by Rashad GroveRhetoric Race and Religion Contributor It was Ralph Ellison who wrote in the prologue of his acclaimed novel, Invisible Man, “I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids — and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible; understand, simply because people refuse... Read more

Debra J. Mumford, Exploring Prosperity Preaching: Biblical Health, Wealth, and Wisdom. Valley Forge, PA.: Judson Press, 2012. Pg 160 Paper: $15.99By Algernon Williams*Special to Rhetoric Race and ReligionNeedless to say, preachers that preach what is commonly called the “prosperity gospel” have had to answer a myriad of questions ranging from questions on whether or not the preaching and teaching of prosperity is sound Christian doctrine, or do they do this to line their own pockets. In her book, Exploring Prosperity:... Read more

by Earle Fisher Rhetoric Race and Religion ContributorFirst published in Rainbows and Lilacs When the President made his stance regarding Same Sex Marriage I feared that there would be a certain backlash from a contingency within the black church.  What I didn’t prepare for, however, was the current media’s local and national recapitulation of the black preacher, church and community being consistent with the stance of a particular segment.  If one is novice or untrained regarding the particularities of the... Read more

The Rhetoric Race and Religion book club will convene on June 25, 2012 a live tweet chat starting at 7:15pm (CST) using #R3bookclub  Donna Brazile notes that “Sister Citizen carefully documents the complex challenges and hurdles Black women face in the 21st century. Harris-Perry’s book is both insightful and provocative.” Henry Louis Gates notes that “Melissa Harris-Perry is one of our most trenchant readers of modern black life. In Sister Citizen, she gives new life to the idea that ‘the... Read more

by Peter GathjeRhetoric Race and Religion Contributorfrom: Radical Hospitality I have a long history with bologna. Bologna was standard lunchtime fare when I was growing up. My parents had to stretch their dollars. There were six of us kids and my Dad was a sheet metal worker bringing in blue collar wages, while my Mom worked various part-time jobs over the years as she focused on child-care (we were an unruly lot). So, out of economic necessity my Dad ate bologna... Read more

Dear Mr. Driscoll, I know you are not expecting this, but I wanted to thank you. Yes, seriously. I had no idea that my experience at Mars Hill would serve as the catalyst to unraveling the bondage of legalism and exposing the patriarchal teachings that have held me captive for most of my life. When I first arrived at the Mars Hill church plant, I was excited! You have built quite an empire with impressive media and great marketing. Mars... Read more

Do you remember the news story in September of 2010 about President Obama and a misquoted phrase on his new Oval office rug? The rug contained a popular line that Dr. King used frequently. It read “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” However, as multiple news sources pointed out, it was the Unitarian minister and social reformer Theodore Parker who stated this, not King. In 1853 Parker said, “I do not pretend to... Read more

I. Religious Ideology vs. a Religious Disposition I’ve spent a few weeks trying to figure out what bothered me about Amy Sullivan’s May 11 Washington Post article on the rise in leftist religious rhetoric, and—after a few conversations with friends—I think that I’m getting close. The faith-based leftism in her article sometimes sounds like a mirror image of the modular, narrow-minded Christianity of the Religious Right. It takes religion as a source of political content, rather than a comprehensive way... Read more

By Brett LuncefordEditor: Contemporary Journal of Rhetoric The United States has long grappled with the question of how to maintain an appropriate combination of religion and politics in the public sphere. The current electoral cycle is no different, as Presidential candi-dates attempt to negotiate both the political and religious landscapes. This essay introduces a special fo-rum on rhetoric and religion in contemporary politics and touches on some recent instances of how reli-gious differences have played out in the current political... Read more

The Morehouse School of Medicine is creating what is being called the first endowed chair on sexuality and religion at a U.S. medical school. The Atlanta medical school on Thursday announced it raised $2 million for the endowed chair, and it will begin a one-year national search to hire someone to fill it. The chairperson will develop ways to train physicians and theologians on a wide range of sexual health issues that include contraception, rape prevention, unintended pregnancy and sexually... Read more