All the way from Zimbabwe, introducing The Rev. Dr. Cleopas Taguma Neuso! One of my students at/recent graduate of The New Theology School (of which I serve as the Dean). He recently asked me to share his project/dissertation, “Disability as Salvation in Zimbabwe.” So, here is his bio…followed by the text. Blessings. Dr. Hood The Rev. Dr. Cleopas Taguma Neuso is a Baptist pastor in Harare under the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe. He is married to Georgina Nyaradzo with… Read more
*I came across this article this morning. I wrote it 12 years ago. Though the terms/definitions have changed (and my relation to them/i.e. I don’t hold to all of the specifics of the article any more), the central theme still loudly speaks…CERTAINTY is always the GOD KILLER. “If you will not listen to us, our souls will continue to sob in secret for such pride; and our eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears, because the flock… Read more
Dropped Something dropped from the sky. Something dropped right next to me. Something… The day was clear…clearer than I’d seen in a long time. I wasn’t expecting any visitors…but visitors often unexpectedly find me. This one just dropped in. I guess I would call it rude…but then again beauty often is. To describe it would be an injustice. It was an experience…that’s all I really know. From somewhere else…entirely somewhere else…I felt something coming… Read more
Over the last few days, I’ve been captivated by the words of corporate whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former employee of Facebook. Repeatedly, Haugen’s stirring witness has caused me to think deeply about my/our collective engagement with social media. Haugen’s testimony…and the documents that she was able to smuggle out of Facebook…leave no doubt that these companies have created an addictive product that monetizes the pain and suffering of others. I don’t know of anything more evil. These revelations/interactions have forced… Read more
There is profound beauty in the pursuit of God. Perhaps, there is nothing more beautiful. When I decided to pursue theological education, I don’t think I ever really knew what I was pursuing. I just pursued. I guess I pursued as I had been pursued. The love of God is relentless. I wanted to be just as relentless. I knew where I was going. I just didn’t know exactly what was driving me. It was confusingly clear. I guess… Read more
I closed my eyes. I left time and space. I’d asked for intervention, divine intervention to understand the cross. It is such a confusing event. We have. Jesus…the very incarnation of God…being crucified…bled out…treated like shit…murdered. And we are told that this is the way of God. For thousands of years, the focus has been on Jesus and Jesus alone. Now, occasionally we will allow ourselves to drift over to a thief on the cross, but rarely do… Read more
June 23, 2021 7 Years Ago // Don’t You Dare Turn Your Head: The Self-Immolation of The Rev. Charles Moore The Rev. Charles Moore visits me often. For over 7 years now, I’ve closed my eyes and felt the pull of his flame. The media attention is long over. Too much time has passed for most. Our memories are so frail. I won’t ever be able to forget. I still see the flames. To commemorate the passion,… Read more
“The TRINITY is the most crucial doctrine of our faith. For Jesus cannot be God without it. If Jesus is not God…we our damned forever.” Immediately, I freaked out. Who wouldn’t? I’d never been real sure I believed in…or even completely understood…the concept of the TRINITY. I thought it was enough to love God and know that we are loved. Well, apparently not…apparently there was this added construct…one that was nowhere to be found in scripture or any other early manuscripts… Read more
The following letter went out to hundreds of clergy on the morning of May 16, 2021. Dear Colleagues. Greetings. I have been amazed at your responses over the last week. From the Baptists to the Methodists to the Presbyterians and everyone in between, you are dedicated to making sure that we all join together to do everything in our power to make sure that tragedies involving mental health become a thing of the past.. Repeatedly, I have listened to your… Read more
A Message to Pastors in Boone, North Carolina: How Many More People Will Have to Die Before You Will Engage the Mentally Ill? Just over a week ago, two officers/deputies (Chris Ward and Logan Fox) approached a home. Inside, there was a mentally ill man (Isaac Barnes) that had killed his parents (George and Michelle Ligon). Before the day was out, all of them would be dead. Since the tragedy, the local focus has been primarily… Read more
