Richard Land and Jim Wallis: Faith and Politics from Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs on FORA.tv Read more

He was a “15-year-old white kid with Dad a diagnosed schizophrenic, rapist and racial separatist and Mom fresh off her second divorce,” Michael Muhammad Knight writes in his 2006 memoir, “Blue-Eyed Devil: A Road Odyssey Through Islamic America.” At home in Rochester, he “listened to a lot of Public Enemy and read ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ and by 16 had a huge portrait of Ayatollah Khomeini” on his bedroom wall. At 17, Mr. Knight, having converted to Islam, was... Read more

There has been no shortage of headlines this week about the growing income and wealth inequality in the United States. A new study from the Congressional Budget Office, for example, found that income of the top 1 percent of households increased by 275 percent in the 30-year period ending in 2007. American households at the bottom and in the middle, meanwhile, saw income growth of just 18 to 40 percent over the same period But less attention has been paid to the... Read more

In recent weeks, the Occupy Wall Street protests have drawn attention to the issue of economic disparities in America. Those facts seem particularly significant here in the poorest big city in America. Do too few have too much money and power? What values are at issue here and how should we process these protests? by Andre E. Johnson In reflecting on your question this week, I believe the question is not “are the rich too rich,” but “are the poor... Read more

Dr. Andre E. Johnson, the Dr. James L. Netters Assistant Professor of Rhetoric & Religion and African American Studies at Memphis Theological Seminary will offer a new class titled, “The Forgotten Prophet: The Prophetic Rhetoric of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner” at the seminary on Tuesday evenings from 5:30pm-8:30pm. The class will start on January 24. Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915) was one of America’s earliest black activists and social reformers, and, as such, he made an indelible mark in history and left... Read more

Ever since I read, as a child, about Corrie ten Boom forgiving a Nazi guard in The Hiding Place, I’ve been a sucker for forgiveness stories—especially in the movies. The Green Mile, The Straight Story, The Spitfire Grill, The Mission, and even the end of Spider-Man 3, where Peter/Spidey forgives the Sandman/Flint Marko for killing his beloved Uncle Ben. But the most powerful stories of forgiveness are the real ones as often depicted in documentaries. Martin Doblmeier’s The Power of Forgiveness and Laura Waters Hinson’s As... Read more

Dr. Andre E. Johnson, the Dr. James L. Netters Assistant Professor of Rhetoric& Religion and African American Studies at Memphis Theological Seminary, will give a lecture titled, “The Rhetorical Trajectory of a Prophet: Understanding Bishop Henry McNeal Turner” as part of the Second Tuesdays Brown Bag Luncheon Lecture Series at Memphis Theological Seminary on November 8 at 11:15am. Johnson’s lecture will focus on how Turner appropriated prophetic discourse throughout his career and examine the nexus between rhetoric race and religion. Dr. Johnson will also sign... Read more

And, so we begin as most stories start, Once upon a time not too long ago . . .“Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.” Soren KierkegaardFor me, this quote speaks of many known and unknown joys and pains. It is a quote that my godmother faithfully recalls when she’s attempting to ease the fears of young black female ministers who are feeling completely overwhelmed by the uncertainties and precarity of pursuing their callings. It... Read more

The incident is well-known now. When civil rights hero Representative John Lewis asked to address Occupy Atlanta, the activists’ consensus process produced a decision not to let him speak. For many, the denial was a damning answer to a question that had arisen since the earliest, overwhelmingly white occupiers first took over Zuccotti Park: Is Occupy Wall Street diverse enough?The notion of taking over Wall Street clearly resonates with communities of color. Malik Rhassan and Ife Johari Uhuru, black activists... Read more

Throughout my lectures on Nationalism, I am becoming increasingly aware, that if you were to substitute the word “Nationalism” for “Religion”, the context and the surrounding wording, wouldn’t have to be modified, and we’d still end up with a perfectly rational statement.Like Nationalism, religion relies on the rather solipsistic idea that we as a species are somehow special and important. Nationalism narrows the field down, to those who exist on a specific land mass, sometimes using religion to attempt to strengthen... Read more