Last week I had the opportunity to meet with a group of millennial social justice leaders who were meeting across the street at Union Theological Seminary. I probably shouldn’t have read their bios before I headed over to their closing…
You can’t go home again. But that’s OK.
You know the saying that goes, “You can never go home again”? The phrase was running through my mind as I drove the four hours from New York to Washington last weekend to attend the installation of the Revs. Maria…
Strong leadership and ‘making straight what has been crooked’
More than any leadership strategy, book, resource or plan I have ever encountered, the most important thing a leader needs to be successful in her work is character.
Caring for creation is uncontroversial. When a church takes specific actions it gets complicated
The idea of caring for creation was not in dispute at church, but the specific action of divestment raised a number of challenging questions. Does divestment reflect biblical principles of good stewardship? Can we really say we believe in social justice if we don’t divest? Is this financially responsible?
This is only the beginning of resurrection
Learning to welcome new life as it begins to inform the old always involves sleepless nights, tears of frustration, painful self-doubt, and the unwavering conviction that this is the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
50 years after ‘Beyond Vietnam’: What’s changed?
Every week as I stand in the pulpit of the Riverside Church where Dr. King called for an end to racism, poverty and militarism in America, I fight the temptation to despair. In 50 years, have we made no progress at all? In this place where the call to justice has gone out again and again it’s abundantly clear that our moral crisis is deeper than ever.
When the Irish were the immigrants Americans detested
“Our people know about coffin ships — boats that sink to the bottom of the sea with everyone on board.” Close your eyes and imagine the voice who said those words. Who do you a picture? An African American describing…
Facts or truth? What’s keeping you grounded?
These days the words of the Psalmist keep coming to mind: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills; From where shall my help come?” I imagine that when he wrote these words, the chaos of his life was swirling around…
To bring national healing, make yourself uncomfortable
Just last week I participated in a panel of guests discussing religion and advocacy in the current political climate. This sort of experience is not that unusual for me, especially in these difficult days. What was unusual for me were…
The Sermon on the Mount is counter-cultural. That’s the point.
If your church follows the Revised Common Lectionary you will know that in these weeks after the Epiphany we are hearing parts of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ famous teachings from the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7. Last Sunday…
Why my faith propelled me to the Women’s March
I ran into someone the other day who had just returned from the Women’s March in Washington and she had with her a poster from the march. As she unrolled it to show me she said, “I’m so glad I…
Finding the courage to live into the new year
We’re just over a week in to the new year and based on my Facebook feed all the resolutions that were made just nine days ago are facing some pretty big uphill obstacles — at least the ones that haven’t…