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Not So Silent After All
*Link to image* Silent Night has always been one of my favorite carols this time of year. Ever since I committed it to memory over 20 years ago, the words have made me think about peace and calm...
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Diversity, Oppression, and the God Who Hears
Here are a few pieces that I have submitted to other blogging networks over the last few weeks: Does the Church Really Want Diversity Over the years many American churches have expressed a desire to be...
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Hitting the Reset Button on 2014 (Living More Peaceably in the Year to Come)
In a little less than 24 hours, 2014 will be over. 2015 will be here. As I reflect over the last year, however, I honestly don’t think that we are ready for it. We are not ready for 2015 because we...
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Race Relations Sunday: Have You Received Since You Believed?
The following is the text of the sermon that I preached this morning for Race Relations Sunday. The Bible reading is out of Acts 19.1 – 7, which was one of the lectionary texts last week Sunday. If you...
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Looking at End Times Theology through the Eyes of the Oppressed
Growing up as a Christian in the 90s, I learned to be preoccupied with two things: revival, also known as present day manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and the rapture. The desire for revival across...
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Opportunity Gap? The Biggest Opportunity We Lack is The Opportunity to Live
We are all familiar with the gaps in access to opportunity that black Americans experience in education, housing, and employment. While these are important issues that need to be addressed, we also...
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On Kindergarten and Little Black Girls
My daughter started kindergarten last week. And it was bittersweet. On the one hand, I was excited to see her transition out of daycare into the formal system of education – a transition that clearly...
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I’ve Been Thinking: Thoughts on Racism, Oppression, and the Kingdom of God
I’ve been thinking… …about how racism compounds the already complex nature of original sin. Of how, because of sin, humans already have a tendency to exploit and abuse one another. On our worst days,...
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God Things
In a world of chaos and pain, it is all the more necessary to take stock of the ways that God has proven Himself faithful. Things have been hella crazy over the last few weeks. From the attacks in...
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White Reform
*Warning: This post is mostly satire, aimed at challenging (and changing) pervasive and destructive narratives that are applied to people of color while ignoring and even downplaying violent behaviors...
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Is This Who We’ve Become?
Last week, I received a call that no parent ever wants to receive – that there was a potential threat at my child’s school. After the police received information that there was a suspicious person...
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Advent as Interruption
Empires and other imperial powers in this world would like to have us believe that oppression is a fact of life. That there simply is no other way to be in the world, to exist, than to have a permanent...
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Black Women: Elevating the Neglected Voices Among Us
In our American society, we pay the most attention to those who have a lot of clout. We tend to flock after those who have reputable degrees, have some sort of coveted expertise, or are for other...
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Cycles
You decide to take a risk. You say to yourself, “well maybe this place will be safe. Maybe they will accept me for me even if they don’t understand every bit of me.” Testing the waters, you expose a...
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Ontological Flaw in God’s Design? Or a Massive Human Screw-up?
Today, we find ourselves in a world where there doesn’t seem to be enough resources to provide for the needs of many. Good, healthy, and affordable food options are out of reach for many over the...
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What Reconciliation Is Not
Reconciliation is not about keeping peace but making peace. And in order to make peace, one has to be willing to put themselves in situations that are uncomfortable, messy and seemingly chaotic. These...
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Preach, Sista! On Why Black Women May Not Be in Your Pulpit
Just a little video I did for #MennoNerds using placards because I was, well, quite literally voiceless. The irony!Filed under: Faith.Hope.Love
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Black History Month and the Precarious White Identity
We are now in the final week of Black History Month.* During this month long observance, Americans call to their consciousness the many contributions of black Americans in our society. Or at least that...
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The Limits of the Liberal Imagination
No matter how much liberals try to remove themselves from the burden of racism, white supremacist ideology – which governs all systems in America – holds them just as guilty to its effects. Like...
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Facing Racism, Embracing Hope Part I
“Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America...
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