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Magazine

Sojourners Magazine: January 2023

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A fringe Christian ideology helped stoke an out-of-control gun culture. People of faith are working to take back the conversation.

Features

An MP5 submachine gun is shown being taken apart by and entangled in plant stems with green leaves.

A fringe Christian ideology linked to the homeschool movement has stoked an out-of-control gun culture. A look at the battle against the “divine right” of guns.

by
Liz Bierly
Magazine
Features
Black and white image of nuns in a "mother and baby home" line a room filled with children in several cribs

For more than 70 years, the Irish Catholic Church imprisoned unwed mothers in church-run “Magdalene laundries.” Survivors and their families are still battling for justice.

by
René Ostberg
An illustration of a woman in the background of a desert trail looking at an unseen figure in the foreground; only the silhouetted bare feet of the foreground figure are shown.

After walking the Jesus Trail, I'll never read the words “Jesus went” the same way again.

by
Reta Halteman Finger

Voices

Voices
Grain of Salt
A book with balancing scales is bound up in silver chains with a white cross draped across the cover.

“The last attempt at founding an explicitly Christian nation on these shores was undertaken by the Confederate States of America.”

by Jim Rice
Voices
From The Editors
An illustration of Nicole Hockley holding a picture of her deceased son as she stands among orange flowers. A quote from her about taking action in the wake of loss is beside her.

Public policy has been detrimentally affected — and people harmed — by inhumane, unbiblical interpretations of Christian theology. 

by The Editors
Voices
Commentary
A black-and-white illustration of crowns, swords, and globus cruciger laid out on a table.

And other problems when church and state aren't separate.

by
Brian Kaylor, Beau Underwood
A red football helmet against a white background has parts of its outer shell disintegrating and floating off.

I am a Christian convicted that to love my neighbors, I must resist the violence of the NFL.

by
Mitchell Atencio
Voices
Columns
An overhead view of people walking in a single line and branching off into smaller ones with illustrated leaves, evoking the design of a tree.

“I came away heartened, even amid the political chaos of the moment.”

by
Bill McKibben
An illustration of a woman with a bird perched on her outstretched hand as she looks at her phone.

My cat swiped a bird. When do we intervene or let nature take its course?

by
Liuan Huska
Voices
Eyewitness
A group of Filipinos stand together, wearing masks and carrying signs that hold variations on the phrase "Defend Press Freedom"

A Carmelite priest reflects on the threat to journalists — and press freedom — in the Philippines.

by
Ritche T. Salgado

Vision

Vision
Culture
An x-ray image of a faded van Gogh self-portrait, which depicts him in a slight side profile to the camera. Van Gogh has a short beard and is wearing a hat and jacket.

The artist had compassion for the poor — and a lifelong struggle with religious rejection.

by
Sarah Vincent
The cover art of Maggie Roger's music album 'Surrender', which features a black-and-white closeup of the singer's eyes.

Surrender is testament to what happens when we unclench our jaws and give our emotions room to breathe.

by
Kaeley McEvoy
 Actress Michelle Yeoh portrays Evelyn Wong, who is shown being split between two dimensional realities in the film 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'

Everything Everywhere All at Once taps into relatable feelings about the paths not taken.

by
Abby Olcese
Vision
Books
The book cover of Upside-Down Apocalypse has stylized palm leaves with sharp yellow and teal colors in the background of the title. The book itself is suspended in air, cast against an orange-yellow backdrop.

Jeremy Duncan invites readers to remember that the Jesus of Revelation is the Jesus of the gospels: A king of kings and a Prince of Peace. 

by
Joey Thurmond
A Comanche woman stands in a combat-ready pose with a tomahawk against an assailant in the film 'Prey.'

Three culture recommendations from our editors.

by
The Editors
A black-and-white photo of poet Lucille Clifton, sitting in a chair wearing black robes and several layered necklaces.

My research led me to her personal writings; her work has become an oasis.

by
Josina Guess
Vision
Poetry

A poem.

by
Felicity White
Vision
Living The Word

January reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle A

by
Natalie Wigg-Stevenson
Vision
H'rumphs

What happened next was nuts.

by
Julie Polter