New CC content on environmental activism, eugenics, the Gospel of Barnabas, and more

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** Learning from our forebears
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Hello from Elizabeth Palmer, Century senior editor. I’m filling in for Jon while he takes a well-deserved vacation. (Jon, if you’re reading these words, close your email and get back to relaxing!)

I’ve been thinking lately about how much time and energy it takes to dig into the past—and how in the end it’s usually worth it. One of my favorite new articles is by Warren Lattimore, who spent months researching two women who are known as the mothers of environmental justice, Hazel Johnson and Dollie Burwell ([link removed]) . Burwell and Johnson didn’t know each other until relatively late in their lives, but from early on they each began fighting the same thing: toxic chemical dumping that targeted their poor, Black neighborhoods. These women have much to teach us about community organizing—and persistence!

Looking into history doesn’t always feel like a victory, because sometimes we find things that we’d rather not know. That was the case for us as editors when we began looking into how the Century editors framed conversations about eugenics around 100 years ago. You can read our editorial about what we found (and what lessons we take from it) here ([link removed]) .

There’s more fascinating content below too. Scroll down for Phil Jenkins’s take on the Gospel of Barnabas ([link removed]) (an early modern European text that admits it’s a false prophecy), Melissa Florer-Bixler’s reflections on the pastor’s job of paying attention ([link removed]) , and more.

Email Jon: What’s one lesson from the past that you think the church would benefit from remembering?

[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Editors%E2%80%99%20Picks)
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** Honoring the mothers of environmental justice ([link removed])
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“Touted for its pristine waters and health benefits, Warren County, North Carolina, was the last place one would expect to find a toxic waste dump. That is, Dollie Burwell realized, until you factor in race.”
by Warren Lattimore
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** The racist scientism of our past ([link removed])
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“We are proud of the Century’s social justice heritage, from its social gospel roots to its strong voice against the Japanese internment to the role it played in the civil rights movement. But we can’t look back without a full accounting.”
from the editors
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** A gospel that admits it’s a false prophecy ([link removed])
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“Although named for Barnabas, the book’s true hero is Nicodemus, the one who understands concealed truth. He appreciates when a document is likely to be forged or misleading and can discern truthful writings.”

by Philip Jenkins
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** In the Lectionary for September 17 (Ordinary 24A) ([link removed])
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Miriam’s song of victory prepares hearts to trust God in an uncertain future.
by Ray Speller

Ordinary 24A archives ([link removed])
Get even more lectionary resources with Sunday’s Coming Premium, an email newsletter from the editors of the Christian Century. Learn more ([link removed]) .


** As a pastor, it’s my job to pay attention ([link removed])
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“I collect stories, and I take out the trash when the task is overlooked. I give my unguarded curiosity to scripture and see what comes of it. I listen in prayer, stretching myself to heed what is hidden behind the noise and rush of the day.”

by Melissa Florer-Bixler


** VIDEO: David Bentley Hart interview ([link removed])
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Contributing editor Ross M. Allen chats with theologian David Bentley Hart about Christian metaphysics, philosophy, history, academic theology, and the final end of life.
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