This Month's Cover
Magazine

Sojourners Magazine: July 2023

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Three recent films help us understand the power of spectacle, on and off the big screen.

Features

An illustration of a giant film reel being lifted up by an invisible force, revealing a bottomless pit. A man stands on the edge of the deep red floor, peering in as some of the film unspools over him out of frame.

Exploitation drives entertainment, but a prophetic imagination can help us do justice while creating awe.

by
Zachary Lee
Magazine
Features
A painterly illustration of two people walking along the edge of a lake on a wide iridescent pathway at night. A cityscape is behind them to the left, and a purple-blue and pink horizon to the right, casting the whole illustration in these two colors.

A father, a son, and a search for holy ground.

by
Frank A. Thomas
A side-rear view woman doctor with red hair points to a screen with a spectrum of faces from sad to happy, asking her patient in the chair (a man with gray hair) which is most accurate for him. A purple screen with "Church Health" is shown nearby.

“If you are not engaged in a healing ministry, then you are ignoring one-third of the Bible.”

by
G. Scott Morris

Voices

Voices
Mobilizing Hope
An illustration of the Statue of Liberty's torch, completely colored in red. The torch is ripping through a tear in the background, which depicts an aerial view of land plots in a dark blue tint.

When will the government treat this with the urgency it demands?

Voices
From The Editors
An illustration of Renee N. Salas, a professor and physician at Harvard Medical School. She is wearing light blue scrubs and has long brown hair and blue eyes. An iceberg enveloped in a hot pink flame is behind her.

Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them as the only way to perceive the path ahead.

by The Editors
Voices
Commentary
An illustration of a blue peace symbol with two yellow hands raised to the sky in the center, which are each holding both halves of a broken rifle.

The Biden administration is failing to support Russian objectors to war.

by
Maria Santelli
An illustration of the United Church of Christ symbol inside the African symbol for Odomankoma. Both are enclosed in a black circle with a green border against against a gold backdrop.

An African-rooted tradition claims its heritage in the UCC.

by
Julia M. Speller
Voices
Columns
A minimalist cartoon of people at a party. A man and woman stand together to the left next to some plants, a man cooks on a grill to the right, two women sit in chairs while drinking beer in the upper center, and a man holds his bike in the lower center.

"How can we invite the church into seeing the economy beyond just a conversation on tithes and offerings?"

by
José Humphreys III
An illustration of an open scroll with swirling, sandy textures across its blank page.

Keeping a "death scroll" can remind us of our human right to mourn and memorialize loved ones.

by
Rose Marie Berger
Voices
Eyewitness
Representative Justin Jones, a Black-Filipino man in a white suit and brown tie, stands amid the aisles of Tennessee's House of Representatives, raising his fist to the ceiling as his colleague Justin Pearson stands behind him to the left.

Rep. Justin Jones addresses his ousting from Tennessee's House of Representatives and his hope for a “Third Reconstruction.”

by
Justin Jones

Vision

Vision
Culture
Paul (Harrison Ford) wears a light blue dress shirt and hat and sits on a black park bench next to teenage girl Alice (Lukita Maxwell), who's sitting cross-legged while wearing a gray hoodie.

A recent TV show reminds us that everyone needs a shoulder to cry on — including its viewers.

by
Liz Bierly
A painting called "Mother Julian": Julian of Norwich, pictured in nun's clothing, sitting inside a small room reading a book. There's a view of two windows behind her that show villagers milling about in a medieval town.

The mystic anchoress who envisioned human wholeness.

by
Sarah James
An illustration of Emily Dickinson: a white woman with brown hair in a blue dress and blue and white short neckscarf. Pink, turquoise, and teal paint is splattered across the background.

The renowned poet was never afraid to ask questions and challenge tradition in her eclectic journey of faith.

by
Caroline McTeer
Vision
Books
The cover for the book ‘Sober Spirituality’ features the title in block white text among layered thin waves of yellow, pink, green, and blue. The book is floating at an angle against a steel blue backdrop.

Sober Spirituality allows nuance toward drinking while outlining its real bodily and spiritual dangers.

by
Jenna Barnett
The cover for the book ‘Faith Unleavened.’ It features a dark brown background with white bare trees that frame the title, subtitle, and author; small drawings of Black Lives Matter protesters, a wrapper, and more  are interwoven among the branches.

Tamice Spencer-Helms on what it means for Christianity and society to leave white supremacy behind.

by
JR. Forasteros
A black-and-white photograph of Sinéad O’Connor in ‘Nothing Compares.' Her head is shaved and she is wearing a long-sleeve shirt. She is resting her head in both of her palms with her fingers clasped over both cheeks.

Three culture recommendations from our editors.

by
The Editors
Vision
Poetry

A poem

by
Kristin Gifford
Vision
Living The Word

July reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle A

by
Natalie Wigg-Stevenson
Vision
H'rumphs

Talk about putting on the armor of God.

by
Jenna Barnett