SOJOMAIL & VERSE AND VOICE FROM SOJOURNERS: UK King Charles and a wannabe king 30APR26

 

By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners This week, King Charles III became the second British monarch to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The irony was thick: The king used his speech to praise the virtues of democracy to a country that, 250 years ago, leveled a laundry list of grievances at Charles’ own five-times-great grandfather. Meanwhile, the White House released a photo of Charles and President Donald Trump captioned: “TWO KINGS.” When kings praise democracy and presidents style themselves as kings, it’s easy to just laugh bitterly at the ridiculousness of our present political moment. But as José Humphreys III writes in his latest column, ignoring these feelings of bitterness primes us for resentment and even a longing for vengeance. Instead, he suggests an alternate strategy for finding relief. Elsewhere this week, a church brings dementia out of the shadows, a Broadway musical considers joy amid the pain of miscarriage, and film critic Zachary Lee explores why space films like Project Hail Mary move us to awe. Plus: a Wheaton professor/manga superfan considers why that cartoon pirate flag you may have seen at protests can be an inspiration to Jesus followers. I Won’t Let Resentment Determine Who I Become (by José Humphreys III) What Nelson Mandela’s life can teach us about healing and liberation. Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories A Musical About Miscarriage and the Strange Work of Joy (by Jim McDermott) “The depth of the grief shows the depth of the love,” Shaun Benson, co-creator of ‘My Joy Is Heavy!’ told Sojourners. “You don’t have the one without the other.” Read more My Father Has Alzheimer’s. A Church Became Our Refuge (by Courtney E. Martin) America is getting older. The need for a public awakening around dementia and Alzheimer’s is only going to get bigger in the years ahead.  Read more From Artemis II to Cinema, Why Are We Drawn to Space Stories? (by Zachary Lee) ‘Project Hail Mary,’ ‘Prometheus,’ and four other films that bring the “Overview Effect” down to Earth. Read more From the Magazine: The Manga Jolly Roger That Became a Global Protest Symbol (by Chuck Liu) Why the messianic pirate hero of ‘One Piece’ is a lot like Jesus. Read more Advertisements Catholic Charities: Neighbors Helping Neighbors When neighbors help neighbors, hope blossoms. For more than a century, 169 Catholic Charities agencies have served communities across the country and down the street, no matter beliefs or differences. Be the hope around the corner — in your neighborhood, nationwide. Learn more and volunteer at PeopleofHope.us. Serve as a Jesuit Volunteer in the Pacific Northwest Where will next year take you? Use your skills to make a real difference. Live in a community passionate about faith and justice. Rise to this moment. Become a Jesuit Volunteer. Learn more about a service year in the Pacific Northwest at jvcnorthwest.org. Forward this email to someone you know who would like it! Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Verse of the day Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. - Colossians 3:9-10 Voice of the day To know // the spirit is my beloved. To come to things—swift / as a ray of light, or a look. / To live as I write: spare—the way / God asks me—and friends do not. - Marina Tsvetaeva, “I am happy living simply” Prayer of the day As we work toward a better reality, may we approach you and one another with honesty. Advertisement Our Latest Stories My Father Has Alzheimer’s. A Church Became Our Refuge (by Courtney E. Martin) The need for a public awakening around dementia and Alzheimer’s is only going to get bigger in the years ahead. Read more A Musical About Miscarriage and the Strange Work of Joy (by Jim McDermott) “The depth of the grief shows the depth of the love,” Shaun Benson, co-creator of ‘My Joy Is Heavy!’ told Sojourners. Read more Christian Zionism Helped Bring the Right Together. Now, It's Driving It Apart (by Rubin McClain) MAGA and Zionist Christians’ failures have been laid bare for an opportunity to chart a new path. Read more 20 More Bible Verses For President Trump to Read (by The Editors) And, ideally, reflect on, after he kicks off the week-long event “America Reads the Bible” with 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. Read more Advertisements Legacy finds common ground in African wisdom traditions Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible compares almost 300 African proverbs with Bible verses. Discover: African expressions of the golden rule, African versions of loving one’s enemies and welcoming the stranger, and much more! Finding common ground has never been more urgent. African idea of sankofa—“go back and get it”—tells us that we can go forward by looking to the past. Unfiltered conversation about faith: God Talk with Medene & James When millions of us are disaffected from the faith we grew up with, God Talk provides honest, unassuming dialogue. Public theology in the service of fellowship, social justice, and self-actualization. Medene - a Black Catholic with Pentecostal roots, James - a gay Catholic from the farm. Join the conversation! Let's talk. Donate Subscribe

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VERSE AND VOICE FROM SOJOURNERS 9JUL25

 

Forward this email to someone you know who would like it! Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday. Verse of the day Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. - Colossians 3:9-10 Voice of the day If we want injustice in the world to die, parts of us have to die too. - Daniel José Camacho, “Who Am I?” Prayer of the day God, help us shed the parts of ourselves that uphold injustice so we may be renewed in your image and live as people of truth, justice, and love. Advertisement Our Latest Stories In War-Fueled Societies, We’re All Zombies (by Matt Bernico) 28 Years Later urges us to interrogate the systems of violence that comprise the background of human life. Read more The Big Blasphemous Bill (by C. Andrew Doyle) The GOP’s sweeping legislation would make it official: The economy is America’s god, and people will be sacrificed on its altar. Read more I'm Not Letting Christian Nationalists Ruin My July Fourth (by Adam Russell Taylor) True patriotism always includes confronting our nation's flaws — and working toward something better. Read more The Christian Rapper Who Thinks You’re Loving the Wrong Neighbor (by Josiah R. Daniels) Josiah R. Daniels talks with Dylan Phillips about how we treat our neighbors (the ones we like and the ones we may not). Read more Advertisements Lead with purpose: CFO opportunity at Everence now open Everence is a faith-based financial services organization seeking a CFO to lead with vision and stewardship. This role supports a long-standing mission of empowering individuals, churches, and organizations to live out their values through faithful financial decision-making. Lexington Theological Seminary provides affordable, flexible, online education that is 100% asynchronous to fit your busy schedule. Ask about our Certificates that can lead to or transfer into our master's degrees. We have a Pathway Program for those who do not have bachelor's degrees, but seek theological formation to continue answering the call to ministry. Contact Admissions today at admissions@lextheo.edu! Sojourners' Confronting Christian Nationalism Reading List This Bookshop list provides a deep dive into the complex topic of Christian nationalism, the value of religious freedom, and ways to further a fair society. Our Bookshop page features a variety of Sojourners reading lists. When you buy from Bookshop, part of the proceeds goes to support Sojourners' work and local bookstores throughout the country. Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842