millions more are trying to hang on to jobs, the chief executives of major corporations …are making as much today as they were before the recession hit."
(New York Times)
6. African Union peace plan for Libya.
"Members of an African Union delegation are offering a peace proposal to rebel leaders in the city of Benghazi to end Libya's eight-week conflict. The AU says the government has already accepted the plan."
(BBC)
7. Afghan war destabilizing Pakistan.
"The war in Afghanistan is destabilising Pakistan and seriously undermining efforts to restore its democratic institutions and economic prosperity after a decade of military dictatorship, Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, has told the Guardian."
(Guardian)
8. Yemen president welcomes peace plan.
"Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's embattled president has welcomed Gulf 'efforts' to end his country's political crisis, according to a statement from his office."
(Al Jazeera)
9. Ground assault underway in Ivory Coast.
"The biggest joint ground assault of the war in Ivory Coast so far is now under way against Gbagbo's presidential residence, an Ouattara official claimed."
(Guardian)
10. World Bank to emphasize governance.
"In a report released on Monday, the World Bank says that there should be far more focus on building stable government, and on justice and police, than on health and education."
(BBC)
Martin Luther King and the Spiritual Death of a Nation
Why I Do Not Support President Obama's Decision on Libya
President Obama Visits the Tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero
The Top Ten Stories of March 24, 2011.
Quote of the day.
"The church is obliged by its evangelical mission to demand structural changes that favor the reign of God and a more just and comradely way of life. Unjust social structures are the roots of all violence and disturbances. … Those who benefit from obsolete structures react selfishly to any kind of change." -- Archbishop Oscar Romero, November 1979. Today is the 31st anniversary of his martyrdom.
(U.S. Catholic)
1. Obama visits Archbishop Romero’s tomb.
"Obama completed here (after much delay and out of view of the public) what could arguably have been the most dramatic gesture of his swing through Brazil, Chile and El Salvador: The U.S. leader Tuesday evening made a pilgrimage to the crypt of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero."
(Los Angeles Times)
2. Bomb explodes in Jerusalem.
"A suitcase bomb exploded in one of the busiest parts of Jerusalem just before rush hour, destroying years of relative calm in the city and damaging hopes for a resumption of the Middle East peace process. A 60-year-old woman was killed and dozens of people injured."
(Guardian)
3. Fighting continues in Libya.
"Fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has been continuing in key cities after a fifth consecutive night of air strikes by international forces."
(BBC)
4. Pentagon needs more money for Libya attack.
"The U.S. military operations in Libya will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and force Congress to seek help next week for the cash-strapped Pentagon, which is operating on a short-term funding resolution."
(Washington Post)
5. Radiation threat on two fronts in Japan.
"Two workers at the Fukushima plant are hospitalized after exposure, and consumers buy up bottled water amid concern over tap water."
(Los Angeles Times)
6. Protests continue in Syria.
"Protesters have marched through the Syrian city of Deraa, chanting anti-government slogans at the funeral of activists killed on Wednesday."
(BBC)
7. State budget crisis hits cities.
"The state budget squeeze is fast becoming a city budget squeeze, as struggling states around the nation plan deep cuts in aid to cities and local governments that will almost certainly result in more service cuts, layoffs and local tax increases."
(New York Times)
8. Anti-immigrant laws prompt backlash.
"Laws targeting illegal immigrants have reflected and even intensified the rising anti-immigration movement, both in statehouses and on the streets. The result is a legislative record from Arizona to Florida that hasn't made much of a mark on illegal immigration, but has fueled a populist backlash against it."
(Christian Science Monitor)
9. Administration seeks more cuts in nuclear weapons.
"The Obama administration has begun examining whether it can make cuts to its nuclear weapons stockpiles that go beyond those outlined in a recent treaty with Russia."
(San Diego Union-Tribune/AP)
10. Organic vs. genetically-engineered crops.
"In recent weeks, the administration has announced a trio of decisions that have clouded the future of organics and boosted the position of genetically engineered (GE) crops."
(Washington Post)
The latest news on Budget Shutdown, Hungry Schoolchildren, Fewer Workers, More Work, Public Debt, Climate Change Skeptic, Yemen, Egypt-Street Children, Pakistan, Algeria, Ivory Coast, India Food Prices, Poverty in Middle Income Countries, and Select Op-Ed
Worker Protests. Democrats in Indiana's House flee to block anti-union legislation, and protesters rally in Ohio against a bill that would curb public employees' collective bargaining rights. In Wisconsin, Gov. Walker threatens to lay off workers if his proposal doesn't pass.
Libya. Libyan strongman Moammar Kadafi offered no concessions to protesters who have shaken his regime by capturing several major cities, denouncing them as drunkards, terrorists and "drug-fueled mice" who should be executed.
Bahrain. More than 100,000 demonstrators packed central Pearl Square here on Tuesday in what organizers called the largest pro-democracy demonstration this tiny Persian Gulf nation had ever seen, as the monarchy struggled to hold on to its monopoly on power.
Quote of the Day. “I saw formulas for calculating the number and types of casualties that would result from using each of our weapons systems. We calculated the extent of civilian casualties and whether these numbers were politically acceptable. … I realized that I could not be responsible for killing anyone.” Michael Izbicki, New London CT, on why he successfully applied for a conscientious objector discharge from the Navy after facing an exam question that asked: If given the order, would he launch a missile carrying a nuclear warhead? (New York Times)
Memo to Governor Scott Walker from Pope Benedict XVI
The latest news on Free-Flowing House Debate on Budget, Jet Engine Voted Down, Arizona Cuts to Medicaid, Wisconsin Anti-Union Bill, Immigration Enforcement Plan, Middle East Unrest, Bahrain, Egypt, and Select Op-Eds.
House Budget Cuts in Humanitarian Aid. U.S. officials and nonprofit groups are expressing alarm about the deep reductions in humanitarian assistance in the House budget bill, warning that it could leave millions of poor people hungry and put refugees in jeopardy in places such as Iraq and Pakistan.
Afghanistan. The dramatic build up of a controversial anti-Taliban militia that many Afghans fear could revive the country's detested warlords has had to be suspended in a key district of Helmand amid outbreaks of fighting between different groups.
'Day of Anger' in Libya. Protesters in Libya have defied a security crackdown and taken to the streets in four cities for a "day of rage," inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, reports say.
Quote of the Day. "That is straight out of Gandhi. If people are not afraid of the dictatorship, that dictatorship is in big trouble. … If you fight with violence, you are fighting with your enemy's best weapon, and you may be a brave but dead hero." Gene Sharp, leading theoretician of nonviolence, whose writings inspired the student movement in Egypt, commenting on their discipline in remaining peaceful and their lack of fear. (New York Times)
The latest news on Utah Immigration Bill, Education Reform, CBS Reporter in Egypt Mob Assault, U.S. Immigrant and Customs Agent Killed, 15 Awarded Freedom Medals, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, and Select Op-Eds.
Food Prices Pushing Millions into Poverty. The World Bank says food prices are at 'dangerous levels' and have pushed 44 million more people into poverty since last June.
Political Unrests Sweeps Arab World. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he'd told U.S. allies as well as foes in the Middle East that they must ‘get out ahead of’ growing demands for reform, or risk the fates of the deposed presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.
Federal Budget Cuts. Despite the political and economic risks, congressional Republicans are forging ahead with proposals for severe budget cuts this year, even though party leaders acknowledged the reductions could lead to job losses in the name of deficit reduction.
Quote of the Day. "This is an important step, but we're going to appeal this sentence because we think that the damages awarded are not enough. The real face of this case are people, indigenous people, women, children who are suffering – but Chevron doesn't want us to talk about that." Pablo Fajardo, lead lawyer for approximately 30,000 residents of Ecuador's Amazon region, on a local court decision to fine Chevron $9 billion for environmental damages caused in the 1970s and 1980s. (Christian Science Monitor)
The Power of the People of Egypt
Mubarak Stays, Anger Grows
I watched on Al Jazeera television and followed tweets (#Tahrir) from Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo, Egypt as hundreds of thousands of Egyptians awaited a promised speech by President Hosni Mubarak.
The latest news on Gabrielle Giffords, Republican Party Presidential Nominations, Expansion of E-Verify, Veteran Homelessness, States' Heath Care Setbacks, Egyptian Protests Continue, U.S. Pressure on Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea-South Korea, South
Egypt's Army Signals Transfer of Power. Egypt's armed forces on Thursday announced that they had begun to take 'necessary measures to protect the nation and support the legitimate demands of the people,' a step that suggested the military intends to take a commanding role in administering the strife-torn nation. … In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, C.I.A. Director Leon E. Panetta said that there was a 'strong likelihood' that Mr. Mubarak would step down by the end of the day.
Federal Budget Cuts. House Republicans sketched their vision for a smaller federal government Wednesday, proposing sharp spending cuts that would wipe out family-planning programs, take 4,500 police officers off the street, and slice 10 percent from a food program that aids pregnant women and their babies.
Afghanistan. International and local human rights groups working in Afghanistan have shifted their focus toward condemning abuses committed by the Taliban insurgents, rather than those attributed to the American military and its allies.
Quote of the Day. "He kissed me goodbye and said, 'Don't be afraid.'" Then he looked me in the eye and said, 'You are not my real mother. Egypt is my real mother. I must go save her.' He gave his life for his country." Sabrine, recounting her son Mohammed Badr’s good-bye as he left for the protests in Tahrir Square, Cairo, where he was shot and killed. (Los Angeles Times)
The latest news on Federal Budget Cuts, Relief for State Unemployment Debt, Abortion, Immigrant Students, Cuts in Probation and Parole Programs, Health Law, How Will Years of War Change Us?, Mideast Peace Process, Iran, North Korea-South Korea, China Drou
Patriot Act. House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the USA Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea party bloc.
Egypt. Egyptian labour unions have gone on a nationwide strike, adding momentum to pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities.
Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accused foreign reconstruction teams of undermining efforts to build up the state's institutions. He said the Provincial Reconstruction Teams were like a parallel system of government, and they would have to go.
Quote of the Day. "It is hard to believe that only one month has passed since Gabrielle was shot. The doctors say she is recovering at lightning speed considering her injury but they aren't kidding when they say this is a marathon process. There are encouraging signs everyday though…We can't thank you enough for the heartfelt show of support that has come in from all around Arizona and the nation." Cmdr. Mark Kelly on Rep. Gabrielle Gifford's recovery. (Facebook)
The latest news on Unemployment Drops, Medicaid Cuts, Immigration, New Orleans Smaller, Egypt -- What's Next?, Iran Nuclear Program, Congo Rape Victims, Global Food Prices, and Select Op-Eds.
Egypt -- "Day of Departure." Chants urging Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to leave office are reverberating across Cairo's Tahrir Square. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered at the square, the focal point of protests in Egypt, for what they have termed the "Day of Departure."
Egypt -- Journalists Attacked. Dozens of foreign journalists were arrested, attacked and beaten yesterday as the Egyptian government and its supporters embarked on what the US state department called a concerted campaign to intimidate the international media.
Gabrielle Giffords. The husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) delivered a moving tribute to the power of faith Thursday during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, remarking on his wife's steady improvement and urging the nation to keep her in its prayers because "it's helping."
Quote of the Day. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. “ President John F. Kennedy, March 13, 1962, relevant to today’s events. (Quotations Book)
The latest news on Medicaid Cuts, Prison Reform, Economy and Children, Demographic Changes, Egyptian Military, Egypt-U.S. Policy, Tunisia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma Opens Parliament, Nelson Mandela, and Select Op-Eds.
Egypt Protests. Thousands of protesters determined to drive Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power launched a seventh day of noisy speeches, chanting and prayers Monday, as foreigners trying to flee the country mobbed Cairo's airport, only to find a rash of cancellations and delays.
Sudan. Sudan will split into two new countries later this year, officials announced Sunday, marking the climax of a decade long peace process meant to end 50 years of conflict in Africa's largest country, even as political protests raised questions about the north's stability.
Gun Safety. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday rejected a request from Democrats to hold hearings related to gun safety in the aftermath of the shootings in Tucson earlier this month.
Quote of the Day. "Before we started the Cousins Club, I never even knew a Muslim person. I am so blessed that I have made such dear friends. It feels like sisters coming into my home." Shayna Lester of the West Los Angeles Cousins Club, a grassroots discussion group that brings together Jewish and Muslim women to explore spirituality and mutual understanding. (Los Angeles Times)