New CC content on land history, problems of ownership, Oppenheimer, and more.

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** Rethinking what land is
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The book that has probably exerted the greatest influence on my faith journey is The Christian Imagination by Willie James Jennings ([link removed]) . In it, Jennings examines the history of Western colonialism and its inseparable connection to church history—and Christian theology. He explores how that theology underpinned the invention of race, the erasure of cultures, and the commodification of land.

I still have so much work to do to reimagine land not as property but as a facilitator of life and identity. Of course a big part of this will be learning from Indigenous voices and wisdom. I’m also grateful for articles that grapple with our impoverished view of land from the settler perspective—like Ben Norquist’s thorough and imaginative land acknowledgement ([link removed]) , or the Century editors’ reflection on what landowners owe Native people ([link removed]) .

Plus more great content below, including a thoughtful review of Oppenheimer ([link removed]) , a poem about a bird’s arresting beauty ([link removed]) , and our video of the week: horror themes in the Bible ([link removed]) with Brandon Grafius.

Email me: What has helped shape your relationship with the land?

Jon Mathieu
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Editors%E2%80%99%20Picks)
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My land acknowledgment ([link removed])

“I am going to retell the story in reverse—beginning with my ownership of the land and tracing it backward toward the Potawatomi. While traditional chronology allows us to think of the past as behind us, reversing it forces us to encounter the ongoing presence of the past.”
by Ben Norquist
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** Restoring the land ([link removed])
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“Nearly all of the land we live on was taken from Native people. What can property owners do to make it right?”
by the Century editors
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** VIDEO: Brandon Grafius on horror in the Bible ([link removed])
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Jon chats with scholar Brandon Grafius about the horror genre and its significant overlap with Christian scripture and spirituality.
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** In the Lectionary for October 29 (Ordinary 30A) ([link removed])
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The nature of God’s judgment is not entirely clear. What has Moses done wrong?
by Kerry Hasler-Brooks

Ordinary 30A 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]) .


** Reckoning with self-destruction ([link removed])
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“The story Oppenheimer is telling is the origin story of modernity’s deep-seated fear: that our own intelligence will ultimately destroy us.”

by Kathryn Reklis


** In a moment . . . ([link removed])
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“The jet black of the bird’s sleek head,
dazzling white of breast and checkered flank,
the sheer bulk of the dark body
a steady, calm sufficiency, utter completeness . . .”

poem by J. Barrie Shepherd
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