They’re nothing more exciting than a box. Cats love them – usually empty. Kids use them as fuel for endless expressions of imagination. We get gifts in them. Send gifts in them. We get practical things out of boxes and extravagant things. Boxes are great. And so, it’s no wonder that we talk about the way we see the world as putting things in boxes or insisting that we are box breakers. From early in life we learn to categorize and... Read more
When I was growing up, I was taught a lot about respect. I was taught to respect my parents and other adults who cared for me. I was taught to say please and thank you. I was taught to do as I was told without complaint, argument, or talk back. I did not realize it then, but my parents were not just teaching me manners, they were teaching me how to survive. I grew up in a very homogenous area.... Read more
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine had her third child. There were some complications when he was born, and although both mom and baby are both healthy now, it was scary, especially for her. As I heard bits and pieces of the story throughout the day, I found myself terrified, anxious, excited, angry, and sad, all at once. I felt strangely connected to this little life, even though it wasn’t my baby. Perhaps it was because my pregnancy with Lola... Read more
One of the CNN.com leads today described a 19-year-old Afghan woman being buried in ground to her neck and then being brutally stoned to death for suspected adultery. Rokhshana reportedly had been forced to marry against her will and had fled her village with another man. Nevertheless, it is still easy to dismiss this tragic tale as just another horror story about the treatment of women out there, over there, somewhere else, in places people can’t seem to get their... Read more
Father Richard Rohr authored the foreword for Teresa Pasquale‘s new book, Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma released today by Chalice Press. Chalice has made the foreword available and we thought this would be great to share in the post-modern church conversation / movement. We at Emerging Voices have been huge fans of Teresa’s healing work for a couple of years and are excited to see this work become widely available and accessible. Foreword by Father Richard Rohr... Read more
There has been a lot of debate over the phrases “Black Lives Matter,” and “All Lives Matter” over the past year. I would like to frame this conversation in religious terms. Christians have a unique vision of the eschaton, or in non-theological terms, the end of human history. We believe that in some ways, the end, that is the full reign of the Kingdom of God and the restoration of all creation back to its creator, is here now already.... Read more
When I first started studying women and the church, it became very clear that this is never a one way topic. It seems throughout history that every time women take two steps forward toward equality and fair treatment, they get pushed back at least one step, and sometimes if feels like two or three. As of the present, gender equality is not something that is achieved and then remains intact, but is something that we must continually work to... Read more
To linguistically portray God as a father, or God as a woman giving birth, or an eagle, or a sacred wind, all of those things put a limiting image up to represent God. And, for that matter, so do the three letters, G-O-D. All the ways we choose to refer to God are images, all are limited representations, all are potentially idolatrous symbols. But all our metaphors and ways of referring to God are not necessarily idolatrous. Only potentially. Read more
What can a mushroom teach us about God? The building I work in has rows of peace lilies and palms growing indoors. It’s a beautiful part of the building, a conference center, full of natural light and open space. There’s a caretaker who, twice a week or so, tends to the plants, watering them, trimming away dead leaves, et cetera. One day, though, I noticed he missed a sizable mushroom: At first, I didn’t think much of it, but as I... Read more
Sometimes, I just think in poetry. Today is such a day. Sometimes, when I spend a lot of time on social media, soaking in what others say, and sharing what I’ve read and viewed, this is how the thoughts come out. Life is often too heavy to engage head on. Some of us make it our life’s work to rage at the sun on other people’s behalf. It’s hard to see clearly through the tears. Ephemeral is what life feels... Read more
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