This week is Canada Day and July 4, two celebrations of national life in North America. Both holidays are particularly complicated – even painful – this year as citizens in both Canada and the United States struggle with legacies of colonialism and racism in history and our political lives.

Inspired by Mark Gerzon’s book of the same name, director Ben Rekhi’s of-the-moment documentary shares stories of everyday Americans on the courageous journey of bridging our political and racial divides.

And will those feet in modern time,
Walk upon earth’s fair mountains green?

This expansive, like-hearted community transcends race, orientation, gender, religious tradition, political affiliation, and nation of origin—and finds its affinity in the deeper place of our shared humanity, which is the True North of his writing. This collection lovingly pulls together some of John’s most widely-read and most beloved essays on faith, politics, grief, and the elemental parts of being human.

The critical first step in harnessing the power of intersectionality is to convince activists of all stripes it’s in their best interest to move forward together. When this happens on a grand scale, the synergy possible will be extraordinary.

Wow! To me the events of the last 24 hours feel like The Empire Strikes Back. It feels like evil is kicking our butts, defying the dream of democracy.

In 2018, the evangelical scholar Walter Brueggemann boldly departed from the twin evils of American Christian Evangelicals – fawning approval and cowardly silence about the evils of privilege and oppression that have resulted in “our socio-political circumstance.”

One of the struggles many millennials have with organized religion in general is the inability of the older generations to adapt, change, or entertain new ideas and new ways of thinking. This is an issue each generation bumps up against, but this generation and this subject don’t seem to be finding a middle ground.

Beginning January 16, 2020, join co-hosts Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza and Rev. Anna Golladay as they explore conversations fueled by analysis and activism, all in pursuit of getting our collective hands dirty to achieve social liberation.

It is easy to get so caught upin the business and troublesof our own lives,

If we pay attention, the Christmas story is a mirror held up for us to see that we live in a country where the government locks thousands of migrant children into dog cages, sexually abusing some, torturing others, and allowing many to die while the church is largely compliant and silent. And we seriously wonder if this government might actually win election approval from poor church goers in a few months. Merry Christmas?

Lo Divino nos está llamando
The Divine is calling us
para liberar a los cautivos,
to bring release to the captives,

December 10 is Human Rights Day and to honour this important global occasion, we bring you a film sure to inspire the exploration of a common thread we all share: our humanity.

The weight of the status quo bears down on even the well intended and well informed so that we assume that all change comes by degrees, in small incremental moves. It persuades us to believe that only moderate progressives can ever win election and that most of what progressives want (universal health care, an end to racism, aggressive work to save the planet, a universal basic income, a compassionate immigration policy) is unobtainable.

In 2017 five-year-old Julia traveled with her mother, Guadalupe, from Honduras to the United States. Her harrowing journey took her through Mexico in the cargo section of a tractor trailer. Then she was separated from her mother, who was held hostage by smugglers.

We have a very difficult time admitting it. But in order to be healthy and whole and to become the people we want to be (and think we are), it is necessary to come to terms with this. The truth will set us free.

Have you ever paused to consider that dialogue between people of different Christian and non-Christian religious traditions is actually a way to respect life itself?

Hosted by author and pastor Brandan Robertson, Patchwork brings together various voices and perspectives on the topics of spirituality, social justice, and culture to help you expand your mind and tap into a richer, fuller life.