''Sojourners''
is a
progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
organization Sojourners, which arose out of the
Sojourners Community
The Sojourners Community is an intentional community that was started in the early 1970s by a group of students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The founders had the desire to further explore the relationship between their orthodox Protesta ...
. It was first published in 1971 under the original title of ''The Post-American''. The magazine and online publication feature reporting, commentary, and analysis on
Christianity and politics
The relationship between Christianity and politics is a historically complex subject and a frequent source of disagreement throughout the history of Christianity, as well as in modern politics between the Christian right and Christian left. There ...
, the church and
social issues,
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
, and Christian living. Articles frequently feature coverage of
fair trade,
interfaith dialogue
Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...
,
peacemaking
Peacemaking is practical conflict transformation focused upon establishing equitable power relationships robust enough to forestall future conflict, often including the establishment of means of agreeing on ethical decisions within a community, ...
, and work to alleviate
poverty. The offices of the magazine are in Washington, D.C.
Sandi Villarreal has served as editor-in-chief since August 2020.
Adam Russell Taylor succeeded founder
Jim Wallis
James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian commu ...
as president in November 2020.
History
''Sojourners'' magazine was originally published in 1971 under the name ''The Post American'', coming out of the
Sojourners Community
The Sojourners Community is an intentional community that was started in the early 1970s by a group of students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The founders had the desire to further explore the relationship between their orthodox Protesta ...
. The name was changed to ''Sojourners'' in 1975, when the community moved from
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an academic divinity school founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. It is part of and located on the main campus of Trinity International University. It†...
in
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield is a north shore suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion extending into Cook County, Illinois. The population was 19,196 at the 2020 census. Deerfield is home to the headquarters of Walgreens Bo ...
, to
Columbia Heights in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The mission of ''Sojourners'' is "to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world."
The magazine was originally published quarterly, then every other month, and since January 2004 has been published eleven times per year, with a single issue published for September and October.
The Sojourners Collection is maintained by
Wheaton College in its archives and special collections. Collected materials include magazine issues, correspondence, original manuscripts and administrative papers, as well as information on the Sojourners Community, founder Wallis, and other communities and organizations affiliated with the publisher.
Other activities
Along with the magazine, ''Sojourners'' also produces a website, sojo.net.
In 2010, Wallis was interviewed in episode six of ''God in America'', a documentary featured on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
from ''
Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
'' and ''
American Experience
''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...
''.
Sojourners CEO Wallis served as a member of President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
's
Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, which advises the president and White House staff on a range of concerns. ''Sojourners'' has organized high-level meetings with the White House and political leaders on both sides of the aisle.
Recent work
Responding to the global economic crisis
Wallis's latest book, published in January 2010, is ''Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street''. As part of his nationwide book tour, Wallis was interviewed on ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
with Jon Stewart'', ''
Morning Joe'' on MSNBC, and PBS's ''
The Tavis Smiley Show
''The Tavis Smiley Show'' was an American public broadcasting radio talk show.
Public Radio International
''The Tavis Smiley Show'' was broadcast on Public Radio International (PRI). It was a one-hour weekly program featuring interviews with new ...
''. The Jon Stewart interview and the first chapter of Wallis's book, "Sunday School with Jon Stewart", are on their sojo.net website.
Immigration reform
Sojourners is leading faith groups in support of comprehensive immigration work through its Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform campaign. As a June 2010
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
panel on "Religious Activism and the Debate over Immigration Reform" affirmed, "largely because of the activism of these religious groups, immigration has remained on a legislative agenda crowded with other pressing domestic concerns." A ''Sojourners'' letter to President Obama – calling for leadership on immigration reform that reflects the nation's best values – was signed by more than 40 prominent faith leaders and 28 national organizations. ''Sojourners'' was one of the primary faith organizers of the March 21, 2010, national immigration rally that brought 200,000 people to Washington, D.C. As part of a coalition of evangelical groups, ''Sojourners'' came out in full support for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants as part of any immigration reform legislation in the United States on March 18, 2013. Wallis stated that it was part of a "sea change" in the evangelical community, driven in part by the increasing numbers of immigrants in congregations. He went on to state that evangelical leaders have concluded that "we don't believe there are second-class images of God, and therefore we don't believe in a second-class status for people who are willing to follow an earned path to citizenship."
Climate change, green energy, and the Gulf oil spill
Sojourners urged constituents to reduce energy use and advocate for laws that hold polluters accountable, support
green energy
Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...
technology, and prioritize people and the planet above corporate interests. It mobilized its grassroots base and engaged in advocacy at the highest levels in support of action to stop
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. Faith leaders called for increasing funding from Congress to help the most vulnerable communities worldwide who are affected by climate change. Wallis led a delegation of faith leaders who traveled to the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de MĂ©xico) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
for a listening tour sponsored by the
Sierra Club. A reporter from CNN participated in the delegation and covered the
Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...
tour.
Rejecting LGBT advertising
In 2011, the ''Sojourners'' website, sojo.net, rejected a Mother's Day advertisement from Believe Out Loud that featured a same-sex couple.
Author
Becky Garrison wrote that she "lost
erposition on the ''Sojourners'' masthead for protesting their rejection of an LGBT welcome ad."
Countering extremism
Wallis and other faith leaders played an important behind-the-scenes role in preventing the
Quran burning by pastor
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team.
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...
on September 11, 2010. Wallis's opinion piece in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
's'' "Sunday Outlook" section describes the role he and other faith leaders played.
The article also highlights how the welcoming stance of a church in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
had global implications in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and what that could teach us about
interfaith
Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...
understanding and fighting terrorism. The column was reprinted in newspapers globally, including in publications with predominantly
Muslim audiences.
Notes
External links
*
Records of Sojourner, 1920–2004 (inclusive), 1975–2002 (bulk): A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
{{authority control
1971 establishments in Illinois
Bimonthly magazines published in the United States
Evangelical magazines
American Christian political organizations
Magazines established in 1971
Magazines published in Illinois
Magazines published in Washington, D.C.
Modern liberal magazines published in the United States
Monthly magazines published in the United States
Quarterly magazines published in the United States
Religious magazines published in the United States