Joe Nathan James, Jr. killed Faith Hall in 1994. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt about that. However, doubt about guilt isn’t necessary to have doubt about the punishment. The death penalty is abhorrently problematic and this case illustrates why…starkly. For several years, James carefully kept transcripts, documents and potential evidence from his case with him in his cell. Then one day…as he was out to court & their cells were being rearranged…guards threw all of these... Read more
*Words delivered to the Little Rock City Director’s meeting on July 19, 2022. LITTLE ROCK IS MURDER ROCK! Good evening my name is Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood. I just moved to Little Rock about a year ago. My wife is a Professor of Art Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. We live off of Shackelford between Rodney Parham and Markham. I could spend all night talking to you about the crime that is happening in... Read more
Will Eaton: The Unspoken Victim of the July 7, 2016 Shooting in Dallas, Texas On the night of July 7, 2016, Micah Johnson coopted a march that I organized in Dallas, Texas to kill five police officers. Their names were Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Brent Thompson and Patrick Zamarripa. Immediately after the incident, I repeatedly went on national and international television to share that we were protesting for love and justice. Away from the cameras,... Read more
Kosoul Chanthakoummane: On the Nature of Execution and Doubt (Of Course in Texas) According to the prosecution… On July 8, 2006, Kosoul Chanthakoummane arrived at a model home in Collin County, Texas. There he found Sarah Walker. A struggle ensued. Chanthakoummane proceeded to brutalize Walker. Eventually, hitting her with a plant stand, stabbing her over 33 times and leaving a vicious bite mark on her neck. When he was finished, he stole a watch and ring off... Read more
I organized a rally. I marched. Shots rang out. Lorne Ahrens Michael Krol Michael Smith Brent Thompson Patrick Zamarripa It’s been 6 years. I’m still there. The Sermon After the Shooting Delivered after the July 7 shooting at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Denton, Texas on July 10, 2016. It’s been a very busy time. Just a few days ago, I organized the rally and march that preceded the deaths of five police... Read more
Christ in the Trailer: A Lesson about Migration and Greed from a Literal Hell *Just a few days ago, a semitruck packed with migrants was abandoned by smugglers in the sweltering heat on a desolate road near San Antonio, Texas. In a literal hell, 53 people burned to death. I’ve constructed the following narrative with the firm belief that Jesus was in the back of that trailer. Jesus looked upon his disciples. The children grew hungrier... Read more
I’ve been interviewed about him…written about him…talked about him…been given an academic chair/professorship named after him…I don’t think he’ll ever leave me. At least, I pray that he doesn’t. 8 Years Later // Don’t You Dare Turn Your Head: The Self-Immolation of The Rev. Charles Moore The Rev. Charles Moore visits me often. For over 8 years now, I’ve closed my eyes and felt the pull of his flame. The media attention is long over. Too much time has... Read more
PETRIC J. SMITH: The Theology of a TRANS SAINT “If I am to call for truth, I must offer truth. We should all settle for nothing less. For it is only in an atmosphere of truth that freedom can ever prosper. And it is only in an atmosphere of truth that we can learn to relate to each other by our compassion and our honesty rather than to judge each other on the points of difference between... Read more
*As Dean of The New Theology School, I’m so proud of my student Dr. Scott Masters’ (The New Theology School ‘s new Professor of Practical Wesleyan Studies) book, Deconstructing the Gospel of Q (Anon). June 9, 2020 To the faithful. “If you were an adherent, no one would be able to tell. You would look like any other American. You could be a mother, picking leftovers off your toddler’s plate. You could... Read more
+ an excerpt from BLACKOLOGY: The Theological Dexterity of Blackness…a recent work by the Dean, the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood and the James Baldwin Professor of Practical Blackology, Dr. Yoel Omowale of The New Theology School. Foreword. May 22, 2022 Fellow seekers. “Fuck your Jesus.” At first, I just blurted it out. In reality, I think it was more of a reflex. I didn’t go into the encounter expecting it to get that heated. I wasn’t the... Read more
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