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January 3
Moses Coady, J.R.R. Tolkien, Katie Canon, and Setsuko Thurlow
David Barnhart
January 03, 2026
2005. Own photo.
Today is the birthday, in 1882, of Moses Coady, Catholic priest and community organizer who pioneered the use of worker-owned co-ops and community development in Canada.
Today is the birthday, in 1892, of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose high fantasy literature incorporated his loves of theology, mythology, and language. He and C.S. Lewis had a formative impact on me and many other nerdy Christians.
Today is also the birthday in 1950, of Katie Canon, theologian and author of Black Womanist Ethics and Katie’s Canon: Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community. As an ethicist, she lifted up a critique of so-called “Christian moral standards” that are not oriented to the flourishing of black women. We noted the day of her death on August 8.
Today is also the birthday, in 1932, of Setsuko Thurlow, survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima and anti-nuclear activist.
Reflection:
Moses Coady said:
“I'm not a leftist; I'm where the righteous ought to be.”
In her acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, Setsuko Thurlow said:
“When I was a 13-year-old girl, trapped in the smouldering rubble, I kept pushing. I kept moving toward the light. And I survived. Our light now is the ban treaty. To all in this hall and all listening around the world, I repeat those words that I heard called to me in the ruins of Hiroshima: “Don’t give up! Keep pushing! See the light? Crawl towards it. …No matter what obstacles we face, we will keep moving and keep pushing and keep sharing this light with others. This is our passion and commitment for our one precious world to survive.”
Prayer: God, let us stand on the side of the righteous, sharing out light and our commitment for our precious world to survive. Amen.