Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology on Monday for the role the Holy See itself played in legitimizing slavery and for having failed to condemn it for centuries, calling the Vatican’s record a “wound in Christian memory.”
Is the SBC still haunted by the slavery hermeneutic?
Had the holding of slaves been a moral evil, it cannot be supposed, that the inspired Apostles, who feared not the faces of men, and were ready to lay down their lives in the cause of their God, would have…
‘Crimes against humanity’ and the fight for reparative justice
I recently traveled to Geneva to attend the fifth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, an advisory body to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. As executive director of JustFaith Ministries, I joined representatives…
NY Episcopal Diocese outlines plan for $1.2M racial reparations fund
The Episcopal Diocese of New York has launched the second phase of its racial reparations efforts, releasing a new report detailing how it plans to invest the nearly $1.2 million the diocesan convention began committing to the effort in 2019.
Foley: Greed is the root of racism
Greed is the root cause of racism, Malcolm Foley told the “Compassion and Justice” conference Feb. 21. Foley serves as special advisor to Baylor University President Linda Livingstone and as co-pastor of Mosaic Church in Waco, Texas. He is the…
Let holy curiosity guide you this Black History Month
Last January, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Richmond, Va., exploring the complicated role of religious freedom in our country. Specifically, the group I was with pressed on the wounds of race, power and inequality. We explored…
The carol that won’t stop singing a subversive song of hope
It tends to be the same every year: Soon after the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers is consumed, I sit down at the piano to plunk through an archaic collection of Christmas carols. Without fail, “O Holy Night” has long…
The unholy alliance that’s OK with bringing back slavery
A chilling and terrifying convergence is under way on the American religious right. On one side comes raw, unfiltered and vitriolic bigotry straight from the gutter. The most recent display of this came in the form of leaked Telegram chats…
Chattel slavery: Bad news then and now
I am pleading for my people, A poor, downtrodden race, Who dwell in freedom’s boasted land, With no abiding place. While I bear upon my body The scars of many a gash, I am pleading for my people, Who groan…
Clergy oppose Missouri Legislature rewriting Ten Commandments
A Missouri Senate committee approved legislation to place the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms, but not before rewriting the Scriptures to conform with conservative political ideology, said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister and leader of a clergy coalition opposed to…
Matt Walsh says America wasn’t built by immigrants
Matt Walsh’s views on immigration could be refuted by a fourth grade social studies student. Walsh, an influential conservative blogger, author and political commentator, hosts the podcast “The Matt Walsh Show,” which has 3.2 million subscribers. He is the author…
I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions
Several high-profile celebrities were slapped with human-trafficking charges in late 2024, from music mogul Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries. Neither has been tried yet, but in 2022 the R&B superstar R. Kelly was convicted of…