The common exhortation of “Don’t look away” reminds us that a lack of vigilance can make us oblivious to the ways in which our political environment can change us for the worse. But an ironic danger lurks beneath the surface.
‘Victimization’ and injustice: Why the new film, ‘Harriet,’ evoked anger in me
I felt anger rise in me as I watched “Harriet,” the new film about the famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The anger came from an awareness that the distorted use of victimization by the oppressors and the enslavers is still prevalent 100 years after Tubman’s death.
Bourbon, boobs and bedrooms: Will the Body of Christ choose people over purity?
Purity codes and other forms of Christian cleanliness have excluded people for centuries, keeping out entire communities who did not follow one way of living, one way of interpreting scripture and one way that works for one group of people – namely, those with all the power.
Evangelical women superstars: power, celebrity and influence within the façade of submission
In many ways, the superstar women of evangelicalism use the same tools to access power, not just at home but also in the public arena – the rhetoric of submission, conformity to gender norms and resourceful influence within the constraints of patriarchy.
Twin doctrines of slavery and complementarity: time for evangelicals to ‘budge’ on biblical interpretation?
John MacArthur’s public pronouncements open a door to issues that confront us all when it comes to faith and doctrine, biblical authority and hermeneutics, church and family.
All Saints Day and every day: the ‘dangerous, restless speech’ and revolutionary act of lament
The nature of lament is profoundly spiritual and political. Lament ensures that questions of justice are asked and makes clear that things are not OK. But it doesn’t stop there. Lament suggests that what is wrong can be changed.
If a favorite preacher, pundit or politician speaks in stereotypes, it’s time you changed the channel
The tool of a lazy mind, the product of shallow thinking and the evidence of unsettled and angry spirits, the stereotypes that are ubiquitous in the religious and political discourse of our age are also evidence of a nation misguided, the immaturity of the body politic.
A ‘Civil Rides’ bicycle trek: a reminder that being ‘not-racist’ is not enough
During the Civil Rights Movement being not-racist in the midst of murder, lynching, theft and almost every other degradation known to humanity, wasn’t enough. It still isn’t.
Saints don’t have to be dead: gratitude for regular, blessed folk through whom goodness shines
Saints are regular, blessed folks around us through whom goodness shines. Being blessed is not about storing up riches and celebrity accolades; it is all about giving oneself away.
Sister, don’t ‘go home’; go preach!
John MacArthur’s “go home” comment directed toward Beth Moore was an insult to her and to her ministry of teaching and preaching. But it was more than that. It was an insult to every female preacher, teacher and pastor living out God’s call to ministry.
Pastors as ‘hybrid sailors’? New models for effective leadership in today’s churches
Borrowing from scripture and the U.S. Navy, I suggest a pastor’s role in today’s world should be like that of Jesus, who began his movement with the flexibility of a new type of vessel, a small crew and the vision of a new creation based on the pattern of heaven.
Princeton Seminary’s gift of reparations? Let’s talk instead about cultural competency
A genuine reparations process must focus fundamentally on achieving justice and equity for those who have been harmed, not on expiating the guilt of those who have benefitted, directly or indirectly, from the infliction of harm.