(In part one of this series we looked at the prophetic criticism of Israel’s national religion which viewed God as the defender and justifier of a blasphemous and idolatrous arrangement. The priests served the king and not God. They propped up the royal regime by claiming that YHWH was on… Continue reading
While pastoring in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached a sermon entitled “A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart.” His text was Matthew 10:16 where Jesus said to his disciples, as they began their mission trip to the house of Israel, “Behold, I send you out as sheep… Continue reading
We are witnessing increasing numbers of white Evangelicals joining the Trump cult, spewing lies, distorting the teachings and example of Jesus, and worshipping the Golden Calves of racism, homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, and greedy individualism. Continue reading
In Tenacious Solidarity: Biblical Provocations on Race, Religion, Climate, and the Economy, biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann offers this definition of totalism: By “totalism” I mean a system of signs and symbols that make a claim of validity that is all-encompassing, that will allow no challenge or competition, and that will… Continue reading
One can be prejudiced without being a racist. Prejudice involves ignorance and bias. The very word “prejudice” means to prejudge. In other words, in our prejudices, we make decisions and choose emotions before having all the facts. We are ignorant as we shape or fall victim to our prejudices. Sometimes… Continue reading
The words of President Biden’s inaugural address were barely out of his mouth before the cynical, the critical, and the jaded among us began their analyses. Republican politicians, even after the shame of January 6, poopooed any idea of the kind of unity President Biden was suggesting. The only kind… Continue reading
This woman, “no bigger than a hummingbird” (as Rachel Maddow described her), was also as energetic and busy as a hummingbird in her attempt to achieve “liberty and justice for all.” She was immensely intelligent, but it was not her intelligence that was most important. Continue reading
When I was a child, my notion of church never went beyond the gathered community that worshiped in the fortress like structure on Chesterfield St. in Aiken, S.C. In fact, my concept of church was inextricably tied to that dark and mysterious building. I belonged to that church. My friend Ernie… Continue reading
We are all familiar with the metaphor of a boiled frog. The metaphor is based on a premise that if a frog is put into a pot of water and if the temperature of the water is slowly raised to the point of boiling, the frog will not perceive the… Continue reading
All of a sudden, we Whites discover what people of color have known for three and a half years: the man in the White House—the “wizard behind the screen”–does not have a clue as to how to deal with a crisis or to muster one ounce of compassion. Continue reading
