SojoMail - Soul care for weary activists

View this email in your browser This week: Building our nests, the future of USAID according to faith aid groups, and lessons from past deportations that can help us today. Soul Care for Weary Activists For this week’s SojoMail, we’re sending you the cover story of the new issue of Sojourners magazine — an essay by Edgar Rivera Colón about what we actually need in lieu of commodified self-care: Like the author of the First Letter of John, we are living in a time for “testing the spirits.” That is, we must discern the forms of freedom, or unfreedom, offered to us as we read the signs of our historical moment — a time in which the catastrophic is often our daily bread. Many of us have made homes in religious traditions where we have found collective love, care, community-building, and resilience. But so much of what passes as spiritual in the United States — churches who only see their work as therapeutic, prosperity gospel proponents, white evangelical nationalists, New Age movements — is commodification by other means. John warns us against false prophets who, through quick fixes and distorted spiritual comforts, foster division and confusion in the service of lucrative self-aggrandizement. I am an ordained minister in the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and I work as a movement chaplain in Los Angeles. I was trained as a spiritual director, and I have been doing ministry with faith-rooted activists since 2016. My work is informed by my primary training as a medical anthropologist and community researcher. I know that Jesus said that we humans are of more value than many sparrows, but I’ve found that we are a lot like them. We need refuge and sustenance. We need shelter. We need to nest somewhere. But with whom shall we do this for the short and long haul? And where shall we build our nests? Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories Faith Aid Groups Say Trump and Musk Have Permanently Damaged USAID (by Bekah McNeel) “I don’t think there’s any going back to the USAID we once knew ... God is a miracle worker, but the writing is on the wall,” Rev. Heather Taylor said. Read more How Many Americans Are Christian Nationalists, Really? (By Mitchell Atencio) In late January, the Pew Research Center released a study of religious nationalism worldwide, including in the U.S. The results? Only 6% of Americans fit Pew’s definition of “Christian nationalist.” Read more Why Does a Theologian Write a Memoir? (By Mitchell Atencio) As a theologian and ethicist, Gary Dorrien’s legacy is enormous. But he told Sojourners his new memoir isn’t primarily about him. Read more From the Magazine: I’ve Witnessed Mass Deportations Before (by William Browning) Lessons after ICE removed my neighbors from a Mississippi chicken plant. Read more Advertisements Stop Comparing, Stop Competing — Redefine Success In a world consumed by achievement, the pressure to succeed can feel overwhelming. Stop Trying to Be Successful offers a refreshing perspective. Pete Portal invites readers to redefine success through faith — letting go of comparison and pressure to embrace a life where success isn’t measured by achievement, but by faithfulness to your calling. Join Us for Faithful Witness Wednesdays Come together with Sojourners and partners from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community for a series of faithful witness events at the Capitol every Wednesday in March, beginning March 5. These vigils will remain nonpartisan and interfaith while calling on Congress to act justly and exercise moral courage. Register at the link above. Explore Faith, Community, and Justice Do you know a recent college grad or someone seeking a meaningful career who is interested in faith and social justice? Sojourners’ year-long fellowship program is a time to explore the intersection of faith, vocation, and social justice all within a supportive Christian community. Learn more today and apply by March 10, 2025. Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842