****Editor's note: I gave this 30 minute talk in Buffalo, NY. at the Nickel City Forum. It is not meant to be the last word on the topic. Time precluded a more extensive discussion of all the issues surrounding race and the bible. Since we find ourselves in upstate New York, some seventy … Continue reading Does the Bible Support or Dismantle Racism?
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
Yesterday, four movers arrived at our new home to deliver items I had not seen since we placed them in storage some three years ago. Two of these delivery men were African American brothers. When one of them walked in he said, "I remember this house! I moved the people out of here … Continue reading Black Movers, White Neighborhoods
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
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
All I ever wanted to be was a football coach. I saw coaches making a difference in my city. For many of us it was football or the streets. Sports had the ability to capture our imagination, but not forever. The goal was to keep us in school long enough so that we might begin … Continue reading Thoughts on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Part I
Today I found myself struggling to find something relevant to say about Saint David King of Scots. It was my duty to speak to those gathered about a saint whose life we remembered for its witness to the gospel. But what could I say to a gathering of mostly Scots about a Scottish king when 48 hours … Continue reading All holiness is local: the feast of Saint David King of Scots!
