I woke up this morning with my mind set on the things of God. When the majesty of God truly comes over you, there is a tingling in your physiological construction. While I wouldn’t call it nervousness, I can say that it makes you shake. Today was a preaching day and like all preaching days I was overcome with the sense of responsibility that comes with standing before the people of God and purveying the words of God. The drive... Read more
Week after week, pastors and staffs of churches deliberate about what message they intend to purvey to their community with their church sign. The sign is intended to share with the community the most important thoughts of the congregation for the week. While visiting my home state of Georgia this week, I drove past a church sign advertising, “Moderate Theology.” The sign sparked my curiosity. Later in the day, I asked a friend in ministry in Atlanta about the... Read more
Good evening. I am the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood from Denton, Texas. I have come a long way to pray with you. Will you please oblige me by bowing your heads? God we come to you from many different religions, nationalities, races, classes, orientations, genders, abilities and various other categories and identifications…some ascribed by our self and some ascribed to our self. Regardless of where we come from, we come together tonight knowing that the only way that we will... Read more
There is an old story about Jesus. During one of his marathon sessions, the entire house he was teaching in filled up and everyone wanted to share a moment with Jesus. Hearing that he had the power to heal people, a group across town picked up their disabled neighbor and carried him on a mat to the house where Jesus was. After being unable to find an entrance or a way to get into the place of healing, the... Read more
The Pledge Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance What for? What does it mean? What will my standing say? I only pledge allegiance to God alone I don’t have allegiance to any nation How can a follower of Jesus pledge allegiance to a nation? I especially find it hard to have allegiance to this nation So full of… Inequality Oppression Marginalization BUT This is my home I guess freedom is what I believe in enough to pledge allegiance... Read more
Thanks to a group called The Official Street Preachers, “Homo Sex is Sin” was the message that congregants at the Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ were greeted with this morning. Unfortunately, our family was not at church this morning. Our son Phillip has the flu and the rest of the kids are considered carriers until the Tamiflu runs out. I would have loved the opportunity to show my children how foolish people look when hate takes over.... Read more
On April 19, 1961, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a stirring sermon in a most unlikely place. Though not his most famous address, Dr. King’s words to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary or simply Southern Seminary pushed the audience to do more to accomplish racial justice. Delivered to the flagship theological institution of the flagship denomination of Southern Culture, Dr. King would never again give another address like this. The Southern Baptist Convention originated from a... Read more
“What you have done to the least of these you have done to me…” The words of Jesus from Matthew 25 remind us that Jesus endures every oppression and marginalization. For most of the modern era, many queer people have been oppressed and marginalized for their sexuality and identity. This afternoon the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case that I believe will finally allow same-sex couples to be in legalized marriages in the United States. Throughout the oppression and... Read more
Adrianna Waller was a beautiful baby. On August 22, 1997, Charles Warner was supposed to be watching her. Instead of protecting and caring for her, Warner proceeded to rape and murder little Adrianna. During the trial, Warner’s own son testified against him. A jury convicted Warner and sentenced him to death. Tonight, January 15, 2015, the people of Oklahoma put Charles Warner to death. Despite the heinous nature of the crime, there was one person who stood adamantly opposed... Read more
Make no mistake, there truly are ghosts in Mississippi. Most often, they inhabit long forgotten places and toil with hopes that their mortal lives have not been lived in vain. A few years ago, I first traveled to a forgotten place to meet a forgotten man. “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them rubbish, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him…” Though I had heard the words... Read more
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