Janet McKenzie Could Christianity survive without the cross? Lawrence Swaim calls on Christians to embrace a new central symbol such as a parent nurturing a child. In this painting, Epiphany , artist Janet McKenzie reimagines the story of the Magi. More

Creative Commons/Adam Jones For many theologians, the cross is a symbol not of blood redemption, but of hope even amid suffering. C. Kavin Rowe warns that excising the symbol of the cross would decimate the “specifically Christian impetus to work with and for those who are being bruised More

Creative Commons/Tomás Castelazo ( tomascastelazo.com ) Crosses along the Tijuana–San Diego border wall remind would-be migrants of those who have perished in their attempts to cross over. More

Chris Faltis Crosses on the border wall memorialize the thousands of individuals who have died trying to reach the United States. Border Hopes by Chris Faltis. More

No More Deaths/Kate Morgan-Olsen Migrants crossing the Southern Arizona desert can die of dehydration if they do not stumble across provisions such as these gallon jugs of water, which were placed near a migrant trail by the faith-based group No More Deaths. More

Creative Commons/Saint-Jean d’Acre Progressive theologians who seek to recuperate the symbol of the cross contend with the historical baggage produced by images such as this manuscript illumination from Saint-Jean d’Acre, in which a crusader brandishes a cross-emblazoned shield. More

No More Deaths/Hannah Hafter Volunteers provide basic medical aid to migrants injured while crossing the desert. More

Diane Ovalle ( dianeovalle.com ) Communities are increasingly “organizing to expose and resist the violence of deportation,” Lo writes. Here, undocumented activists participate in a cross-country ride for justice as part of a “No Papers, No Fear” campaign. More

National Domestic Workers Alliance Organizers affiliated with the National Domestic Worker’s Alliance meet in Washington, D.C. “We built a winning coalition that crossed lines of race, class, gender, and age,” Poo writes. More

Portia Baladad ( portiabaladad.com ) An anti-abortion protester brandishes a cross at abortion rights advocates during a “March for Life” in Ontario, Canada. Why is this a common sight, when the Bible says nothing about abortion? More

Today’s student protestors at Berkeley have impressed Michael Nagler with their cross-generational solidarity: here students protest cutbacks on pensions for nonacademic university staff, as well as student fee increases, at a UC Regents meeting on November 17, 2010. More

Fred Villanueva ( fredvillanueva.com ) What strands within the varied field of Christian theology can support the idea that caring for others is a religious obligation? Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Augustine, and others appear in this painting, Pope Benedict XVI at Prayer with the Holy More