“There’s nowhere we can go where God is not”: Abortions Welcome, Sacred Reflection, and the Transformative Power of Ritual

We live in very, very loud times. From the constant alerts on our phones to the almost unending din of political rhetoric, finding time for quietude, reflection, and ritual — even in our most vulnerable moments — feels increasingly difficult.  Yet these are the moments when rituals become all the more important. In these times…

“If enough of us speak, the world will listen”: Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom (SYRF) and the next generation of RCRC leaders

Here’s the thing about Gen Z: We’re tired, but we’re committed. Young adults are some of the most disempowered people in our society, but many of us have been fighting for justice since we were in high school, if not earlier. As the “mass-shooting generation,” we haven’t had the luxury of waiting for established organizers…

“Hope is not optimism”: Rev. Aaron Payson and the past—and future—of the religious movement for reproductive rights

In our line of work, there are three words that I hear more and more often: choice, faith, and hope. Choice and faith, in the context of the religious movement for reproductive health, rights, and justice, are relatively straightforward. For many of us, the personal — rather than the political — framework of choice is…

Compassion: Toward a More Just Society

by Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson   What kind of society do we want to be? This is a question I ask audiences of undergraduate students, law school students, faith communities — everywhere I can. The top two answers I hear every time: compassionate and just.   In his Nobel lecture in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “A great nation is a compassionate nation.” According to the Dalai Lama XIV, “Love…