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In this week’s SojoMail, Brooke Foster asks: What should Christians think of the students who persist protesting despite arrest, suspension, and eviction? Just a short walk from my home near Princeton University, students, faculty, staff, and community members have come together to demand the university divest from financial and military support of the state of Israel and release a public statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza — one of many similar protests that have been happening at college campuses across the U.S. over the past two weeks. Stroll by the encampment at any given time, and you’ll see folks of all ages and races gathered together on blankets and tarps sharing crowdfunded hot meals as scholars address the group; kids play and others offer physical and spiritual care, or clean up the encampment grounds. You might hear community announcements, prayer, music, or, at times, chants like “disclose, divest / we will not stop / we will not rest.” These protests on college campuses began late last month, when student activists at Columbia University created a protest encampment, demanding the university transparently disclose financial details and divest from corporations profiting from Israel’s violence. Claiming the peaceful protests posed an immediate threat to public safety, Columbia University president Nemat Shafik called police to campus, sanctioning over 100 student arrests — an attempt to quell the protest through force that only enlivened her students’ fervor and inspired similar student movements across the U.S. On Tuesday, Shafik again called police to Columbia’s campus to arrest students who had occupied Hamilton Hall; on Wednesday, police remained present at several student encampments around the country. But despite more than 1,600 arrests nationwide and threats of institutional disciplinary actions, impassioned students are holding their ground. So, what are we, as Christians, to make of these young people?
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Our Latest Black Girls Are Dancing to Reclaim Their Sacred Worth (by Sara Augustin) TikTok dancers are part of a long tradition of using dance to connect with the Divine. United Methodists Pass Petition Supporting Abortion Rights (by Bekah McNeel) But the denomination may approve its Revised Social Principles which “urge” alternatives to abortion. UMC Officially Removes 40-year Ban on Gay Clergy, LGBTQ+ Weddings (by Heather Brady) The ban was overturned with 93 percent approval, alongside other legislation, by delegates at the church’s General Conference. Chicago Churches Oppose Calls to End City’s Sanctuary Status (by Colton Bernasol) As state and federal government fail to care for migrants, churches are stepping in. |
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From the Magazine Why We Tore Out Our House’s Surveillance System (by Rose Marie Berger) Under whose watchful gaze do we choose to live? |
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