Kamilah Hall Sharp is currently a student at Memphis Theological Seminary seeking a Masters of Divinity.  She received a B.S. in Business Economics from Florida A&M; University, B.A. in Organizational Management from Bethel University and a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington.  She recently left her job after working in the legal field for over eleven years to attend seminary full time.   Kamilah is happily married to her husband Nakia and they have one daughter Anaya who keeps her busy.  You can follow... Read more

The Muslim American of African descent has a cultural and religious identity that has survived in spite of external and internal assaults. Indeed, no other socio-ethno-religious minority in America has had its sense of ‘being’ so challenged.  The African American Muslim nonetheless managed to carve out an identity and culture that is unique and specific only to African American Muslims. Truly the African American Muslim cultural distinctiveness is found through name choice and spellings, dress of men and women, artistic... Read more

Will the conclave electing a new pope next month have an “Obama moment” and pick someone from Africa or Latin America or Asia for the first time in modern history? The public seems enamored of the idea of a non-European pope, and even many cardinals — whose votes are the only ones that count — are openly pushing the idea of a “pope of color” to follow Benedict XVI, a German theologian. “I think in a way the church is... Read more

In an astonishing turn of events, Tim Tebow has now cancelled his appearance at First Baptist Dallas; and in doing so he has officially placed the political religious right to the far margins of society. Tebow’s appearance was meant to be a pretty routine, if flashy event. First Baptist Church invited the football star, more famous for his prayerful pose than his forward passes, to be part of the lead up to the Easter Sunday reveal of their new church campus, which... Read more

At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington October 2-6, 2013Hyatt Riverfront – Jacksonville, Florida2013 CALL FOR PAPERSThe year 2013 marks two important anniversaries in the history of African Americans and the United States.On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation set the United States on the path of ending slavery.A wartime measure issued by President Abraham Lincoln, the proclamation freed relatively few slaves, but it fueled the fire of the enslaved to strike... Read more

by Crystal St. Marie LewisR3 ContributorFirst published at Crystal St. Marie Lewis Blog One of my classes is on the subject of human sexuality in scripture. This week, we were required to read the story of David and Bathsheba. We were also required to read two different commentaries of our own choosing. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the famous story of David and Bathsheba opens like this: Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got... Read more

What is your story of wrestling with faith as a college student? How has your faith changed as a result of your college education, personal relationships, or cultural experiences? What, if anything, does spirituality and God have to do with college life? We want to publish your true stories of faith and life in college! The book of collected essays will be arranged by topic areas. Essay topics may include: faith, doubt, and struggles to believe sex and sexuality service... Read more

Do American Christians idolize their country? Do we worship the nation’s founders more than our true Creator? Many in the United States look to the ‘Christian nation’ that once was, and decry our modern wandering ways. We long to return to the ‘morals of our founders’ two centuries ago. Some think that if we were only as pious as those who came before us, perhaps our country wouldn’t be facing its current crises.  But it turns out that the founding... Read more

George Washington’s birthday seems like an appropriate time to think about his religious beliefs and life, especially since the National Prayer Breakfast was held earlier this month, giving President Obama his fifth opportunity in that venue to assert his Christian identity. Gary S. Smith, of the Center for Vision and Values, has already written about the double-standard by which the faiths of both Washington and Obama are interpreted, and Smith, like other scholars, states that the exact nature of Washington’s... Read more

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