In the Old Testament Book of Esther, we are told a story about how the very existence of a certain group of people was threatened because of the anger of one man towards them. This man made threats to wipe…
The Myth of Righteous America: Why white people support Darren Wilson
The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the choking death of Eric Garner in Staten Island have dominated the news cycle for weeks, making it almost impossible to get any other issue onto the agenda. Immigration, Ebola and…
Peace on Facebook or Ferguson or Long Island or Cleveland
There’s a certain hollow and rather pernicious powerless-ness that wells up within me as I’ve quietly taken in the scenes, voices and verdicts (or, rather, lack thereof) unfolding before us all over the last couple of weeks. So much so,…
Advent, Genocide and the Baby in the Manger
Advent is my favorite time of year. The idea of waiting for hope to be born is irresistible and wonderful. When I was a kid, I memorized the entire Christmas story from the gospel of Luke for a Christmas event…
Jesus is Dead and So Are We: Eric Garner is Our Only Hope for Resurrection
By Jeff Hood – Jesus is Dead and So Are We: Eric Garner is Our Only Hope for Resurrection
Learning Lament: One Day in Ferguson
Tonight I had the opportunity to share my experience of traveling to Ferguson, MO yesterday. And as our church community made its way to worship tonight, our city was, and is, erupting in protest over the decision in Staten Island…
Race, Ferguson, and Youth Ministry
There are important conversations happening now in American about race. Since I’m a student minister, I’ve been thinking about my students and how this conversation needs to include them. So, how do I talk with teenagers about something as big…
We shout ‘Peace, Peace,’ when there is no peace
For those of us who follow the liturgical calendar in our churches, the season of Advent is the time where we focus on the virtues of hope, peace, joy, and love – perhaps lighting a candle on an advent wreath…
the next right thing.
Quite often, over the course of numerous conversations unfolding inside the circled wagons of wounded American Evangelicalism, there develops this almost liturgically repetitious refrain amongst the faithful: our best years are behind us. Whether it’s wistfully recounting the size of…
the speck is also the log.
I’m a racist. I tried beginning this conversation differently, for instance by talking about how incredibly difficult hearing about the events unfolding in Ferguson has been, but that route’s been mired in political and rhetorical polarization with each side mustering proof texts…
The Bible-denying racist liberal homophobe
The past year, like every year in Christian history, has seen significant amounts of Christian conflict. Consider the vitriol that spewed from the mouths of liberal and conservative Christians alike after multiple landmark Supreme Court decisions. Liberal Christians called (some)…
American folk religion
When I was in college, I had the privilege of spending a couple of weeks in Mexico, on a mission trip, as a member of something called a “youth choir”. A couple of pre-emptive answers to your inevitable questions: Yes, our shirts always matched….