by Pat Anderson, editor
The articles found herein express the thoughts and analyses of the plight of Jesus-followers in 2026 America. I use the word “plight” because that is the condition in which we are living. The Cambridge Dictionary definition of that word: an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one. Well, yeah that’s where we are.
But the plural “plights” is the more appropriate word as our current situation is not the result of a single unpleasant condition. Our writers deal with several of those conditions: theological and political conflict, racial terror, transgender (and other) abuse, fascism, violent murderous attacks on human beings in this country perpetrated by fellow Americans who blindly follow government authorities who cultivate hatred, fear and domination.
Also, however, our writers encourage us to seek contemplative patience, to join with other Jesus-followers in resistance, to unleash our moral imagination, to remember the tradition of American social reform, to emulate the thoughts and practices of Bonhoffer, to follow the example of Jesus who faced plights much like the ones we face today.
As I was putting the finishing touches to this issue of Christian Ethics Today, an emphatic exclamation point interrupted my thoughts when Nicole Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. It shook me, pressing upon me a fresh reminder of the urgency of the moment.
I cannot meaningfully add to the words expressed in these pages. Indeed, the content of this journal shows that many variable strains characterize the current plight of the church, any one of which can cause great damage to a congregation. Cody Sanders gives us a marvelous introduction to the content of the journal and his own engagement with students and practitioners who struggle to minister to a lost and hurting society. Our writers have presented significant thoughts, analyses, inspiration, admonishment and gospel-focused affirmation to help us be and do what we profess.
After Nicole Good’s murder, I read the Substack post by William J. Barber, II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove in which they draw an encompassing thought for me on the question of “How Can We Be Faithful Witnesses in This Time of Peril.” I placed it at the end of this collection of articles. Their words place our dilemma in bright illumination:
If the lie at the root of our nation’s crisis is a theological lie, then Christian preachers like us have a special responsibility to proclaim in public the good news that can save us from destruction. We are not hell bent on destroying one another so that greedy oligarchs can extract from the U.S. government as much wealth as possible.
We do not have to accept the lie that our neighbors – even our own kin – are our enemies. We can embrace the moral values of love, mercy, and justice that have pushed this nation toward a more perfect union in its past, and we can use the nonviolent power of truth to build a movement that takes back the tools of our government to reconstruct democracy.
Amen and amen. Selah.
