lament

  • Abortion, Newtown, and the Feast of the Holy Innocents

    Today, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the church remembers the thousands of Jewish male infants killed by kingly decree “in the days of Herod.”   In the weeks after the massacre at Newtown, those of us living in… Continue reading

  • On the Killing of Children

    “Blessed the one who seizes your children and smashes them against the rock.” — Psalm 137:9 “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”… Continue reading

  • What Does Dialogue Take?

    (from a friend of the blog who wishes to remain anonymous) When I was in college, I took a class with a scholar who was—and remains—very influential in inter-religious dialogue circles. He had chaired several of his polity’s national committees… Continue reading

  • Reflections on Holy Saturday with Shelly Rambo

    The problem with a typical narration of salvation is that we tend to have a linear understanding of redemption. We read the story of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection in terms of a strong start, an awful middle, and an… Continue reading

  • Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Last year on Martin Luther King Day, I reflected upon MLK’s radical critique of U.S. imperialism, an aspect of his legacy which is often forgotten. This year, I would like us to remember that racism continues to pervade nearly all aspects… Continue reading

  • “Ethnic” Hymns in White Churches Take Two

    I want to follow-up on Sonja’s excellent and thought-provoking discussion of the singing of “ethnic” hymns in white churches by adding a few thoughts of my own. Before answering the question of whether predominantly white Christian communities should sing Negro… Continue reading

  • Was It Worth It?

    Let’s assume that Jesus never said, “love your enemies,” or “do good to those who persecute you.”  Let’s forget that Jesus told Peter to put the sword away, (if you can’t use the sword to defend the life of Jesus,… Continue reading

  • The Cross and the Lynching Tree

    In this 2007 interview with PBS’ Bill Moyers, James Cone argues that the lynching of African-Americans throughout the 19th and 20th centuries was an almost literal crucifixion because “the cross was a first century lynching.”  Lynching, like the crucifixion, was a… Continue reading

  • A Church that Does Body Counts

    According to the NYTimes, last Friday “A NATO airstrike targeting Taliban fighters Friday accidentally killed seven civilians, including three children, in the southern province of Helmand, one of the most insecure regions in the country, Afghan officials said.” Sadly, despite searching for… Continue reading