Justice. Mercy. Faith.
Through The Christian Citizen, we seek to shape a mind among American Baptists and others on matters of public concern by providing a forum for diverse voices living and working at the intersection of faith and politics, discipleship and citizenship.
Our collective failure to truly honor the victims of the Holocaust
The shadow of the Holocaust, a genocide that happened in the middle of a supposedly civilized world, while that so-called civilized world refused to believe in the barbarism despite repeated reports and pleas, is never far for me as someone who grew up in Poland, even though I was born forty years after it happened and its memorialization was neatly limited to official places with plaques. These memories are everywhere, it just takes a bit of unearthing.
Beautiful, you speak!
I invite us to open our eyes and the eyes of our hearts not only to humanity’s beauty, but how God gently nudges us every day to be Christ-like in our neighborhoods.
Learning to dance
If the Incarnation teaches us anything, it teaches that God blesses and uses the body. Today, some churches incorporate dance and movement of the body into worship itself.
Nostalgia and the Church
There is a healthy kind of nostalgia that can show us that our place is a room of remembrance, but we dare not allow unhealthy nostalgia to turn that room into an idolatrous space that will never grow, change, or adapt.
King’s vision was never meant to comfort the comfortable
Recovering King’s legacy also means confronting our own complicity in systems of injustice. King’s critique of the “white moderate”— those more devoted to order than justice — remains painfully relevant.
Ultimate allegiance
So, Church—what shall we do next? The we is imperative because if we are to truly be one nation under God, if we are to truly be incorporated in the body of Christ, if we are to truly embody our ultimate allegiance to the empire of eternity, our next moves must be different.
Featured Series
Faith and Politics
Jimmy Carter was there when my congregation needed him: Remembering a president
President Carter knew that those who lack housing or food are not merely political pawns, but the real presence of God in our midst. What we do, or don’t do, to serve them reveals everything about what we value in our world and in our congregations.
Today I ask you to choose faith
What we really need is faith. Faith in that arc and its bending, faith that what we do counts for something, faith that we can be the friends that God needs now.
Our church signs need work
Planet Fitness, the real-life Average Joe’s, come-as-you-are establishment, beat every church sign I knew with its slogan, The World Judges, We Don’t.
She had the dream: the freedom faith of Prathia Hall
Hall’s freedom faith — the belief that God wants everyone to be free and equips and sustains those who work for freedom — was the central idea of her womanist vision.
The “unbought and unbossed” stateswoman who was a catalyst of change
Speaking up for the oppressed, like Shirley Chisholm did, is following in the footsteps of Jesus: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matt 25:40)
Making peace: remarks at the Faith in Democracy Interfaith Vigil at the US Capitol
Three years following the horrific events of January 6, 2021, we are still grappling with the uncertainty of our survivability and sustainability as a democracy. We are also asking: what is the prescription going forward for curing our inflamed divisions and unresolved conflicts?
Authentic hope comes from building together
We know we are not where we want to be as a country—or as a people. Our work is not done. But the answer is not to give up or retreat.
Turning the world upside down: religious freedom, civil rights, and the struggle for a more just, equitable world
Baptists and other religious minorities turned one world upside down and gifted us the world we live in today where I am free to practice my faith and others are free to do the same.
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Christian Citizen AmbassadorsAt The Christian Citizen, we’re passionate about justice, mercy, and faith. We produce award-winning content that is provocative, timely, and relevant. What started more than 25 years ago as a print publication is now a digital-first publication that maintains a commitment to print. More recently, we’ve added a weekly e-newsletter, podcast, and a growing presence on social media. Now, for the first time, we’re adding a member support program—Christian Citizen Ambassadors!
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