Evangelicals for Social Action

PRISM Feature Stories -- 2007

November-December 2007:

The Faith to Save Mountains
by Josh MacIvor-Andersen
Go tell it on the mountaintop--if you can find one. When coal use goes up, mountains come down. Learn how to speak out against the rape of the land.

Who Will Defend the Widows?
by Mae Elise Cannon
The long-term healthcare crisis in this country casts its heaviest weight on elderly women. What can the church do to lighten their burden?

Insure Justice
by Norm Wetterau
Approximately 45 million Americans lack health insurance. For Christians, speaking to power on behalf of the poor is both obligation and privilege.

The Working Poor
by Charon Hribar and Paul Chapman
Nearly 29 million American children live in low-income households, the majority of them with at least one working parent. God doesn't tolerate unjust wages--why do we?

Even in Our Church?
by Al Miles
A national expert on intimate-partner violence looks at the growing abuse among dating teens and outlines prevention and intervention strategies.

September-October 2007:

Note: To read our full cover story about the victimization behind prostitution, select "Prostituting Justice" below. This link includes all four articles, which together constitute the full September-October 2007 cover story. Individual parts of the cover story can be accessed at the indented links below.

Prostituting Justice
The auction block is alive and well in the North American sex trade

     Portrait of Exploitation
     by Laura Coulter
    A compelling call for the church to follow Jesus' example by embracing the victims behind the vice.

    Sophia's Circle
     by Amy Durkee
    Former prostitutes come together for a time of healing and renewal and in the process become part of a sisterhood network.

    Prostitution: Pathway to Incarceration for American Females
     by Lisa L. Thompson
    As the female prison population increases at alarming rates, it's time we understood prostitution's role as gateway to the crimes that are putting women behind bars.

    Traffic Stopper
    Donna M. Hughes, a leading international researcher on sex trafficking, explains the relationship between sex trafficking and prostitution.

Holy Mammon
by Bruce Wydick
A look at why microfinance represents one of the most exciting and dynamic movements of our time in the fight against world poverty.

July-August 2007:

A New Day in Afghanistan
by Mary Kate MacIsaac
Change is hard won in this war-ravaged and tradition-bound country, but education is at last becoming an embraceable possibility for Afghan women and girls.

What About Baby Doe?
by Michael J. Hoggatt
The Christian pro-life argument will never have teeth until the church begins to value all life, starting with those of God's children who live with disabilities.

"A Nation of Corneliuses"
by Debbie Meroff
More "presence evangelism" is needed in the poverty-stricken Muslim country of Yemen, whose people are eager to know God.

Church Emerging
by Brian D. McLaren
As a new community of believers emerges, can we discard our ideas of Western centricity and join this living-color, global community of faith?

May-June 2007:

Reel Life
by Laura Coulter
Movies satisfy our need for stories that help us make sense of the world. They can also provide us with meaningful ways to stretch our faith and enrich our connections with those around us.

And They'll Know We Are Christians by Our ... Shove?
by Warren Rachele
Cooperating across denominational and faith lines demonstrates sound stewardship of the social capital available in any community. But how good are we at doing it?

Gettin' the Hype on Hip Hop
by Dan White Hodge
It's time for the church to step out of its comfort zone and engage with the influential and enduring culture of Hip Hop.

Where Justice, Mercy, and Compassion Converge
by Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr.
Immigration is one of the worst public-policy failures of our time, and it's time that we address it.

March-April 2007:

Globalization and the Poor
by Bruce Wydick
A Christian economist urges believers to "think smart" about globalization and ensure it is used to benefit the world's poor.

"Bury Me Standing"
by Jeff C. Stevenson
In the face of bigotry, bureaucratic obstacles, and crippling poverty, the transforming love of Christ reaches out to Romania's Gypsy population.

Re-Imagining Relocation
by Eric Iverson
Is there a way to walk with the poor without relocating to the inner city?

Calling All Josephs
by Vanessa Burke
An African American pastor discovers a deep and life-affirming link between her own life and church and those of her African brothers and sisters.

January-February 2007:

One Builds Coalitions for Justice, Another Builds Family Life Centers
by Dennis Hollinger
How is it that Christians with the same theological commitments, and even similar social goals, implement their social ethic in such different ways?

Handmade Hope, Homegrown Faith
by Christy Lambertson
Cooperative sisterhood brings spiritual and economic empowerment to the women of an impoverished village in Juarez, Mexico.

The Dangers of Evangelical Nostalgia
by Todd Lake
Yearning for an earlier "Golden Age" of faith, when doubts were fewer and Christians more faithful? Then it's time to reach for the nearest history book ...

The Bishop and the Mango Tree
by Karen Moderow
A visionary Balinese pastor brings new life to the local church by redeeming, rather than discarding, the native culture.