When did killing someone become a measure of justice? And when did watching someone die become entertainment? Let’s begin with Christa Pike. On Sept. 30, the state of Tennessee attempted to execute Pike by lethal injection. She was administered two…
Justice does not require spectators
Nearly 20 years ago, I opposed the execution of Saddam Hussein. Not because I believed Hussein was innocent. His regime was responsible for brutality, repression, torture and death on a staggering scale. I opposed his execution because I could not…
What hath justice to do with righteousness?
There are Christians in America who can tell you exactly what righteousness looks like in somebody else’s bedroom but cannot recognize injustice in their own neighborhood. They know which sins keep a person out of the pulpit. They know which…
NBCUSA opens advocacy center in DC
A historically Black denomination has opened an advocacy center in the heart of Washington, D.C., to protect civil rights, champion religious freedom and to be a voice for the poor and marginalized. The National Baptist Convention USA Inc., announced the…
There is no safe space in John Piper’s cruel theology
Jesus orchestrated the brutal murder of your teenage friend and her mom. So says John Piper in a recent “Ask Pastor John” podcast episode titled, “Sovereignty and My Murdered Friend.” The podcast begins by acknowledging it’s a “very heavy episode” before…
Trump faces barrage of lawsuits, loses hundreds of cases
President Donald Trump says courts are “highly politicized” and judges treat him “so unfairly.” It’s true that no previous president has been the subject of so many lawsuits in the first 18 months of a term, but no previous president…
Can justice movements lose their soul?
Public life in America feels increasingly volatile. Anger saturates political discourse. Across the ideological spectrum, our public conversations often mirror the hostility they claim to resist. Many people reach for the language of prophecy to justify the indignation they assume…
What does Amos say about Israel and Gaza?
As the saga in Gaza continued to unfold, Israel partially opened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. While the opening has allowed some medical evacuations and limited returns, it is a modest change when set against the scale…
No justice, no peace
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1940 by Thurgood Marshall. It was America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. “Justice” is a legal term as well as a moral term — legal as seen in the statues…
How might we do justice and love kindness in times like these?
I have been a Christian, a follower of Jesus, my whole life. I was a church kid, one who participated in every activity and wore WWJD bracelets and sang along with the praise band at every youth gathering, confident in…
In conversation with Grace Ji-Sun Kim
Grace Ji-Sun Kim is one of the most prolific and powerful liberation theologians I know, always directing attention to the ways our Christian beliefs in love, justice and mercy can and must help us engage the world. In a time…
Getting peace right: Why justice needs to be baked into ceasefire agreements – including Ukraine’s
Efforts to end the war in Ukraine have grabbed global attention, fueled by debates over U.S. President Donald Trump’s 28-point plan – which many analysts see as favoring Russia – and European attempts to craft a counterproposal.