Mary Oliver often explored big existential questions with the unlikeliest of philosophical partners: moss, roses, geese, dogs, waves. They all had interesting things to say to her. In a 2015 interview with Krista Tippett, Oliver explained that there is nothing more interesting to her than spirituality. “So I cling to it,” she said. “I have no answers, but have some suggestions.” Her poems are riddled with those suggestions. Here are some of my favorites
Sara arrived in the United States as a 7-year-old refugee when her family fled religious persecution in Bangladesh. Eleven years later, Sara now calls Montgomery County, Md., home. But if the Trump administration has its way, she would be immediately deported because of her undocumented status.
In these tumultuous moments, I’m tempted to worry about my own retirement savings — a threat that is especially acute for those nearing retirement. These are real fears. Yet, as Christians, we also must pay attention to those who will feel the most severe impacts of this economic malpractice. And the sad truth is that these reckless tariffs will be especially harmful for people who don’t even have a 401(k), let alone any way to seek redress for U.S. government policies likely to increase inflation and spark a recession.
Camins Bretts, who is 61 and lives in Seattle, has crossed the Canada-United States border many times for work, family and romantic partners. But because he’s a transgender man, at least half a dozen of those trips ended in him being detained by U.S. border officials.
What does it mean to celebrate Passover during a time of rising authoritarianism, climate crisis, and genocide? Every year, Jews mark Passover by reading the Haggadah and by refraining from eating leavened bread for eight days in commemoration of the ancient Israelites’ hurried trip out of Egypt. The Exodus story tells of their journey from slavery to freedom, and each year Jews are commanded to experience this ritual anew, imagining that God is setting them free as if in the days of old.
But as the yearly calendar brings us to a holiday celebrating divine redemption and freedom, it’s hard to avoid the despair of this historical moment.
Peter Beinart, author of Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, rejects the idea that the liberation of Palestine is an antimsemitic project. In fact, he argues that Zionism has become an idol for some Jewish leaders, and advocating for Palestinian people
Meta's new "Llama 3" AI model was trained on the stolen text of poetry, sociology, fiction, theology, and more from countless writers, including a few who have written for Sojourners. Now, those writers are speaking out.
As the assistant professor of medical ethics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons for the past three years, I have had a front row seat to the trials and terror of the past couple of years. And while I am preparing to transition to another professorship, I cannot remain silent about the crisis at Columbia.
Steve Hoyt didn’t go to the Amecet children’s home in Soroti, Uganda, looking for a child to adopt. The missionary, engineer, and father of two went to the home for orphaned and abandoned children run by the Christian organization Youth With A Mission, to check on a child as a favor for an employee. While he was there, he noticed a baby — he guessed she was about 18 months old — languishing despite the care of the nurses.
Lent is typically a time when Christians engage in fasting or self-denial and reflect on the ways in which we need to repent. In the most unexpected place, a Nosferatu-themed party hosted by a friend of a friend, I encountered an opportunity to engage in the Lenten practice of repentance.
Within the Christian faith, at least within a formal church setting, there is a liturgical element that I’ve never experienced: the sacrament of reconciliation — a practice more commonly known as confession. Rather than sitting in a traditional confessional booth alongside an ordained priest, I made a confession while sitting in a random bedroom. A flimsy blue curtain divided me and the person playing the role of the priest. It was arguably irreligious, a party trick meant to satirize the Catholic Church.
