March 17-18, 2014  Join Memphis Theological Seminary as we host the Lowrie Lectures.  #MTSLowrie Our guest lecturer is Daniella Zsupan-Jerome Ph.D. She is assistant professor of liturgy, catechesis, and evangelization. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in liturgy from St. John’s University in Collegeville, a master’s degree in religion and the arts from Yale Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in theology and education from Boston College. Her research focuses on... Read more

Religion as we have known it is breaking down. The evidence is everywhere we look. It is in the despicable rhetoric and violence of politically-oriented religious extremists, far and near. It is in the scandals and abuses plaguing our current ecclesiastical structures. It is in the surface tension between the “religious right” and modern culture, in the growing indifference of that culture to religion and its occasional disgust with it. And yet, I want to make it really clear: It... Read more

by Peter Gathje R3 Contributor *This first appeared in the Radical Hospitality Blog  When I came to Manna House this morning at 6:45a.m., I had to make a decision. The temperature was hovering right around 32 degrees. There were already eight guests waiting, lined up on the sidewalk and standing along the fence, and I’m sure most of them had spent the night outside. For the past few weeks, when the temperatures were in the 20’s, as soon as one... Read more

by Earle FisherR3 ContributorIn his storied writing, The Miseducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson, expounds on the impact that the education of an oppressed and displaced people can have on the psyche of generations yet unborn. Education in this sense posed a problem for those being educated due to the xenophobic misunderstanding of one group of people in producing an apathetic and inadequate educational environment for a group deemed inferior, separate and unequal. Although this brand of education has... Read more

by Peter GathjeR3 Contributor This first appeared in the Radical Hospitality blog Conversation from this morning at Manna House where we opened early because it was 23 degrees at 6:46a.m.  Me:  “It sure is cold this morning.”Robert Lee (a guest):  “It’s a cold world.”  When we pray as we open, we hold hands because we know “the only chain that we can stand is the chain of hand in hand.”  In the winter I can feel the cold hands of... Read more

The Black church has been central to every major political and social movement in the African American community. Civil Rights activist, Ella Baker was critical of the male-led, hierarchical and messianic leadership-style of the Black Church and Civil Rights organizations. Baker called for a more collective form of leadership called participatory democracy. As social media begins to democratize communication and give voice to the voiceless; What will be the impact of social media on the future Black Church activism in... Read more

NO! That’s what I used to think! I remember the very first time I ever had to deal with someone who told me they were struggling with anxiety and depression. I did not understand and could not relate — so, I told them what I thought was the typical “Christian” answer to all problems: they should pray more, read their Bible more and memorize more Scripture. Instead of lessening the load, I was unintentionally adding to it. The person mentioned... Read more

Executive Summary Support for same-sex marriage jumped 21 percentage points from 2003, when Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, to 2013. Currently, a majority (53%) of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, compared to 41% who oppose. In 2003, less than one-third (32%) of Americans supported allowing gay and lesbian people to legally marry, compared to nearly 6-in-10 (59%) who opposed. „„Today, roughly equal numbers of Americans say they strongly favor (22%) legalizing... Read more

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” – Judge Leon M. Bazile, January 6, 1959 The most remarkable thing about Arizona’s “License To Discriminate” bill is how quickly it became anathema, even among Republicans. Both 2008 GOP presidential candidate... Read more

By Monica A. Coleman R3 Contributor Music is an important part of my life. Whether jamming to an upbeat rock song at the gym or playing a sad song incessantly after heartbreak, I, like many other people, can imagine creating a soundtrack to my life filled with the music of my generation. Music gives me the words I can’t find, and it gives me a rhythm to dance or slowly rock to. In fact, it’s probably the music that constitutes... Read more