The Other Journal

In this time of reflection and contemplation as the new year begins, join Richard Jackson on an evening walk through reading this profound poem from our newest issue. https://lnkd.in/gRvP_K7r #tellitslant #theotherjournal #poetry

“I believe that we’re all a little like Joseph; we all limit ourselves by our tried-and-true ways of doing things. We each have our own ways of dealing with personal, spiritual, and professional matters, our own ways of moving through this demanding season of the year.” Feeling a little like Joseph? Spend some time this Advent season with contextual exploration and exhortation shared by Melissa Skelton in “Do Not Be Afraid: A Meditation on Matthew 1:18-25.” https://lnkd.in/gXbRddc9 #theotherjournal #advent

Issue 38: Money has launched! “Whereas money has led its logic to the structuring of doctrinal thought, theology has offered its prestige and mystique to monetary exchange. So the question of Christianity’s relation to and treatment of money is complex, contested, and ongoing.” Join us in exploring these complex conversations: https://lnkd.in/g2htXZj4 #money #theotherjournal #tellitslant

From our Advent issue in the archives, Nathan A. Smith asks “What does it mean to be a people of waiting and how does one wait faithfully?” “In this season of Advent, we recall the future and wait in hopeful longing for the fullness of Christ to be revealed. Still, one may ask, like the Thessalonians, what does it mean to be a people of waiting and how does one wait faithfully? [...] To answer this question and to avoid the pitfalls of thumb-twiddling, antagonism to creation care, and hypersensitivity to the assumed changes in the eschatological winds, I suggest the Eucharist….” https://lnkd.in/gc2cn5vu #advent #theotherjournal #tellitslant

Heading into a holiday weekend with some travel time, and looking for book recommendations? Or are you eager to share the recent read you enjoyed? Please join the conversation in the comments. To begin, here is a book review shared earlier this year from our Editor in Chief Zac Settle, an example of the excellent writing and analysis in The Other Journal. “...the subtitle is “Fifty Entries Against Despair,” and so it should be no surprise the text is such a joy to read. As a priest and editor who spends a lot of time reading theological writing, I find Wiman’s reflections on faith to be a breath of fresh air. He’s pushing himself and his readers to move beyond modes of faith that simply drive toward understanding and answer, as though we can ever arrive at some single, authoritative understanding of ourselves, God, or the mystery of the world itself.” Take a look at The Other Journal archives for relevant content that explores questions of our time in poems, reviews, and creative art. theotherjournal.com #theotherjournal #tellitslant

"They are the whole congregation suspended, still, holding their breaths, bathed in light of the noon-time sun, their shadows under their feet forever. Maybe forever. They look to their brethren, in white, and the preacher in the river, waiting on the Holy Ghost." "Take Me to the Water," Blake Leland's poem from our latest issue on Church, dives into a moment of sacrament captured on film. Read the whole piece on our website: https://lnkd.in/gy5CJ8QG #theotherjournal #tellitslant #poetry #baptism

“It is my hope that Christians today, especially those of us who want our holy book to influence the creation of American laws, will commit to a revolution of values by reading the Bible with intelligence and compassion. Like Ambrose, may we understand and interpret Scripture in such a way that we see all people as children of God who are worthy of the right to live with respect and freedom. Like Thurman, may we come to experience Jesus as a first-century Palestinian Jewish carpenter who led a movement to free himself and others from hunger, sickness, and other forms of oppression. Let those of us who are inspired by the Bible and the history of the Black church ensure that laws and policies are created, passed, enforced, and executed with the love and compassion that God demonstrates for all of creation from Genesis to the Revelation.” Historian and professor Tejai Beulah explores the theology of Howard Thurman and the influence of his grandmother, a former slave, scholarship that encourages intelligent action, transformation of societies, and liberation in heaven and on earth. Read more in our archives from Issue 33: https://lnkd.in/gsHtn9Ni #theotherjournal #tellitslant #transformationalpolitics #theology

Laughing during Communion? Grin and laugh through this surprising and amusing poem, written by Rebecca D. Martin and inspired by Ross Gay, published in our Issue 37: "The Second Time I Laughed during Holy Communion" https://lnkd.in/gUvqXw_E

“Just as the nested reality of a game is constantly affected by the real of the players and the world external to it, so too are we lost in our own imaginary-symbolic reality in which we are constantly being affected and moved by the real beyond us while also being unable to fully symbolize it. Games, thus, give us a chance to straddle two realities, inviting us to do the same with our material lives.” Read more by Paul Hoard in “On Pleasure and Games” from our latest issue. https://lnkd.in/grVNps9w #theotherjournal #tellitslant #boardgames #psychology

Our common commitment is to being a progressive, constructive, and charitable Christian voice that resources readers to love God, love neighbor, and invest in the hope that our world would be further characterized by justice and peace. Our next issue is focused on Money and will include writing in a variety of genres from essays to book reviews, poetry, interviews, and original art. Our goal is to provide readers with provocative and challenging, and nuanced Christian writing on social issues, politics, and theological ideas. Learn more about the journal: https://lnkd.in/g-pTb8NX #theotherjournal #tellitslant