Inside Story

Technology, of course, is a mixed blessing. But especially for those working in difficult and far-flung situations, e-mail can be vital for much more than relaying the latest office humor. When David Hartsough ("Creative Courage," page 22) was briefly jailed by the Serbian police in March 1998, our director of outreach, Duane Shank, followed the story on several peace and nonviolence e-mail lists. As the NATO bombing of Kosovo began this March, e-mail put us in touch with news from religious workers in the region, including firsthand, deeply personal perspectives on the events there. A sampling of those messages is found in "Faith on the Front Lines". After a springtime that brought war, school shootings, and-closer to home-illness and death in the family for several Sojourners staff members, we do not turn away from even the smallest encouraging word. The deepest sustenance may come, for example, from the profound assurances of Romans 8; but we'll take anything positive we can get. So, in the category of "perhaps it's shallow to care, but it encourages us just the same," we are honored to have received 10 awards from the Associated Church Press this spring. We received first place for in-depth coverage for our September-October 1998 issue ("Good Works: Why the Church Needs the Labor Movement (and Vice Versa),"); for theological reflection of less than 1,500 words ("Waiting and Hope: Advent, Incarnation, and the Daily News," by Julie Polter, November-December 1998); and for critical review ("The Children Shall Lead," by Will Campbell, May-June 1998). Second place awards include "Exorcising an American Demon," by Sojourners contributing editor and letter-writer Bill Wylie-Kellermann (March-April 1998), and the Sojourners Online Web site.