“All Muslims aren’t terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.” A woman shouted these words into the camera in one of the many videos of Christian protests of Texas Muslim Capitol Day in Austin. During the over hour and a half event, Christians consistently shouted down Muslim speakers and at one point came close to assaulting some of the speakers. Muslim children from Texas were screamed at and told to return to their home country. If that wasn’t disgusting enough,... Read more
God. Why? Why do I have to keep coming down here? Why was Robert Ladd born with intellectual disabilities? Why were people murdered? Why are we about to murder Robert Ladd? Why? Do you care? Are you here? Is there a reason why you don’t stop this? Are you addicted to death and suffering? Do you even exist? I don’t know the answer to these questions. I only know that I have chosen to believe. I believe that you... Read more
When the time comes to consecrate communion, most celebrants approach the altar and read from a prepared liturgy. In the moment when Jesus is supposed to be closest to us, I have always felt like the consecration of communion is a time to explain what the incarnation means. Based on Jesus’ promise to inhabit the least of these amongst us, I feel like the incarnation changes and transforms constantly with the changes and transformations that go on in the world... Read more
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
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