#WhoIsBurningBlackChurches

Last updated on: July 1, 2015 at 10:52 am By Andre E. Johnson

After the terrorist act committed by Confederate sympathizer Dylann Roof at Emanuel AME Church and the pressure to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Statehouse, in recent days, several black churches in the South burned. Here at R3, we thought we would collect some of the raw emotions from people who are placing this within a larger context. Kimberly Peeler-Ringer (R3 Contributor) Nine Black life forces extinguished. In a church. By a self-confessed white supremacist. That is... Read more

The Right Reverend President and the Concern of Cheap Grace

Last updated on: June 30, 2015 at 7:27 pm By Earle Fisher

First posted at Rainbow and Lilacs I love my President. I listened intently to his most recent and thoughtful eulogy. After listening, I texted several of my close ministry colleagues and contemplated my thoughts, weighed my emotions and considered how to respond (if at all). Through my (cyber) dialogue with them (which will continue in the days to come), I have come to applaud and appreciate how POTUS drew upon the best and most redemptive ideas, tropes and themes of... Read more

Faith and Forgiveness: Obama’s Political Theology

Last updated on: June 30, 2015 at 5:03 pm By Guest Contributor

The eulogy delivered by President Obama Friday morning at Emanuel African Episcopal Church in Charleston was an important moment in American public life. However, the most critical notes sounded by Obama was not the rendition of Amazing Grace or the performative cues that signaled his involvement and ease in the tradition of the Black Church. Rather it was his break with the prevailing and often unspoken theological aspects of American political life that conceal the dynamics of racial and social... Read more

The Argument Against the Multicultural Church

Last updated on: June 30, 2015 at 3:55 pm By Guest Contributor

First published at By Their Strange Fruit by Katelin Hansen Our God is a multicultural God. We see this in the Trinity. We see it in whom God chose to write the scriptures. We see it in the people Jesus spent His time with. We see it in the early church. We see it in verses like 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 and Revelations 7:9. To worship in such a setting is a great blessing that reveals the fullness of who our God is. I... Read more

The President’s Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney

Last updated on: June 29, 2015 at 9:10 am By Guest Contributor

Below is text and video of President Obama’s eulogy of the Rev. Clementa Pickney. We welcome your comments and reflections. *Note: The text is courtesy of whitehouse.gov College of Charleston Charleston, South Carolina 2:49 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Giving all praise and honor to God. (Applause.) The Bible calls us to hope. To persevere, and have faith in things not seen. “They were still living by faith when they died,” Scripture tells us. “They did not receive the things promised;... Read more

A Social Death By Misadventure: Rachel Dolezal and the Manipulation of Blackness (Part 1)

Last updated on: July 6, 2015 at 9:47 pm By Guest Contributor

First posted at Rainbows and Lilacs C.Thomas Howell once portrayed a college student, Mark Watson, who used tanning pills to appear Black in an effort to get admitted to Harvard Law School on a scholarship available to African Americans and vis a vis a minority quota. In this comedy, which I consider dark and lacking humor, Howell’s character oft times finds himself in a conundrum because he doesn’t maintain the stereotypes of a Black male (i.e. physically endowed, great athlete—basketball player), and... Read more

On Same Sex Marriage: Reflections

Last updated on: June 28, 2015 at 11:55 am By Guest Contributor

On Friday morning, June 26, 2015, the the United States Supreme Court, with a 5-4 decision ruled that states cannot prohibit same sex marriages. In doing so, the Court legalized same sex marriages in all 50 states of the union. Here at R3, we collected a few reflections from on the ruling. Armondo Ramone Love and sexuality are immutable constants, built into our humanness. There is, and has always been, variety in the way those immutable constants express themselves. Marriage,... Read more

#CharlestonShooting: How Long White America? How Long-Pt. 2

Last updated on: June 26, 2015 at 7:24 am By Guest Contributor

In my last post, I wrote that I will offer three challenges to White America. As I also wrote that in no way am I arguing that all White Christians are perpetuating White supremacy because historically and presently, I personally know some who have fought against the oppressive system. What I am saying is that overwhelmingly, White Christian America has held down, incarcerated, lynched, bombed and marked Blacks in America. Therefore, my first challenge to White Christian America is to... Read more

#CharlestonShooting: Race and Religion

Last updated on: June 24, 2015 at 8:59 pm By Guest Contributor

R3 Managing Editor Andre E. Johnson, along with Dr. Charles McKinney and Rev. Earle Fisher, had the pleasure of being one of the guests on Black Thought hosted by Rev. Dr. Noel Hutchinson. This episode focused on race, religion, and the response of the people of faith. We thank Dr. Hutchinson for allowing us to share this episode on the R3 blog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2AQoMEANhA&sns=tw Read more