There is profound beauty in the pursuit of God. Perhaps, there is nothing more beautiful. Surely, at the core of every being is a spiritual being. Someone or something that is waiting to explode from within. Unfortunately, modernity doesn’t seem to have much use for explosions. We want to know what is coming. We want to be prepared. We think that we can outlast fate. How can one be prepared for God? It seems to me that God... Read more
*For many years, I’ve served as a spiritual advisor on Texas’ Death Row. For all my guys that were executed, there were very few people fighting for them. In fact, most executions in Texas are rarely publicly challenged at all. Every couple of years, a death penalty case arises that draws the interest of the wider public. Most of these cases don’t get any attention until months (sometimes even days) before the actual execution is about to take... Read more
The Color of the Hand: Genocide in an Age of Identity Earlier today, I received a phone call from a dear theologian friend. For a short time, we discussed the horrors of what’s happening in Ukraine. We talked about what it would be like to have to live in such horror. The questions for discussion were endless. How would you escape with your family? Would you be willing to fight back? Where is God during all of this? ... Read more
The Genocide of Silence. Silence is horrifying. Why? Fear. Of. What we will hear. Or. Maybe we are afraid. Of. What we won’t hear. Does God dwell? In silence? In darkness? In nothing? Strange. Strangers. Strangest. Strangers. Rooms full of silent strangers. Is this what one calls a day? Hours spent in silent longing? Perhaps there is nothing strange about the silence. It is what makes us…us. Does our humanity speak? Is it... Read more
The Fight Seek! That’s what you said. I sought. And! That’s what you said. I tried to pull it all together. You! That’s what you said. I’m right here. Will! That’s what you said. I heard the promise. Find! That’s what you said. I didn’t find anything. You said there was something. You said it would matter. You said so much. You said. I can’t see. I can’t breathe. I can’t... Read more
An Abusive Teacher & A Cover Up at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet Elementary School in Little Rock, Arkansas (Little Rock School District) I share all of this information with the hope that Kiley Lacefield will be able to achieve justice. This is the statement that I constructed (and provided to the Little Rock School District) not long after the incident happened (initially I thought that Renarda Kendrick’s name was Ms. Kirkland // I also did not... Read more
On July 7, 2016, I organized a rally against police brutality. For hours, thousands of us marched through the streets of Dallas. Right before the march was to conclude, I heard shots ring out. Looking up, I saw bullets slicing through the bodies of multiple police officers. The perpetrator was a man named Micah Johnson who claimed to be acting on behalf of victims of police brutality. Before the night was up, five officers were dead. During the hysteria,... Read more
Just about two years ago, I began the process of creating The New Theology School. Since then, we’ve grown to over thirty doctoral students and nearly a dozen doctoral graduates. Presently, I serve as our Dean and as a regular mentor to our doctoral students. Our most recent graduate is The Rev. Dr. Joseph Blotz. A previous graduate of Pacific School of Religion, Dr. Blotz is a United Church of Christ minister serving as Pastor of the First Church... Read more
A Thought Pattern on Fear and War / Within and in Ukraine In the midst of all that is troubling our souls within and in Ukraine, I decided to construct a thought pattern…which if followed is capable of creating peace. The root of war is always fear. We fear what we don’t know. So we don’t speak. We fear what we don’t understand. So we don’t think. We fear being wrong. So we don’t come to conclusions. ... Read more
On the Theological Ethics of Assassinating Vladimir Putin Earlier tonight, Russian President Vladimir Putin started an unprovoked war with Ukraine. Missiles started raining down on Kyiv and other parts of the country just seconds ago. For months, Putin has held the world in suspense as he has slowly amassed Russian troops at the Ukrainian border. In the coming days, Europe will experience its’ largest military conflict since World War II. The only explanation is that Putin wants... Read more
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