What I find so refreshing about Rainbow in the Word: LGBTQ Christians’ Biblical Memoirs, edited by my friend Ellin Sterne Jimmerson isthe personal and theological reflections on Scripture though a collection of writers. LGBTQ people are not only our sisters and brothers in Christ; they are our pastors, teachers, theologians, and prophets. Right now the only viable path forward for the church is to listen and learn. Not to do so only creates more harm.
Hurricane trump Visits Puerto Rico
donald trump’s visit to Puerto Rico was so much more than rudeness or an example of bad behavior, as some pundits on TV described it. His visit reveals an especially virulent and violent kind of racism and misogyny that he has displayed relentlessly for years now, and certainly since he took office. It has not dissipated at all.
Hold the NRA Accountable and Stop the Cycle of Mass gun violence
And breaking the chain is what we can do this week. The NRA and Ed Gillespie is counting on this uproar fading by October 10. You and I can ensure that they do not go quietly. Starting today and every day this week, we are going to flood Ed Gillespie with calls and emails demanding that he publicly condemn the NRA for their support of unlimited access to guns and for running this ad in support of his campaign.
What Congress was Doing While Las Vegas was Dying
You know how you can remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when some tragedy happened? I remember what I was doing when I found out about 9-11, when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986, when the Columbine shooting happened, etc. Those events and so many more are embedded in my memory and on my psyche. It is truly instructive to see what Congress is up to regarding preventing gun violence when the deadliest act of gun violence in US history occurred.
Why I am Not Standing for the National Anthem
I believe the United States has tremendous potential for good and justice and I have seen it in small ways from time to time. But I refuse to pretend that we are living into that potential with our current leadership. The potential and the reality are, once again, irreconcilable for me. And so I will not stand for it literally or figuratively.
Duped
Virgil Brigman is Back on the Air
Prisons have the power, and tendency, to lock everyone up first and sort it out later. We refer to this as the “ready-fire-aim” approach. They can hold you in segregation up to 15 working days ‘under investigation.’ Once that time expires it takes a week or so to process you back to population. Add in weekends and holidays and you get 30 days in the hole.
Do All Lives Really Matter?
In recent years “all lives matter” has been heard as a response to “Black Lives Matter.” At best, it’s a deflection that ignores the problem of racism and absolves the speaker of any responsibility. At worst, it’s code for “shut up and get back in your place.” Do all lives really matter? Of course they do. But we still live in world that doesn’t believe it.
3 Mistakes to Avoid in Advocating for the DREAM Act
This is an important week as advocacy begins for the DREAM Act, which will give citizenship to undocumented students who came to the United States as children. Below are three mistakes that too many folks made in 2010 and I hope the current advocates will avoid so that we can finally get a first step towards just and humane immigration reform done.
"They're Taking Our Jobs!"
In some ways not a lot has changed in the last 100 years in our country. With the resurgence of talk about getting rid of the immigrants from our country (because they are taking “our” jobs, or they are using up “our” resources), I am reminded of an event I learned about in my own hometown in 1918, that I think is relevant to our country today.
This is Who We Should Be
A Response to the Nashville Statement
They could have gotten together and decided to make a statement decrying voter disenfranchisement, or mass incarceration, or state-sponsored terror directed towards immigrant communities, or government-sponsored attacks on funding public education – but NOOOO! What’s way more important to these people is that gay people are marrying and they have become powerless to stop it.
My Letter to Rev. Johnnie Moore on trump's Evangelical Council
I read your recent op-ed on why you refuse to step down from donald trump’s evangelical council. You feel like you can have more impact by remaining on the council than by resigning. Under almost any other president, who could argue? But not this one.
My Response to Jeffress and His Take on Romans 13
Though Jeffress and other evangelical triumphalists want to ascribe unqualified fealty to the state, they repeatedly do a very poor job of exegeting Romans 13. But Jeffress is unfortunately not alone. Jeffress joins a long line of palace prophets throughout history who have used (abused is more like it) Romans 13 to justify oppression, murder, war, and other human rights abuses.
Corner
It is Terrorism
It is terrorism, rooted in centuries of internalized belief and externalized violence that white people and a myth of a white nation are inherently superior, and all people who we deem not "white," especially those with black and brown skin, are not fully human, not fully deserving, and not worthy of full empathy. "Both sides" is garbage. Worse, it is dangerous fuel on the fire of white supremacy.
Melting the Iceberg of White Supremacy
Fig Tree Book Lovers Day
Injustice Anywhere
I recently had an online conversation with a long-time friend of mine who serves children in a non-Christian-dominant country. The leader of the country is a mean-spirited, nationalistic bigot who hates everyone who doesn’t match his religion, ethnicity, and particularly his nationality. Sound like anyone you and I know? Yes, he is that’s country’s donald trump.
A Lament for My Daughter
By A Loving Mother
Where my daughter have you gone?
I have loved you since before I knew you
Your spirit, your heart, your grace, and your empathy
You are like a bright morning star and the fresh dew on the grass
You believe the world rejected you – it has hurt you and made you afraid
You have protected yourself by building a wall around your heart
You defend your wall with slings and arrows
You are quick to repel and reject - even those who love you
You have hardened your heart
The Evil One has fed your fear and your hurt
He has whispered in your ear schemes and lies
He constantly surrounds you with hate and deceit
He leads you into the wilderness and tells you that you are alone
I wish that you knew that you were a child of God - loved with a passion and intensity that you cannot fathom
You are not alone in the wilderness – God is with you
God sacrificed His only Son just to be with you
He will never abandon you
I wish that you understood that you are our child and our love knows no bounds
You are not alone in the wilderness – we are there, calling your name
We cover you with love when the world covers you with hate
We long for the day when we are reconciled
Until that time, know that we are there
We will never cease searching for you, praying for you, and loving you
We will be there when your walls come down
Where, my daughter, have you gone?