Fewer bell bottoms, same mission.

Sojourners Magazine Turns 50 The editors Editor’s note: Fifty years ago, in the fall of 1971, we published the first issue of The Post-American, which later became Sojourners magazine. In our latest issue, the editors offer photos of the publication's early days — one of many ways we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in coming months. We’ve been told we don’t look a day over 39! OK, old joke. But we’re acutely aware of the slightly awkward irony of an intentionally countercultural—and counterinstitutional—movement, formed in the ragtag, “don’t trust anyone over 30” culture of the early 1970s, turning 50 years old. Like the Rolling Stones, we’re still hard at it, as we mark five decades since the beginnings of Sojourners. While we’re more structured and stable than back in the early days of the so-called People’s Christian Coalition (which, not surprisingly, published many raised fists in our first few issues), we’re still doing our best to speak truth to power, afflict the comfortable, and all that. Our outward appearance may have evolved over the years, but our mission—our first principles—are unchanged from day one. The photos in the link below focus on the people who launched The Post-American in 1971 and helped it to thrive and grow after our 1976 move to Washington, D.C., where it became Sojourners magazine. The publication was started by students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill., north of Chicago—students who were convinced that much of the church, and the evangelical part of it in particular, was wrong in its support of the Vietnam War, wrong in its approach to racism and racial justice, and at best inadequate in its awareness that the gospel calls disciples of Jesus Christ to be agents of change in our fallen world. As you’ll see in these photos, community, worship, and public actions for social justice were all part of the job description for those who put out the magazine—there was little separation between magazine work and our socially engaged life together in Christian community. After 50 years, we’re still strong believers in an integrated life of faith and social justice, and we try to tell that story in every issue of Sojourners. We hope you enjoy this look back at our earliest roots. SEE THE PHOTOS Forward Share

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Our Latest ‘Midnight Mass’ Shows the Horrors of Co-Opted Faith (by Abby Olcese) The series employs horror tropes to show both the healing and destructive ways religion responds to pain. ‘That Doesn’t Sound Like a Seminary.’ (by Mitchell Atencio) Why Hartford Seminary is changing its name — and what that means for the future of theological education in the U.S. French Clergy Sexually Abused Over 200,000 Children Since 1950, Report Finds (by Tangi Salaün, Reuters, Ingrid Melander, Reuters) The report says the Catholic church showed  “deep, total and even cruel indifference” toward victims of abuse. What Can Mutual Aid Do In a Disaster? (by Miguel Petrosky) “Nobody I knew, [was] predicting a viral pandemic, but we were poised to react to disaster in ways that most people weren’t,” said one organizer.

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From the Magazine Solidarity in the Face of Genocide (by Bill Clark) Will we stand with our Uyghur neighbors?

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Salt of the Earth: A Series on African American Spirituality How did Black leaders of faith shape and influence the Civil Rights Movement? Join Cranaleith Spiritual Center on October 16 for part two of a three-part series on African American Spirituality! Getting (Biblically) Real About Money Join activist-theologian Ched Myers and economist Susan Taylor for real talk about what the Bible says about wealth, redistribution, jubilee, and sabbath. Does being a follower of Jesus influence how you earn, spend, save, and distribute? Register now for this virtual workshop on October 15-16. Hosted by Faith and Money Network.

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