In the wake of the recent election, I have seen many Christians quote the biblical command to respect authority and pray for the leaders that God has placed over us. Two texts have been prominent in this admonition: Romans 13:1–3 and 1 Timothy 2:1–2. They read: Let every person be subject to the governing … Continue reading The New Testament and Public Criticism of Politicians
Tag: Biblical Interpretation
The Gospel, Black Spaceships, and Kanye West
I’ve been working this grave shift and I ain’t made it, I wish I could I buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky – Kanye West (slightly edited) Spaceships don’t come equipped with rearview mirrors; they dip as quick as they can – Andre3000 And the word became flesh and lived … Continue reading The Gospel, Black Spaceships, and Kanye West
Alton Sterling, a Son’s Tears, and Psalm 137: A Lament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-oXAwIeW8 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept –Psalm 137:1 What does it look like to reach the breaking point of orthodoxy? What does it look like to arrive at the place where the desire for reconciliation gives way to anger and resentment? It looks like a fifteen-year-old boy weeping uncontrollably … Continue reading Alton Sterling, a Son’s Tears, and Psalm 137: A Lament
In God’s Good Time: On My first class at Northeastern Seminary
The people’s champ must be everything the people can’t be...You must have missed the come up, I must be all I can be. Call me Mr. Mufasa, I had to master stampedes– Chance the Rapper Until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him –Psalms 105:19 This … Continue reading In God’s Good Time: On My first class at Northeastern Seminary
Seminary and the Curse of Ham: On the need for Diverse Faculty
Noah damning Ham, 19th-century painting by Ivan Stepanovitch Ksenofontov. Part I: Seminary, the Sons of God, and the Curse of Ham (if all you care about is the interpretation of the curse of Ham feel free to skip to Part II below) I went seminary to learn the Bible. I think all of … Continue reading Seminary and the Curse of Ham: On the need for Diverse Faculty
Blaming the Africans: Cultural Imperialism and the Meeting of the Primates
Sally Struthers was the first to introduce me to Africa. She told me that while 70 cents would garner me a coke, that same two quarters and four nickels could feed an African. My next memory of Africa comes from watching the rise and fall of that famed warrior Shaka Zulu. In the movie, his … Continue reading Blaming the Africans: Cultural Imperialism and the Meeting of the Primates
The Scholarly Conference and the Souls of Black Folk
The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,— a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at … Continue reading The Scholarly Conference and the Souls of Black Folk
