We here at R3 are pleased to announce that the editors of Citizen Critics have agreed to allow us to cross publish some of their terrific articles. Below is one from Dr. Renea Fry that examines the Black History Month speeches of Presidents Obama and Trump. by Renea Frey *Published first at Citizen Critics. On February 1, 2017, President Trump delivered a speech for Black History Month to about a dozen black Americans, all of whom support or work for him.... Read more
By Earle Fisher Reflecting on a conversation we had recently at church, we discussed what it means and what it takes for folks to get substantially involved in social justice and movement work. Those of us who have become public faces of The Movement (and most of us against our will) are relatively clear on a few things; things we’ve shared publicly but may have been overlooked or drowned out by all of the white noise (pun intended): 1) With... Read more
by Derrick Holmes The 15 Chapter of Paul’s letter to the body of believers in Rome finds him offering perspective to way in which the church ought view Old Testament writ. The Apostle Paul writes in the 4th verse, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”. Paul suggests that the sacred text ought not be exclusively considered as written wisdom of... Read more
by Peter Gathje The knock on the front door at Manna House came just before 8am. Was it a late arriving volunteer? A guest who was growing impatient? I opened the door. Two men, one white, one black, stood there in their MLGW uniforms. I could see their truck parked on the street. The black man introduced himself, while his white co-worker stood silently holding four loaves of bread. I asked, “How can I help you?” “Would you take this... Read more
by Steven Tramel Gaines Fear and anger grip my nation. Cries of protest arise from people who perceive injustices in executive actions. Supporters of those actions object to the protests and demean the cries of oppression. As I said in a recent sermon, “We need to do something. We need to say something. Our consciences don’t allow us to sit quietly and passively while the world around us falls to pieces.” Similarly, in a recent R3 post, Eric Weed wrote:... Read more
by Eric Weed The President of the United States is deceiving white America. He has and will continue to do so until white America decides to look away. The siren song is mesmerizing and we are losing our soul to its sweet melodies. The first week of the new administration is no different than the campaign trail. The song of “Make America Great Again” presents an alternative view of the United States. During the campaign, his message was about America’s... Read more
Eric A. Weed writes on politics, race, and religion. He has a Ph.D. in Theological, Ethical, and Historical Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. In addition, he has a Master of Theological Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts in Religion from The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Beyond his academic work, he serves on the Wisconsin Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Commission on Religion and Race. His book The Religion of White... Read more
In a recent Huffington Post article, Dave Jacobson and Maclen Zilber, seeing the “carnage” that Trump is producing and proposing, suggests that it is time for our former president, Barack Obama to “break his silence.” They write, “Now, at our darkest hour, we need our nation’s greatest communicator to dust off his sneakers and get back into the fray.” While acknowledging that Obama has “given everything” he “had for us” and that we “don’t have any right to ask [him]... Read more
by Crystal St Marie Lewis Nearly five years ago, I wrote in an essay called “Kingdoms, Afterlives and Political Shenanigans” that one of mainstream Christianity’s fundamental flaws is found in its teaching about personal salvation. I wrote about how self-focused salvation perspectives ultimately influence everything from our political opinions to the way that we interpret God’s plan for the world. The doctrine of personal salvation also colors our perspectives on matters of justice, equality and inclusion. We in Christianity focus... Read more
by Stephen Ray The current moment in our society actually provides us with an unexpected opportunity. We can dispense with the notion of racial reconciliation for good. As many of you know, I have believed the notion to be flawed for many years now. Recently, I discovered what has been behind my negative assessments of the possibilities promised by these discourses. They are two. Unresolvable resentments and the final limits of human imagination. There are two sets of interlocking resentments... Read more
Rhetoric Race and Religion
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