If you haven’t done this already, check out This Is Our City—a brand-new multimedia project from Christianity Today magazine that was launched last week while I was in Zurich. This series includes “in-depth reports, documentaries, and interviews about sex trafficking in Portland, Oregon, and beyond.”

I’m especially eager to promote this project because the trafficking issue has gripped my heart. My book, Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women, sets forth a vision for women that is the antithesis of sex trafficking and calls God’s image bearers—both women and men—to fulfill their God-given calling to “Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows” (Isaiah 1:17).

This particular CT project comes close to home for me because I grew up in Portland. Also, I am a fan of Nate Clarke, the project’s videographer. Nate produced the Synergy video shown last year at Lausanne in CapeTown, which also targets this issue:   http://youtu.be/d2QqPJHVbfc

Christianity Today has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the modern abolitionist movement, (see two previous cover stories, “The Hidden Slavery” (2003) and “Red-Light Rescue” (2007.) The city project highlights ways Christians are increasingly going “in the trenches” to prevent trafficking before it starts. I’m excited to see that happening in Portland.

Hopefully, it will spur some of the rest of us to action.