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Sojourners Magazine: November 2015

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Contraception has long been a contested topic within the church. In our cover story, Rachel Marie Stone explores the religious and political ramifications of evangelicals joining the battle over birth control. 

Cover Story

Kwangmoozaa / Shutterstock
Birth control hasn't always been controversial among evangelicals...so what happened? 
trefalga / Shutterstock
The official Catholic teaching on contraception hasn't changed - but lay Catholics worldwide follow their own moral reasoning. 

Feature

Food Desert / Ndume Olatushani
How a man wrongfully convicted of murder used magazines, broken brushes, and paint to get free - and is teaching others to do the same. 
courtesy of ARSE and LUPE
When it comes to assessing the needs of communities in the Rio Grande Valley, some groups have adopted a radical approach: Ask the people who live there.
courtesy of thesyriacampaign.org
Syrian Civil Defense workers - the "White Helmets" - haven't given up on the future of their country. 
alexsol / Shutterstock
The apostle's prison letter to the Phillippians was a challenge to the Roman Empire - and to the U.S. empire as well. 

Commentary

kstudija / Shutterstock
Why young activists, from Cape Town to Charleston, need to find common cause to transform the "giants of our generation."
Aaron Amat / Shutterstock
After prison, how can you make restitution if you can't get a job? 
photographee.eu / Shutterstock
Becoming a pro-family church (paid parental leave is a good place to start). 

Culture Watch

"Where am I? Who am I? Why am I?" / William Kurelek
New books pursue big questions and elusive answers. 
focal point / Shutterstock
New (and newish) books to challenge, teach, and encourage. 
Excerpt: Grounded by Diana Butler Bass.
Ekaphon maneechot / Shutterstock
Black Violin fuses the virtuosity of the classical world with the funk and street-level grace of hip-hop. 
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Four November culture recommendations from our editors. 
Sergey Mironov / Shutterstock
The best films help us understand how to transcend our brokenness without excluding our shadows.

Columns

He found himself wondering whether "sin and heathenism" were the correct terms for a tradition that could inspire such beauty.
Anastasia Golubovich / Shutterstock
Camping is best left to those who, you know, actually like the outdoors.
komkrit Preechachanwate / Shutterstock
Climate change isn't just "an issue" like other issues.
Shutterstock / Julia Tsokur
Why one pastor from West Papua is traveling around the world - and asking for help.