Our fifth monthly newsletter from Faith Commons is about immigration, coinciding with the new series on immigration on our podcast: Good God.   The second Monday in October is known traditionally as Columbus Day and more recently as Indigenous People’s Day. The Congressional Research Service states that when Congress made Columbus Day a federal holiday in 1968, it believed that “the nation would be honoring the courage and determination which enabled generations of immigrants from many nations to find freedom

Our fourth monthly newsletter from Faith Commons is about being an "Upstander," and learning to speak up and stand up for justice.   The term “Upstander,” first used by diplomat Samantha Power prior to her stint as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N, is widely touted as the morally superior alternative to the silence of a Bystander when responding to an abuse of power. Twenty states, including Texas, mandate teaching the history of the Holocaust to convey the consequences of failing to

Our third monthly newsletter from Faith Commons is not issue-based this month, but a word of comfort and preparation for dark days ahead.   August in Texas. A bittersweet time, as the easier pace of summer gives way to fall’s flurry of activity. The Jewish High Holy Days come early this year, so the month of preparation that precedes the ten days of internal reckoning has begun, and with it a question that anyone of any faith might ask; “What

Our second monthly newsletter from Faith Commons is about Critical Race Theory:   In our monthly newsletter, Faith Commons seeks to break down barriers of communication we may put up when we hear language we don't fully understand. Sometimes terminology can obfuscate or misrepresent the intention of the person using it. We want to practice listening and understanding with compassion so that language becomes a tool for understanding rather than division. Last month, we broached the subject of polarization with regard

Our first monthly newsletter from Faith Commons is about the Israel/Palestine conflict: This monthly newsletter will introduce you to stories, language and strategies that may feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and even at times threatening. Our goal is to build our muscle for thoughtful, nuanced conversations that dig beneath the surface of habitual assumptions and reactions. We want to create a space where relationships rather than slogans inform our thinking. At a time when polarization threatens to reduce every position to “acceptable” or “unacceptable,”