Christopher Isherwood returned to Berlin in 1952, 19 years after he had left — fled actually — in 1933. In The Berlin Stories he recounts that return in photographic detail. The book was published in 1939 and is the basis…
Don’t shrink back
The late Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield writes in Toward a Theology of Holy Black Rage, published in 2022: The nomination of Sen. Kamala Harris has again brought this issue of rage to center stage, especially with the church. It…
Letter to a friend concerned about my peace
So good to hear from you, John Doe! I think about you just about every day because almost every day I see the gift you gave me. I write the following with profound appreciation for your own message. There is,…
Keep walking
Head in hands, the disciples stared at their feet. These feet had walked faithfully ever since the first call to “Follow me.” Certain this way of life would usher in a new day and change the world, they had gone…
Living life ‘in the meantime’
I recently had breakfast with a colleague who finds himself wondering if he has one more move left in him. At the same time, he wonders whether he is now at an age when churches will simply pass over him…
White women stood by their men again
Many white women made it clear on Nov. 5 — just as they did in 2016 — that their true allegiance is to their men and the white supremacy paradigm upon which America was built and continues to live and…
Sunday schools in public schools?
I grew up going to Sunday school, starting with the “Cradle Roll” department of First Baptist Church of Decatur, Texas, the town where I was born. Like all the kids at that church, when I learned to read, I was…
One tip for finding peace and gratitude now
As we approach Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about all the things for which I am grateful. Admittedly, this can be a challenge during times of political upheaval and uncertainty. Like so many other people around the country, those in…
Tony Campolo was a master storyteller
It was in Seeger Chapel on the campus of Milligan College where I first heard the preaching of Tony Campolo. Like many of my classmates, I was taken by the way his style drew me into a new realization of…
A Nigerian’s view of the US presidential election
With the U.S. presidential election now over and a winner declared, one thing people may need to do — particularly those whose candidate failed to win the election — however difficult, is to adjust to reality and learn to live…
The abolitionist legacy and the future of impact investing
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, we are reminded of the nation’s complex history — one marked by profound struggles for freedom and equality. In this moment of reflection, the intersection of the abolitionist movement and modern impact…
Marginalized resilience in the face of natural disasters
As the world watched a historic hurricane pummel the Southeast on their news screens, I perched on the top stair of my house, measuring tape extended into a dark abyss of storm surge that filled the lower level of my…