Sonja N. Woods, born and raised in North Carolina, is completing research for her dissertation in Howard University’s Department of History.  Her primary area of interest is southern Africa with a particular focus on the history and culture of South Africa.  Ms. Woods’ Master’s thesis at North Carolina Central University was entitled, “Black Israelite Emancipation Theology from Emergence in the United States to Sedition in South Africa, 1885-1925.”  She has enjoyed processing materials at the African American Civil War Museum... Read more

On December 5, 2013, the world learned of the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela. We here at Rhetoric Race and Religion thought we would share some reflections about the live and legacy of Mandela. We invite you to share your own as well by emailing us at [email protected] or reaching us on Facebook or Twitter.1.Nelson Mandela in the movies2.Nelson Mandela wore the mantle of saint reluctantly3.The Life of Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013 4. A Comprehensive Guide To Conservative Reactions... Read more

In September, Hendersonville High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, made national news when it suspended field trips to religious sites as part of an elective class in world studies. The elective, which has been taught at Hendersonville for a decade, includes a unit on world religion covering five traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In the past, students have visited a mosque, a Hindu temple, and a synagogue without incident. This year, parent Mike Conner objected to his stepdaughter visiting the... Read more

When I heard the question, “Should we teach religion in public schools?” it made me cringe. Why? The United States is currently in the unenviable position of being near the bottom of the list of industrialized nations when it comes to teaching evolution in our public schools. As a consequence, at least half of adults outright embrace creationism and reject evolution. The rejection of reason, this religious revival we’re still in the midst of, is imperiling our international standing. How... Read more

Several weeks ago, conservative politicians and pundits paused from brutalizing the interests of poor Americans long enough to attack Pope Francis for daring to criticize certain aspects of the prevailing economic order in his address, Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”). He charged it with being “unjust at its root” and “incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor… as though all this were someone else’s responsibility. We know that talking about responsibility for your neighbor is always a... Read more

by C J RhodesR3 Contributor *This was first posted at C J Rhodes blog Zora Neale Hurston once averred that “the Sanctified Church is a protest against the high-brow tendency in Negro Protestant congregations as the Negroes gain more education and wealth.” By “Sanctified Church,” Hurston was referring to the growing constellation of black Holiness and Pentecostal churches that emphasize the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and whose worship culture and Christian spirituality is enthusiastic, ecstatic, countercultural, and... Read more

Every year during November and December, I find myself confronting a very particular problem—one which I am sure is familiar to all of my colleagues, but one we rarely ever discuss: how to explain what we do to our families.  While on a long visit to my parents in Murrells Inlet, SC this year, their friends and neighbors frequently asked about my studies, and I would inform them that I was on track to graduate from my doctoral program in... Read more

by C.J. RhodesR3 Contributor *First published at the C J Rhodes Blog  **Originally published in the Jackson Free Press as “America’s Favorite Preacher,” the following is an interview I did with Joel Osteen in December of 2012 prior to his first-time visit to Jackson, MS. I wanted to share it with you, again. Joel Osteen’s smile is as big as Texas, and so is his following. As the pastor of Houston’s Lakewood Church, Osteen, 49, leads America’s largest congregation. He... Read more

Through five years of immersion in what is arguably the “holy land” of white evangelicalism in Midwest, USA (i.e. Wheaton has “more churches per capita than any other town in America”), I have come to the conclusion that white evangelicalism has a “White American Jesus” problem. While some white evangelical institutions are engaged in what some scholars call “race-bridging,” they are few and far between (less than 7%), and are unconsciously “Christ-centered” on a “white American Jesus.” As such, racial reconciliation... Read more

My experience as a formerly incarcerated convicted drug felon from a low-income brown family has led me to ask the question, what does God mean for those under the oppression of mass incarceration? To speak of mass incarceration is to speak of a system of racial oppression.[1] It is also to speak of the failure of that system to rehabilitate persons, and the victims this failure creates. To speak of mass incarceration is to speak of the creation of nonpersons out of criminally... Read more