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** Kismet, serendipity, or providence
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Sometimes events coincide in such a way that it feels like somehow it was meant to be. I enjoy even very small examples of that, like the one I have for you today. Last week in my faith community, one of our leaders cited ideas from both Mary Daly and Phylis Trible. The next day here at work, we finished edits on a tribute for Trible, who died last month ([link removed]) —a tribute that mentions Daly’s influence on her thinking.

Our other new articles may not feature in my personal coincidence stories, but they are pretty fascinating in their own right. Two new pieces provide firsthand accounts of protests at the ICE facility outside Chicago: an essay from pastor Michael Woolf (who, after writing this piece, was shot by an ICE officer) about the implicit—or explicit—theology of ICE ([link removed]) , and a video chat with writer Tom Montgomery Fate, who describes for me the religious history and bent of these protests ([link removed]) .

Scroll down for even more great content. We have a new column about a Black church and a White church teaming up to share songs ([link removed]) , an essay about the relentless gaze of God ([link removed]) in the Christ Pantocrater icon, a reflection from Peter Marty on the power of art to change us ([link removed]) , and even more below.

Jon Mathieu
Email me (mailto:[email protected]?subject=A%20coincidence%20(or%20something%20more%3F)&body=Jon%2C%20) : Do you have any stories of lovely or eerie coincidences?
(Lunchtime chats temporarily disabled during travel season!)
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** Born a feminist ([link removed])
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“Trible’s work energized many, often younger, scholars in biblical studies—along with countless Christian preachers who found her interpretations both accessible and preachable.”

by Susanne Scholz
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** When Caesar gets demanding ([link removed])
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“‘What will be God’s,’ asks Tertullian, ‘if all things are Caesar’s?’ It’s a challenging question at a time when the state is asking us to acquiesce to a secret, unaccountable police force.”

by Michael Woolf
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** VIDEO: The religious significance of Chicago ICE protests ([link removed])
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Tom Montgomery Fate chats with Jon about the context and religious aspects of the peaceful protests at the ICE facility in Broadview, IL.
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** In the Lectionary for November 16 (Ordinary 33C) ([link removed])
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In Isaiah, every promise of newness is an indictment of present brokenness.

by Nick Peterson
Ordinary 33C 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]) .


** Shared songs with new meaning ([link removed])
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“My colleague’s Black church was taking a break from anti-racism work with White churches. So we decided to sing together.”

by Melissa Florer-Bixler


** God’s relentless gaze ([link removed])
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“We often liken the pervasive oversight of our surveillance state to the all-seeing eye of God. But our responses to these two limitless gazes are vastly different.”

by Arthur Aghajanian


** Art that stretches us ([link removed])
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“Museums and public spaces are great settings for art displays that can spark new perspectives, alter viewpoints, and force a confrontation with issues we may otherwise ignore or be unaware of.”

by Peter W. Marty
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