A Theology of Stigmata

Last updated on: August 16, 2020 at 10:01 pm By Jeff Hood

A Theology of Stigmata Blood poured forth from the body of the incarnate God. Depression smothered his consciousness. Mania rattled his being. Psychosis toyed with his understanding of reality. Even in the midst of such sickness…of such disease…Jesus continued. Based on his own words, the biggest physical wounds of the passion event were in his mind. Since the advent of the church, reports of stigmata…or spontaneous supernatural appearances of the wounds of Christ on his followers…have... Read more

Leaving Dallas.

Last updated on: August 7, 2020 at 9:47 pm By Jeff Hood

Leaving Dallas. Life changes. Rapid developments demand rapid responses. Such is how we got here. I guess there are many first times that change us forever. This moment was no different. I was asked to speak to a huge crowd of people. I stood and delivered. Repeatedly, I called churches to account with regard to their records on race and involvement in the movement against police brutality. Throughout the night, I followed the leadership of the evening.... Read more

The Sermon After the Shooting

Last updated on: July 8, 2020 at 8:02 am By Jeff Hood

I had no choice but to stand and deliver… 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 officers in Dallas. This morning I want to journey through the story of Dallas and end with in the familiar... Read more

6 Years Ago // Don’t You Dare Turn Your Head: The Self-Immolation of The Rev. Charles Moore

Last updated on: June 29, 2020 at 10:15 pm By Jeff Hood

June 23, 2020 The Rev. Charles Moore visits me often. For over six 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, I’ve decided to repost the blog that I wrote after hearing about Moore’s self-immolation. I encourage you to sit... Read more

The Good Samaritan: For Our Moment

Last updated on: June 19, 2020 at 12:11 am By Jeff Hood

The Good Samaritan: For Our Moment On one occasion a theologian stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” she asked, “what must one do to no longer be racist? “What have your studies told you?” he replied. “What does it say in your books?” She answered, “‘I guess it begins with… Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as... Read more

Defund the Police? Skepticism in a Time of Sloganeering.

Last updated on: June 14, 2020 at 2:14 am By Jeff Hood

June 14, 2020 Defund the Police? Skepticism in a Time of Sloganeering. The days are unkind…hopeless…evil. Just when you think you’ve seen the last video for a little while…another officer kills another citizen. What are we to do? The situations are not always the same…but they deliver the same indictment. We train our officers to kill and then expect them to not to kill in the field. We can’t have it both ways. Violence births violence... Read more

White Christians are Theologically Compromised

Last updated on: June 8, 2020 at 11:34 pm By Jeff Hood

These are crazy times. Folk don’t know what to do…especially white folk. Within the white folk arena, there is one group that seems to have lost all sense they might ever have had on reality…white Christians. On the daily, I’ve been bombarded by bizarre statements/actions that white Christians are making/taking in the name of helping. These bombardments provide a textbook example of what things look like when helping hurts. I’ve tried to refrain from having this conversation. Initially,... Read more

Dallas: I’m Ashamed

Last updated on: May 30, 2020 at 2:36 am By Jeff Hood

Dallas: I’m Ashamed The hour is late. I can’t sleep. Tonight, I’ve watched the nation burn. Theologically, I don’t have a problem with the destruction of the property of the oppressor. Jesus destroyed everything he could get his hands on in the Temple. In the midst of this moment, I don’t believe that Jesus would hesitate to torch a police car…or even destroy a predatory business. The problem is that current rioting is indiscriminate. In the chaos, people are... Read more

God in the Flames: Reflections on the Riots

Last updated on: May 29, 2020 at 1:24 am By Jeff Hood

We watch as violence engulfs our cities…and we have no idea what to do. Maybe there is nothing to do. Perhaps love is dead. Maybe there is no us left. Perhaps I is all that is. While the answers to such propositions are fleeting…perhaps there is more of an answer than you realize…crackling there in the flames. Variations of the idols of injustice are everywhere. Daily we are asked to worship. Racism? Sexism? Capitalism? (Don’t forget that this all started over some suspected... Read more

George Floyd’s Final 300 Seconds/Prayers

Last updated on: May 27, 2020 at 1:10 pm By Jeff Hood

George Floyd’s Final 300 Prayers/Seconds * There is a difference between “I can’t breathe” and “I can’t breath.” Breath indicates a single attempt at breath. I want to illustrate that there was 300 attempts to get just one breath. Imagine… the same prayer for 300 seconds. George Floyd prayed it over and over again. In the midst of the terror, I believe that Jesus was there…I believe Jesus heard Floyd’s prayer…I believe that Jesus died with a knee on his... Read more