Josiah R. Daniels (he/him) joined Sojourners in 2021 and is the senior associate opinion editor at sojo.net. He is a native of the southwest suburbs of Chicago, but currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with his family. He is a graduate of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Josiah loves being a journalist because he believes everything must be questioned and investigated. In all his coverage, he prioritizes fairness, accuracy, and journalistic integrity. Along with following Sojourners’ editorial policies and procedures, he also follows the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics.
Josiah is the co-founder of The Reconstruct interview series, which focuses on interviewing people who have faith in a new future and are working toward repairing the present.
His coverage areas are primarily identity, religion, politics, and class. He has written book and movie reviews and reported on a church that became an impromptu shelter for hundreds of refugees seeking asylum in the United States. In 2023, NPR’s Weekend Edition interviewed him about a piece he wrote criticizing an ad campaign for spending millions of dollars to rebrand Jesus via TV spots. After going to Israel/Palestine in 2024 and 2025, he wrote an essay about his experience there. He is especially interested in the genre of narrative journalism.
When not working, he is watching the Chicago Bulls, playing basketball, or listening to John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. He does not have or use social media.
Want to write an opinion story? Check out Sojourners’ “How to Write an Opinion Piece for Sojourners.”
Posts By This Author
What I Witnessed In Palestine Made Me Think About My Gun
I saw a lot of things in Palestine that made me think about my gun. I had purchased it some years ago, when I realized what little democracy we had left in the United States was deteriorating. When you live in a country where an individual has the right to bear arms as a stopgap against tyranny, and then you suddenly realize you are witnessing tyranny’s rise, you arm up.
Bart Ehrman on Following Jesus as an Atheist
“Stranger danger!” This was a popular thing kids were taught to say in the ’90s. I think that my parents’ motivations for teaching me this phrase were primarily for my protection, but looking back, I think the phrase also portended some of the paranoia that we, as a Western society, have uncritically embraced.
The Golden Rule Would Survive Nuclear ‘Fallout’
If things ever do go belly up, and we nuke ourselves into oblivion, I’m sure the Golden Rule will survive.
Part of my certainty is thanks to the retro-futuristic, darkly absurd, post-apocalyptic TV series Fallout. As a huge fan of the role-playing video games that the series is based on, I was skeptical that the show could live up to the legacy of the games; it surpassed my expectations. Fallout is brimming with stellar performances, superb writing, and deft political commentary that is relevant without being preachy. All eight episodes of Season Two are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, which, given the series’ anti-corporate and anti-capitalist overtones, is rather strange.
Read This Before You Compare What's Happening in the US to Nazi Germany
t’s more than likely that you have asked yourself in the early parts of this new year, “What am I supposed to do?” As we watch the country slip further into the abyss of “papers please,” and witness Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operating as though they are a death squad, it’s fair to feel overwhelmed; it’s fair to wonder if anything can be done at all.
Sometimes, the best thing to do during times of authoritarian rule is to pause and reflect. When we do this, we realize two things: First, there are many ways, both materially and emotionally, to support those who are being targeted by a regime. Second, although we, like the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, may wonder if we are “one untimely born,” our existence is perfectly timed for this moment.
A resource to help those of us looking to pause and reflect so that we can take action is Hanna Reichel’s new book, For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional.
The Death Cult in ‘The Bone Temple’ Is Scary. Our Real One Is Worse
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the newest installment in a horror franchise that continues to demonstrate how gut-wrenching terror can invite viewers to ponder questions about politics and human nature. The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta and currently playing in theaters, will certainly make you scream your guts out, but it will also invite you to consider: What is my ultimate concern?
For those who have seen the previous three films, some of these questions will be familiar territory: Will humanity’s violence ultimately lead to a societal and environmental collapse? What does it mean to be human? Why do some humans label others as “non-humans”? But The Bone Temple is asking new questions, a lot of them revolving around spirituality and whether there is ultimately a benevolent (or malevolent) deity. Previous movies in this series—especially 28 Years Later (2025), which preceded The Bone Temple—gestured toward religion, but DaCosta’s installment puts religion front and center, and then turns things up to 11.
‘America First’ Resurrects the Logic of Crusades in Venezuela
During his life, Otto Maduro, the late Venezuelan sociologist and liberation theologian, lamented how the majority of Latin Americans were being treated to “fatten the bank accounts” of a small minority. This deeply troubled Maduro. As he wrote in his 1982 Religion and Social Conflicts, “I cannot submissively cross my arms in the face of certain allegedly ‘Christian’ attitudes and traditions that appear to me to be an antievangelical instrumentalization of the church in the service of social injustice.”
Taylor Cassidy Shows the Fun Side of Black History
This interview is part of The Reconstruct, a weekly newsletter from Sojourners. In a world where so much needs to change, Mitchell Atencio and Josiah R. Daniels interview people who have faith in a new future and are working toward repair. Subscribe here.
I’m not on TikTok, so I’d never heard of 22-year-old content creator, Taylor Cassidy. Cassidy rose to prominence after she started creating engaging and easily digestible videos about Black history. During my interview with Cassidy, she told me her goal is to make sure her audience feels uplifted and excited about learning.
Looking at Life Through the Eyes of Gaza
The Committee to Protect Journalists has estimated that since Israel’s war with Gaza began in October 2023, Israel has killed 235 journalists and imprisoned another 86. According to CPJ, this has been the deadliest period for journalists since they first began collecting data in 1992.
Palestinian Christians Have a Warning for the American Church
Last weekend, I visited my home state of Illinois to attend the Church at the Crossroads conference, which was held at Parkview Community Church in Glen Ellyn. Conference organizers estimated that 580 attended in person and 300 more joined virtually. The conference was convened to encourage American evangelicals to listen to Palestinian Christians and to confront and correct those who use scripture to “justify war, occupation, or silence” in the face of the escalating violence in Israel and Palestine.
Practically speaking, though, what was the point of this shindig?
The Doubt and Faith of a Journalist, Parent, and ‘Full-Time Arab American’
Aymann Ismail has a variety of identities that keep him busy. When I asked him to tell me about himself, he replied, “I’m a journalist, a parent, and a full-time Arab American.” He is also the author of the new memoir, Becoming Baba: Fatherhood, Faith, and Finding Meaning in America.
One of the things I appreciate most about Ismail, who is Muslim, is the way he subtly incorporates reflections on his faith into his writing. In Becoming Baba, Ismail relates how he sat down to read the Quran, only to vehemently disagree with what he read. This led him to explore his doubts and questions, which Becoming Baba explores in an engaging and refreshing way.
Ethel Cain Is Freeing Me From the Trauma of James Dobson
Hearing about the news of James Dobson’s death reminded me of a conversation I recently had with my sister while we were making our way to an Ethel Cain concert.
We were conversing as we hurried to the car, excited to profess our love to Willoughby Tucker, and I told my sister she was the only reason I knew about Ethel Cain—whose real name is Hayden Anhedönia. We then indulged in some cynical jokes about the “woke” impulse to cancel Anhedönia because of old social media posts, which she has since apologized for and described as “deeply shameful and embarrassing.”
The Israeli Human Rights Group Urging the World to Confront Genocide
As an editor and journalist, it’s my job to have words for the news of the day. But now and then, the news of the day has a way of robbing me of all my words. This is especially the case when the news of the day revolves around an injustice that is actively harming our world and humanity. What truly leaves me wordless is when we, as people, know that something catastrophic is happening, but we seek to minimize or ignore it. How do I change that? Is there a perfect combination of words and data to prevent that?
A specific example is Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. I’m not sure what else has to be said at this point to help people realize that a genocide is happening right before our very eyes, and it is likely to expand beyond Gaza into the occupied territory of the West Bank. One of Israel’s leading human rights organizations—B’Tselem—is desperately trying to raise the alarm about this very fact.
Brad Onishi’s Answer To Fighting Extremism Isn’t What You Want To Hear
Brad Onishi is the co-host of a podcast titled Straight White American Jesus. With co-host Daniel Miller, Onishi examines and deconstructs evangelical politics, theology, and culture. Onishi, who has a doctorate in religious studies, told me that when they began the podcast in 2018, he wasn’t sure if anyone would listen. But now, almost 900 episodes later, they’ve “commented on every angle and every aspect of Christian nationalism, the Trump presidencies, the Biden presidency, and everything in between: from gender to race, sexuality, church politics, and so on.”
How a CCM Guitarist Became a Soccer Team’s Unofficial Ambassador
Biblical Moses sought to prevent revelry; Soccer Moses lives to promote it.
PICTURE THIS: A man they call Soccer Moses is descending a set of stadium stairs, parting not the Red Sea but a crowd of Nashville soccer junkies. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he puts on a Gibson guitar and performs a celebratory riff, which is a tradition for the Nashville Soccer Club, a Major League Soccer team. As Soccer Moses shreds his guitar, fans surround him and wave signs, scarves, and a Pride flag. One of the many differences between the biblical Moses and Soccer Moses is evident in this scene. Biblical Moses sought to prevent revelry (Exodus 32:18-19); Soccer Moses lives to promote it.
Soccer Moses is the unofficial team mascot for Nashville SC. Why, if Nashville SC is not connected to religion in any way, has a zealous fan taken it upon himself to dress up like Moses and become the team’s unofficial ambassador? Well, to understand that you first need to know the identity of the man donning the wig, fake beard, and flowing garments.
Meet the Palestinian Student Who Just Beat the Trump Administration
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Picture of Mohsen Mahdawi. Graphic by Ryan McQuade/Sojourners.
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Most would agree with the Nigerian-British singer-songwriter Sade that we don’t need any more war, but we are in desperate need of just a little peace. So, what do we do when it becomes clear that the people advocating for that peace are being thrown in prison or portrayed as “terrorists” who are interfering with the “peace process” in the Middle East due to their advocacy for Palestinian human rights?
Mohsen Mahdawi, who is a legal permanent resident in the U.S., was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on April 14 as he exited his citizenship interview at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Vermont. President Donald Trump’s administration accused Mahdawi of potentially undermining the peace process in the Middle East. But despite this accusation, the government has not charged Mahdawi with a crime. Mahdawi was released from detention on April 30 after U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford granted him bail, commenting that Mahdawi had “made substantial claims that his detention was in retaliation for his protected speech.”
The Christian Rapper Who Thinks You’re Loving the Wrong Neighbor
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Image of nobigdyl. Graphic by Ryan McQuade/Sojourners.
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I’ve interviewed celebrities and entertainers before, and my main complaint is always this: They tend to dodge tough topics, which then results in pretty dull conversations.
So when I got on the phone with Christian hip-hop artist Dylan Phillips, whose stage name is nobigdyl., I thought getting him to say anything interesting would be about as hard as fishing for catfish.
But I didn't have to fish long before I realized that nobigdyl. was more than willing to tackle difficult subjects.
Does Protesting Work?
Some of the discourse surrounding the LA protests reminds me of similar things I heard back in 2014, too. On the one hand, you have centrists and liberal pundits who are lecturing protesters about needing to remain nonviolent — which is quite easy to suggest from a work-from-home station largely insulated from the raids that working class Angelinos are enduring. On the other hand, there are the cynics — a group that, despite my best efforts, I sometimes find myself identifying with — and they are asking if protesting makes any difference at all
Why Do So Many Christians Fall For Conspiracy Theories?
Zach Mack / Graphic by Ryan McQuade/Sojourners.
In NPR’s Alternate Realities, Zack Mack, who is a podcast producer and storyteller, hosts a three-part series about his father falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole and the effect it has on his family. After challenging his dad about his conspiratorial thinking, his father responded by suggesting they make a bet: He would make 10 predictions that he believed would come to pass before the end of 2024, and for each one he got right, Mack would pay him $1,000. For each one he got incorrect, he would pay his son $1,000. Mack’s dad, who is a Christian, was certain that his predictions were ironclad.
How Authoritarian Politics Took Over My Christian College
Graphic by Ryan McQuade/Sojourners
Since graduating, I’ve largely tried to ignore all things related to Cornerstone. Whenever I would hear news about the school — whether it involved limiting intellectual freedom, disassembling the humanities department, or dismissing employees deemed to be insufficiently conservative or supportive of the president — it only served to confirm my ignorance-is-bliss approach. For a long time, whenever I was confronted with the fact that Cornerstone had only become more restrictive since I graduated, what came to mind was the first half of a quote from the writer James Baldwin: “Not everything that is faced can be changed …”
What We Are Getting Wrong About Christian Nationalism
Eric L. McDaniel. Graphic by Ryan McQuade/Sojourners.
Christian nationalist ideology expanding to nonwhite and non-Christian populations is a particular area of interest for Eric L. McDaniel, who is a professor in the department of government at the University of Texas at Austin. In The Everyday Crusade: Christian Nationalism in American Politics, McDaniel and his co-authors, Irfan Nooruddin and Allyson F. Shortle, explore how religious nationalist ideology is gaining influence with the American public.