In honor of Shared Justice’s 10th anniversary, I interviewed (my former supervisor) the woman who turned the idea for Shared Justice into a reality. In 2012, Katie Thompson started out at CPJ as the Editor of Shared Justice. The program grew significantly under her leadership and expanded into broader programming for young adults through the Hatfield Prize, CPJ’s internship program, in-person and online events, and so much more. Here’s an edited version of our conversation about the publication. Emily: When did you start working for CPJ? How were you first connected with CPJ? Katie: I started working for CPJ in August […]

Families that need child care services often struggle to afford it, and yet, at the same time, providers often lack sufficient income to adequately pay staff and ensure quality of services.

Five terms, two books, and one tribute Ron Sider, a faithful servant and inspiring Christian intellectual, is now with Jesus—that is, now with Jesus in person. What a humble and yet vastly influential believer he was! His faith was active, leading, among other places, to practical political involvement. He challenged fellow Christians, including himself, to stay biblical, not swept along by other currents. His activism was hopeful, for, whatever the present results, he knew that King Jesus would triumph. He was a bridge builder in politics, despite deep polarization. He was indefatigable, never ceasing to act and persuade.  Seen by many as a liberal Christian, it is […]

In a 6-3 decision issued on June 21, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Maine may not exclude private schools that provide religious instruction from its tuition assistance program. Most rural public school districts in Maine do not operate a public secondary school, instead having parents choose a private school and then paying the required tuition on their behalf. However, Maine claimed that the U.S. Constitution prohibited it from paying the tuition of schools that not only have a religious identity but also teach from a religious perspective. According to the Court, the opposite is the constitutional requirement: under a […]

On May 5, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that, in line with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), it now interprets the prohibition of sex discrimination in programs it funds as also prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). The school lunch and breakfast programs, and the summer meals program, are subject to the federal Title IX civil rights law, which bans sex discrimination, and thus now also SOGI discrimination—but Title IX has a strong exemption for religious organizations. (The FNS programs that subsidize meals in […]