In this series from Christians for Social Action, Dr. Terence Lester — public scholar, storyteller, and longtime advocate for those pushed to the margins, invites readers to examine economic injustice through the lens of faith, history, and public theology. This series confronts the systemic forces that shape people’s futures long before they reach adulthood. Drawing on personal stories, policy insight, and biblical reflection, argues that economic injustice isn’t simply a political or social problem — it’s a moral and spiritual one. Each article calls Christians to resist performative compassion and embrace the deeper work of justice, repair, and proximity. Together, these pieces form a guide for Christians who want to move beyond charity toward lasting change, standing with communities harmed by disinvestment and imagining a future shaped by dignity, equity, and hope. The 4-parts include the following topics:
- Educational Redlining and the Fight for Futures: How Systemic Disinvestment Shapes Students’ Lives Before They Ever Reach Adulthood
- What Charity Can’t Fix: Why Compassion Alone Cannot Confront the Systems That Produce Poverty
- Building Futures from the Ground Up: How Zion’s Closet Is Transforming Title I Schools and Reimagining Community Care
- Becoming Reparative Communities: A Vision for Churches That Heal, Repair, and Stand with the Marginalized