Thursday, July 2, 2026

SojoMail - Jesus, algae, and America's birthday

By Betsy Shirley
Editor in Chief, Sojourners

Last week, I was lying silently on my mat at the end of yoga class when a B-2 bomber suddenly blasted overhead, en route downtown for one of President Trump’s “Freedom 250” celebrations. I wasn’t thrilled: A plane that can drop 60,000 pounds of nuclear weapons on our enemies celebrates a very particular kind of “freedom.”

As a D.C. resident, it’s been extra-hard to ignore what Adam Russell Taylor calls the “hyper-partisan and nationalistic nature” in many of the planned celebrations for the U.S. sesquicentennial. And given that, I’ve felt a not-very-Christ-like twinge of satisfaction watching the never-ending algae saga in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool or reports of low crowds at the president’s “Great American State Fair.”

But our calling as Christians isn’t to smirk as Trump’s July 4 celebrations flounder, Adam reminds us. Instead, Adam points to the work of the biblical prophets, which never ended with merely condemning evil. “If Trump’s hubris is all we see as we observe this national milestone, we’re missing the bigger story,” he writes.

Elsewhere this week: While navigating severe blackouts, several Cuban Christians used their limited electricity to talk with my colleague Ethan Meyers about the crisis their country is facing—one that deserves more attention. We’re thinking about the uncertain future of a faith-supported reparations project and the next stage of solidarity with migrants now that the Supreme Court has ended Temporary Protected Status for Syrians and Haitians. And if you’re looking to escape the heat this weekend, you may want to sit in the dark and watch a show that simultaneously evokes Stephen King and the late theologian Walter Wink.

Celebrating America Without Losing Our Soul (by Adam Russell Taylor)

If Trump’s hubris is all we see as we observe this national milestone, we’re missing the bigger story.

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As U.S. Blockade Squeezes Cuba, Christians Push Solidarity Over Sanctions (by Ethan Meyers)

In between long blackouts, Cuban Christians ask their U.S. counterparts to remember the embargo “isn’t a faraway policy.”

Faith Leaders Say End of TPS is a ‘Moral Failure,’ May Tear Families Apart (by Bekah McNeel)

The Supreme Court declined to restrain the administration’s ending of Temporary Protected Status. Advocates fear for refugee families.

The Ghosts in ‘Widow’s Bay’ Reminded Me Why I Believe in God (by Abby Olcese)

Apple TV's hit series is like if ‘Parks and Rec’ was written by Stephen King... with a dash of Walter Wink's theology, for good measure.

My Church Supported Our City’s Reparations Program. Trump Wants to End It (by Michael Woolf)

The DOJ is attacking faith communities like mine who support Evanston’s reparations program.

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Last Chance to Order the June Special Issue

Sojourners has a very limited number of June magazines (our special issue on Christian responses to America's 250th birthday) still available. The cost for 5 copies, including shipping, is $50. To place an order, please email magsubs@sojo.net and include your name, address, and phone number.

Action Alert: End the Blockade Against Cuba

Join us now to contact Congress and demand an end to hostilities against Cuba. In this moment, we must follow the best traditions of our faith and extend our hand to Cuba in love and charity. Demand that we start true diplomatic talks paired with natural disaster aid for the island while respecting the Cuban people’s right to determine their own government.

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