Christians may or may not have initiated the commercialization of Christmas, but we bear a responsibility to help heal its wounds.
Author
Rachel Anderson
Resident fellow, Center for Public Justice
Rachel Anderson is a resident fellow with the Center for Public Justice and leads the Families Valued initiative as director. Previously, Rachel served as the director of faith affairs at the Center for Responsible Lending, where she worked with faith leaders at the state and federal level to advocate for protections against predatory lending. She was the co-founder of the Boston Faith & Justice Network, which engages Christians in biblical justice through spiritual formation, community organizing and advocacy. Anderson is a graduate of Harvard Law and Divinity schools.
Rachel Anderson: The dangerous nature of usury
Link to author Rachel Anderson
By
Rachel Anderson
Resident fellow, Center for Public Justice
The power to lend is also the power to abuse. Scripture commands us to be wary.
Rachel Anderson: Consuming our way to compassion
Link to author Rachel Anderson
By
Rachel Anderson
Resident fellow, Center for Public Justice
As an ad coupling Haiti relief with a credit card application shows, it’s not just our vices that can be manipulated. Our virtues can as well.
Rachel Anderson: Rebuilding a moral economy
Link to author Rachel Anderson
By
Rachel Anderson
Resident fellow, Center for Public Justice
It would be easy, in our financial climate, to pursue a moral race-to-the-bottom. Rebuilding morality in the financial sector is far more difficult.
Rachel Anderson: Reclaiming Christian wisdom in an economic crisis
Link to author Rachel Anderson
By
Rachel Anderson
Resident fellow, Center for Public Justice
Some wise leaders saw the financial collapse coming. How can the rest of us draw on that wisdom to promote a surer economic foundation now?
Lilly Endowment Inc. announces Exploring Christian Practices Initiative
The Exploring Christian Practices Initiative aims to multiply opportunities and increase access to settings that help individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds explore and engage in Christian practices to address their spiritual interests and questions, find and build community with others, nourish their religious lives and grow in faith.
In this open and competitive initiative, the Endowment invites charitable organizations to submit proposals for grants of up to $2.5 million each that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies for advancing the aim of the initiative and provide compelling and thoughtful responses to its guiding questions. The Endowment anticipates awarding approximately 60 grants and announcing grant awards in December 2026.
The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions (February 17, 19, 24, and 25) to discuss the Exploring Christian Practices guidelines for submitting a proposal. An Interest Form and Letter of Interest are due March 25, 2026. Complete proposals are due May 18, 2026.
Learn More and register for information sessions