From the Editors: ‘Hallelujahs and Howls Are Birthed Together’

An introduction to the August 2026 issue of ‘Sojourners.’

Eunice de Souza (1940-2017), a post-independence Indian poet, novelist, and columnist, was head of the English department at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Her work, influenced by her Goan Catholic upbringing, explored themes of gender inequality, religion, and identity. / Illustration by Laura Freeman

THE LATE CONTEMPLATIVE Christian theologian and professor Barbara Holmes wrote about “crisis contemplation” for upside-down eras. José Humphreys III explores why we need Holmes’ wisdom now, ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Olivia Bardo investigates going analog, reminding us that what we gaze at shapes what we worship. Christian youth groups have also served as a shaping tool, writes Sojo.net managing editor Tyler Huckabee. But for many evangelical youth, the purity culture program left teens with shame and fear. Is it time for youth groups to end?

Outside the U.S., faith movements contribute their best to shape the world that God intends. Lisa Sullivan writes on how a third of the world’s nations are charting a path beyond fossil fuels. Cassidy Klein highlights Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector’s visceral book Água Viva, where hallelujahs and howls are birthed together.

We work hard on every issue but also resonate with Eunice de Souza who noted, “Spirituality is not sentimental effusions in religious magazines.” Go out and claim your soul!

This appears in the August 2026 issue of Sojourners