I like to think of myself as a “sensitive” male. That doesn’t mean I always live up to my own billing, I’m sure. But it’s what I want to think about myself. After all, I’ve never groped a woman, never…
Shechem for president: Erasing the voices of the sexually abused
We know Jacob was not just the father of boys. After the list of all the sons born to Leah, as an afterthought the birth of Dinah is mentioned (Gen. 30:21). We can only wonder how many other daughters who…
Will ‘reconciliation’ after a divisive election abandon key moral issues?
In his 2005 book, Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism, 1865-1898, historian Edward Blum shows how Christians in U.S. northern states in the late 19th century abandoned the project of helping former slaves in order to reconcile with…
Lessons in dismantling white supremacy
Last week, three of my Baptist communities declared their full-bodied, faithful commitment to the work of racial justice. The boards of directors for both the Alliance of Baptists and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America–Bautistas por la Paz, released…
The shackles of shopping in the ‘land of the free’
Let’s start with the undeniable: “You are the target.” You are the subject of massive amounts of research. You cannot begin to imagine the money spent to woo you. Entire industries exist to define, stimulate and trigger your cravings. And,…
Calling our people into stillness is a subversive act
On a recent Thursday, my day off, I was in my pajamas, sipping coffee and reading the news on my computer when I received a text from my spiritual director, Charlotte: “You on your way?” It was 10:10 a.m. When…
First class, economy and privilege
Words like privilege, entitlement and equal access have suddenly taken on enormous significance in our culture. Until recently, I viewed myself as very egalitarian. But onboard a recent commercial flight, I learned something disturbing about myself. Maybe I’m not as…
Prayer in the present chaos
In the nightmare of this presidential election season, many are tempted to swear off (hopefully not just swear at) political engagement. The level of discourse has been hard to endure as ad hominem allegations have generally trumped substance. When the…
‘You don’t cut them oaks. Them’s for the College Hall.‘
The great dining hall at New College, one of the oldest colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, was built not long after the college’s founding in 1379. It features a towering ceiling supported with huge oak…
Beyond the grammar of faith to acquisition
I’ve been known to get a little excited about grammar. Remember diagramming sentences? I loved it: the longer the sentence, the better. In high school, and then in college, I took Latin, a language known for aiding English speakers in…
Refugees — also known as family members
As I write this Wednesday, Oct. 5, the mandatory evacuation of 1.1 million people from the coastal low country of South Carolina has begun. People seeking to escape the arrival of Matthew the Hurricane are being told to move at…
At home in a foreign land
Last Sunday I taught a class at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., the second of a two-part conversation entitled, “Retelling the Jesus Story in a Post-Modern, Pluralistic, Post-Protestant-Privileged World: Who’s Listening?”The topic, sent in weeks earlier, was of…