Letters: December 2018

Football Is All Wrong

Bradford William Davis’ article about football (“A Deal with the Devil,” September-October 2018) has it right! Football is not only unhealthy for kids’ bodies, it’s also unhealthy for their psyches. Football exemplifies all that’s wrong: It’s “won” through hurting opponents more than they hurt you, it’s full of trash talk, and those who are proficient in it proclaim themselves deities, expecting lionization and abusing others. 

Horace Brown King
Binghamton, New York

Unions Are Already Great

I was greatly encouraged to read Tony Campolo’s article in support of unions (“Make Unions Great Again,” September-October 2018). However, I fear its title may be misleading. Many unions are already great—despite terrible odds—and millions of workers are using them to lift each other into the middle class. Christians should hold one another accountable to practicing love through solidarity, speak truth in love with other Christians, and work alongside other workers to transform our labor-law regime into one that respects the rights of workers and encourages democracy in the workplace.

G.H. Ian Elder
Washington, D.C.

Provocative and Timely

The September-October 2018 issue of Sojourners should be complimented on its provocative and timely articles. I am grateful for the perspective offered in them, which needs to be heard in all faith communities. “A Combination of Cruelty and Ineptitude,” by Jim Wallis, should be read by every member of Congress and result in adoption of appropriate legislation without delay. 

John Hayner
Clearwater, Florida

Indigenous Spirituality

Thank you for the article “Native Activists Show the Way” (by Bill McKibben) in the August 2018 issue. I value and support Indigenous people’s efforts to be voices for creation and justice. When I first learned of Indigenous spirituality that honors the holiness and connectedness of all of creation, I no longer felt alone in my spiritual beliefs and experience. I’ve come to see that Indigenous spiritual traditions are not all that different from original Christian traditions. 

Douglas J. Jacobson
Wahkon, Minnesota

False Dichotomy

In the August 2018 column “Individualism Wins,” Danny Duncan Collum criticizes Rob Bell and his fans for their individualistic approach to Christianity and advocates for “big, broad, and truly diverse [church] institutions.” He says, “Most Americans today don’t need a Christianity ... grounded in the affirmation of their uniqueness and freedom of choice” but rather Christianity grounded in “solidarity and interdependence.” This is a false dichotomy. Each of us must affirm our uniqueness as a precious child of God and accept freedom in Christ to meaningfully live in solidarity and interdependence with others. In our current political climate, we need Christians who think. We also need a theology of the principalities and powers, especially one that challenges “big, broad” church institutions that support today’s domination system.

Sharon Delgado
Nevada City, California