Sojourners Magazine: June 2017

Since the 1970s, Sojourners has reported on the involvement of Filipino Christians in movements against repressive regimes in their nation. Christians who spoke out were branded as communists, and many were tortured and killed. But the Filipino church, though pressed, was never crushed. In this issue, Eric Stoner reports on faith-based opposition to Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' president who positioned himself as a "tough on crime" political outsider. A network of faith communities is documenting the widespread killings and advocating more humane ways of dealing with the country's drug problem. Of course, the Philippines isn't the only country grappling with right-wing authoritarian leaders. As Stoner notes, the Filipino model has much to teach the rest of us about patient work of resistance.