Russell Arben Fox
Contributor
July 4, 2026
“What, to the American Slave, is Your Fourth of July?”
Frederick Douglass’s classic oration, given on July 5, 1852, 174 years ago tomorrow, in Rochester, New York, is an essential text for any celebration of America’s holiday of independence. At a time when those in power in this country consistently attempt to remove or minimize the proper–indeed, in an important sense actually patriotic–acknowledgment and reflection
December 30, 2025
Recognizing Christianity’s Universal Leftism for What it Undisputedly Is
Phil Christman's new book is a spiritual testimony that shows how Jesus's radical call to universal neighborliness led one man from conservative Calvinism to a socialist view of the world.
May 17, 2024
Justice Together: Pushing for Justice one City and one Step at a Time
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and coincidentally—though considering the providential perspective of many involved in this story, perhaps not so coincidentally—on the 9th of May, something potentially quite remarkable happened in Wichita, Kansas, to improve the ability of those of us who live here to serve the needs of those around us who struggle with
January 15, 2024
Some Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Mormonism, and the Unfinishable Christian Witness Against War
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s preaching of non-violence is widely acknowledged, often praised, and almost never practiced. King himself accepted that fate, or at least came to by the end of his life; in one of his final sermons, he reflected that “one of the great agonies of life is that we are constantly trying to finish
July 20, 2023
Can Socialism Be Mystical?
The recent essay by Caleb Strom on mysticism as a better guide than capitalism thinking about how humanity can expand into the cosmos got me thinking—is socialism itself somewhat “mystical,” or at least is it capable of being understood so? Strom’s examples, while not directly invoking socialist teachings, make a good supportive case, pointing out how different
May 27, 2023
The Communal Call of Pentecost (and Others’ Calls Too)
Today, among those who belong to many (though not necessarily all) Christian churches, will be recognized as the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost (or my preferred name of it, “Whitsunday”) is a Christian holiday, built upon the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which itself commemorates the revelation of the Ten Commandments and, by extension, the communication of