I’m s’posed to be sleep cuz my head is doing its migraine thing and laryngitis is in full effect, but I had to take this phone call tonight…we still doin the same ol’ BULLSHIT! (you gotta problem with the preacha cussin, don’t read on…). So, I talked to someone about a little girl who is suffering from depression because she’s being bullied at school AND by her family about her weight and dark skin. Really y’all??!! The kid isn’t even... Read more
At a press conference hosted a few weeks ago by SisterReach, a Memphis based Reproductive Justice Organization, Black women and allies stood in a predominately Black neighborhood declaring with authority that the billboard looming above them all was disingenuous, anti-woman and racist. The group demanded that the billboard under which they stood and two others like it be removed from Black communities in Memphis. Because of their efforts and those of their partners, the billboards were removed. SisterReach has since... Read more
Carol Howard Merritt has been a pastor for 13 years, serving growing Presbyterian Churches in the swamps of Cajun Louisiana, a bayside village in Rhode Island, and in an urban neighborhood in D.C. She served at Western Presbyterian Church, an intergenerational congregation in Washington, D.C. Western’s deep commitment to serving the poor in the city has helped to initiate programs like Miriam’s Kitchen, a social service program for the homeless which provides a hot, nutritious breakfast and dinner for over 200 men and... Read more
I love weddings. I even like the parts pastors aren’t supposed to enjoy—the flowers, dresses, hair, and make-up. People have their heads full of Kate Middleton, as they dreamed of being a princess for the day. They ended up pouring a fortune into a ceremony that could easily morph a simple religious ceremony into a frenzied, commercialized ball of stress. The couple had to down Valium to enjoy it, and they knew that they must extract pleasure from every minute... Read more
Posted at The Cost of a Covered Girl Since I was 7 years old I’ve lived with this deep sense of fear. I’ve been told it’s the “unbeautiful” part of having the beautiful gift of strong discernment. Over the years this fear has taken me on a crazy emotional rollercoaster ride from fear of fire ants (don’t judge me they bite!) to a constant fear of death. This fear has sometimes paralyzed me from walking in the true authority God... Read more
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the death of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner (February 1, 1834-May 8, 2015). Henry McNeal Turner’s writing focused on much during the post reconstruction period. One of the first major debates Turner found himself in was on African missions and emigration. In 1881, he criticized the editor of the Christian Recorder on not doing enough to promote African missions. Not only did he blame him for the “missionary apathy that prevails in our church,”... Read more
Zora Neale Hurston conducts an in-depth analysis of the relationship between folklore and the black church in The Sanctified Church. Of the black church, Hurston writes, “The truth is, that the religious service is a conscious art expression” (81). Conscious art expression holds a seminal place in the Black Lives Matter movement, as well, from protest songs, chants and creative arts workshops to the poetry and prose pouring forth from those who are on the ground praying with their feet. Of... Read more
A gentleman who resides in the tower behind our church speaks to me each time we cross paths. He keeps threatening to visit and of course I give him the same response, “By all means come. You are always welcome.” Today, however, sensing something, I said, But of course you know everyone can’t attend a church led by a woman. He went back and forth with how he is from the country and he was trying to grow. Mind you,... Read more
Read part 1 here and part 2 here Much like the secret gathering spaces of the early Christian church, members of the Invisible Institution – the subversive underground church of enslaved African peoples – would congregate in the woods, sometimes known as the “bush arbor” or the “hush harbor,” in the hidden places and spaces tucked away from the damning gaze of their white oppressors. Meetings of the Invisible Institution granted the slaves enough “theological freedom” to create songs, scriptural... Read more
Monica Miller and Anthony Pinn are editing a new book series from Lexington Books titled Religion and Race. We look forward to the books coming from this series. From the publisher: The local/global connections between religion and race are complex, interrelated, ever changing, and undeniable. Religion and Race bridges these multifaceted dimensions within a context of cultural complexity and increasing socio-political realities of identity and difference in a multi-disciplinary manner that offers a strong platform for scholars to examine the relationship between... Read more
Rhetoric Race and Religion
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