Weekly Wrap 9.21.18: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week | Sojourners

Weekly Wrap 9.21.18: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

1. The Quiet Evangelical Campaign to Help Republicans Hold onto the House and Senate

The Faith and Freedom Coalition, Focus on the Family’s Family Policy Alliance, and more are stepping up their ground game — and spending millions of dollars — to stave off a blue wave.

2. This Is How #MeToo Has Moved the Needle in Churches

In 2014, protestant pastors were surveyed about how they talk about sexual and domestic violence in their congregations. Results were dismal. In 2018, after nearly a year of #MeToo revelations, the survey was conducted again — here’s what’s changed.

3. We Prioritize Boys’ Suffering at Girls’ Expense

Should 17-year-old boys be held responsible later in life for alleged sexual assault? That depends on whose pain we value most.

4. Why We Need Womanist Theology

“Women are honored for their talents but silenced when it comes time for critique. This is the burden of black women who carry the cargo of worshipping Jesus under the leadership of sexist men.”

5. Hurricane Colonialism: The Economic, Political, and Environmental War on Puerto Rico

From The Intercepted podcast: “The reality is that U.S. colonialist history in Puerto Rico, the laws that the United States has imposed on this island nation and the ravenous Wall Street vultures that have descended at different times on Puerto Rico — all of these forces and factors have played a major role in this catastrophe. The disaster in Puerto Rico was certainly not just the result of the power of the hurricanes and extreme weather.”

6. Photographer Shahidul Alam's Arrest Reveals the Horrifying Conditions for Journalists in South Asia

This is no country for impassioned op-eds, or international Skype calls, which can let the world know of how cramped the democracy is with hate speech, social media propaganda, and open threats. 

7. The Unlikely Endurance of Christian Rock

“Earlier this year, Dennis Quaid co-starred in a feature film called ‘I Can Only Imagine,’ which tells the story of how Bart Millard came to write the ballad of the same name, one of the most beloved Christian rock songs of all time. Most non-churchgoing Americans have likely never heard of the film, the song, or the singer. And yet ‘I Can Only Imagine,’ which came out in March, has grossed eighty-three million dollars.”

8. Faith Leaders Show Up for Climate Justice

The faith community is an important voice as leaders respond to the emergency of climate change. The spiritual qualities of a Christian life – compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness, and courage – can serve as a touchstone for all scared, grieving, and lost people.

9. Why Hurricanes Hit Immigrants the Hardest

After Harvey, “the Houston-area immigrant community suffered more economic damage and received less aid, compared to their non-immigrant neighbors. Some of that disparity was driven by fears and uncertainty created by the Trump administration’s crackdown on legal and illegal immigration. For North Carolina towns devastated by Hurricane Florence—where immigrants have increasingly settled in the last few decades—the report serves as a warning of the threat that may lie ahead.”

10. She Reported Her Rape. Her Hometown Turned Against Her. Can Justice Ever Be Served?

If you’ve bookmarked or seen in your feed a bunch of times but haven’t clicked, take some time this weekend to read this powerful piece by Washington Post’s Elizabeth Bruenig.