How to Write an Opinion Piece for Sojourners

Thinking about writing an opinion piece for Sojourners? Great! We're always looking for new voices. This guide walks through how we think about a strong opinion piece for our website, from barely an idea to a completed draft. We can’t guarantee we’ll accept your idea (instructions on how to pitch your draft here), but this guide should make your piece stronger and give you a sense of what we're looking for.

1. Start with an original idea 

Before you outline or draft anything, get clear on the one thing you actually want to say. Sometimes that idea arrives fully formed. Other times you'll need to dig for it. 

Here are a a few questions to ask yourself:

• What’s already been said about this topic and what’s been missed? How does what you’re saying add to the ongoing conversation?
• What’s a bolder or different take than what you’ve already heard elsewhere?
• What would it take some courage to say?
• How would you want a reader to describe this piece to a friend? (“I read this interesting article about…”)
• What might the headline be?
• In the ocean of daily content, what will make your contribution stand out?

Because Sojourners is a publication of faith and social justice, your idea will almost always carry some kind of theological angle. But the strongest ideas go beyond “X isn’t biblical” or “Christians should care about Y.” They’re more specific. They’re more surprising. Here are a few examples of solid ideas:

• Christians who disagreed with a public figure’s politics should be the loudest voices condemning violence against them. (Read the piece here)
• The best way to show God’s love to billionaires is by taxing them. (Read the piece here)
• A commonly cited Bible verse doesn’t actually condemn the thing people think it does—read in context, it’s saying something else entirely. (Read the piece here)

Notice that each of these invites further exploration: What do you mean? How? Why? What does that look like? If your idea doesn’t need any further explanation, you might just have a great social media post rather than a full article.

2. Know who you’re talking to 

The movement for faith and justice is diverse, but our readers share some general characteristics. People in Sojourners’ audience generally:

• see social justice as integral to Christian faith
• already engage in some form of social action in their community, church, or internationally
• are upset about the way Christianity has been used to hurt vulnerable and marginalized communities and give more power to those who are wealthy and privileged; our readers are hungry for faithful alternatives 
• stay fairly up to date on the news
• want to feel less alone and more connected to others who care about Christian faith and social justice
• have connections to (and conversations with!) Christians who don’t share their views on the biblical call to social justice
• are eager for effective strategies and actions to create systemic change

If your piece is aimed at people who don’t see social justice as integral to Christian faith, it may be a better fit elsewhere—or it may need reframing. Sometimes our readers are eager for language to share with Christians who disagree.

If you’re writing to a particular slice of our audience—queer Christians, the Black church, people navigating political differences with family—say so clearly in the piece itself.

3. Sketch an outline before you draft 

Once you know your idea and your audience, spend a few minutes mapping the most compelling way to make your case, and don’t underestimate the value of staying interesting along the way. The shape of your outline will depend on your topic: An argument reinterpreting a Bible verse will need some exegetical groundwork; an argument about a cultural moment will need you to explain why this is a faith story—even if the connection isn’t immediately clear.

4. Don’t bolt the faith angle on—weave it throughout the piece

A common pitfall: Authors sometimes send us an article that mainly offers political and social commentary, but has a Bible verse tacked onto the final paragraph to make it feel like a “Sojourners piece.” Don’t do that.

Instead, braid a strong theological thread through your whole argument, so it’s essential to the piece rather than decorative. Our mission is to “articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and faith-rooted action.” A strong Sojourners piece should do just that!

5. Open strong 

Open with a hook that grabs attention and presents a version of your big idea within the first paragraph or two. A few approaches that tend to work:

• A provocative or surprising statement. Say the thing plainly, right away. (Example)
• A situation that provokes curiosity—especially one that takes an idea your reader probably already agrees with, and hints there’s more to the story. (Example)
• A personal story or anecdote that grounds an abstract topic in something real. (Example)

Generally speaking, we like our readers to have a good handle on what the piece is about within the first two paragraphs. If you’re still “setting the table” in paragraph three, it’s time to do some robust editing. 

6. Skip the long news recap 

If you’re responding to a current event, resist the urge to open with several paragraphs summarizing the story. Most readers are already reasonably caught up—what they’re looking for is the faith-informed take. A sentence or two of context (with a hyperlink for anyone who wants more) is usually plenty. Get to your argument quickly.

7. Be specific 

Avoid vague, general phrases like “threats to democracy” or “growing polarization.” Instead, give a concrete example that brings the abstract to life. The big, sweeping topics we cover most often like faith, politics, and justice need quotes, stories, and real people to bring them down to earth. Show your reader what the issue looks like in someone’s actual life.

8. Take opposing views seriously 

The strongest persuasive writing anticipates its own pushback and addresses it head-on rather than avoiding it. Consider building a “to be sure” moment into your argument—often toward the end of the piece—where you acknowledge a fair counterpoint before explaining why your argument still holds. You want to show you’ve really thought about this issue and reckoned honestly with good faith counterpoints.

9. Sharpen your prose 

A few habits that consistently make writing stronger:

• Cut redundancy. If you’ve used two words that mean roughly the same thing, pick the stronger one.
• Avoid passive voice. “The building was struck” hides who did the striking. Name the actor when you can: Give an example like, “The goose struck the building.”
• Watch for jargon and insider phrases—including theological shorthand like “least of these” or “speaking truth to power.” These phrases can lose meaning through overuse. Explain what you mean in fresh language instead.
• Vary your sentence length. A string of long, information-packed sentences (or a string of short, punchy ones) wears a reader down. Mix it up. Long sentences can give your reader room to breathe and think. Short ones build momentum. Good writing has a nice balance of both. 
• Build toward the emphatic word. Put your key idea near the end of the sentence, not buried in the middle—it’s a little trick that can make your prose feel purposeful and propulsive.
• Think about the soundbites. If your readers like your article, they’re going to want to share it on social media, in group chats, or linked in their own writing. What are the bold, beautiful, provocative sentences that they’re going to want to highlight, quote, or copy and paste for sharing purposes? Ideally, your piece should have several. 

What’s next? 

If you've got an idea that fits this shape, we’d love to hear it. Send us a short pitch: Your core idea—in a sentence or two—and who you imagine reading it, how long you think it might be, and when you can have it to us by. We'll go from there.