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Home›Traditions›Progressive/Social Justice

Progressive/Social Justice Illustrations

Reading scripture through liberation, equality, and advocacy for the marginalized.

Key question: “How does this text speak to issues of justice, equality, and the liberation of the oppressed?”

25,724 sermon illustrations through the Progressive/Social Justice lens

Sermon Illustration

The Finish Line You Don't Have to Reach Alone

On August 3, 1992, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semi-final at the Barcelona Olympics. He had trained for years, survived five...

Universalhope

228 words

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Sermon Illustration

The Coach Who Believed in Second Chances

In August 2009, Andy Reid did something that shocked the sports world. As head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he signed Michael Vick — a...

Universalforgiveness

235 words

Vivid Retelling

The Marriage of Truth and Love: A Meditation on 2 John

A theological meditation on 2 John exploring the inseparability of truth and love. Examines how the Elder holds together doctrinal clarity (warning against those who deny Christ coming in flesh) with deep affection for the community. Truth is not opposed to love but is the path love walks.

Universal

1250 words

Contemporary

Blessed Blood on the Bridge

On March 7, 1965, twenty-five-year-old John Lewis knelt in prayer, then stood and walked straight into suffering. As chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee,...

Matthew 5:10-12Universalsacrificecourage

259 words

Sermon Illustration

Music from the Ruins

In the autumn of 1741, George Frideric Handel was a broken man. His operas had fallen from public favor. Creditors circled. His health was failing...

Universalgrace

242 words

Sermon Illustration

The Cells That Refuse to Let You Stay Broken

Every second of every day, your body is performing an act of quiet redemption. Scientists estimate that the human body repairs roughly 70,000 DNA lesions...

Universalredemption

235 words

Sermon Illustration

The Finish Line on a Father's Shoulder

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal as one of the favorites. He had trained for years,...

Universalperseverance

255 words

Sermon Illustration

The Father Who Wouldn't Stay in the Stands

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semi-final with everything he had trained for on the line. About...

Universalhealing

237 words

Contemporary

The Last Sermon at Mason Temple

On the evening of April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. stood before a crowd at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. He had come to...

Philippians 1:21Universalsacrificehope

239 words

Sermon Illustration

The Insulin of Grace

In January 1922, fourteen-year-old Leonard Thompson lay dying in Toronto General Hospital. He weighed just sixty-five pounds. Type 1 diabetes was devouring him from within...

Universalfreedom

244 words

Sermon Illustration

You Don't Have to Finish Alone

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal as a medal favorite. He had trained for this moment...

Universalfreedom

260 words

Sermon Illustration

Back on His Feet at Merion

On February 2, 1949, golfer Ben Hogan and his wife Valerie were driving through dense fog near Van Horn, Texas, when a Greyhound bus crossed...

Universalhealing

250 words

Sermon Illustration

A Father's Arms on the Track

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal. He had trained for years, endured multiple surgeries, and finally...

Universalhealing

232 words

Sermon Illustration

When Love Learns to Sing Again

In 1829, Felix Mendelssohn was just twenty years old when he did something audacious. He revived Johann Sebastian Bach's *St. Matthew Passion*, a masterwork that...

Universallove

235 words

Sermon Illustration

The Ring They Gave the Man They Blamed

On October 14, 2003, Steve Bartman reached for a foul ball during Game Six of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field. The Chicago...

Universalforgiveness

245 words

Contemporary

The Diploma That Fear Could Not Prevent

On May 27, 1958, Ernest Green walked across the stage at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and became the first Black student to...

2 Timothy 1:7Universalcourageperseverance

260 words

Sermon Illustration

The Longest Wait in Baseball

For eighty-six years, Boston Red Sox fans carried a weight that no other fan base in baseball understood. The "Curse of the Bambino" had become...

Universalhope

233 words

Sermon Illustration

The Forest That Came Back

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted with the force of five hundred atomic bombs, flattening 230 square miles of old-growth forest in minutes....

Universalrestoration

250 words

Sermon Illustration

Four Years in the Dark

In 2007, researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute spotted a deep-sea octopus clinging to a rocky ledge, 4,600 feet beneath the Pacific. Over...

Universalsacrifice

225 words

Sermon Illustration

The Road Back from Merion

On February 2, 1949, golfer Ben Hogan and his wife Valerie were driving through thick fog near Van Horn, Texas, when a Greyhound bus appeared...

Universalhealing

233 words

Sermon Illustration

When Healing Requires a Second Breaking

In orthopedic medicine, surgeons encounter a condition called malunion — a fracture that has healed, but healed crooked. The bone knit itself back together at...

Universalhealing

247 words

Sermon Illustration

Eric Liddell's Last Race

Eric Liddell became famous for refusing to run on Sunday at the 1924 Paris Olympics, then winning gold in the 400 meters. The world celebrated...

Colossians 3:1-4Universal

236 words

Sermon Illustration

The Father Who Wouldn't Let Him Finish Alone

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal. He had trained for years, fought through multiple surgeries, and...

Universalperseverance

246 words

Sermon Illustration

A Father Who Wouldn't Stay in the Stands

On August 3, 1992, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal at the Barcelona Olympics. He had trained his entire life for...

Universallove

230 words