This whole Michael Brown thing,” a local white business owner informed me, “is a case of reverse racism!” The Saint Louis native continued, “Those people over there on the north side kill and shoot each other all the time and nobody says a word. Now that it’s a white cop, it’s suddenly a big deal.” As he brazenly brushed aside the “no free refills” sign at the coffee shop in order to refill the beverage he bought yesterday, he continued... Read more

by NaKeesha Weston Special to R3 Posted Originally at The Cost of a Covered Girl It started out as words “I made you!” “No one wanted you before I did!” “No one else will want you!” Then it turned into a head push, a shove, an arm grab. After a while it graduated into punches, slaps, and full out knock down drag out fist fights. I was very young and in an abusive relationship. Part of me knew that was... Read more

For nearly four years, Jericho City of Praise, one of the largest churches in the Washington area, has been the object of a power struggle between the son of the sanctuary’s late founders and elders who took control of the church after the second of the two founders died in 2010. Since then, the church has been without a permanent leader, as the founders’ son, Bishop Joel Peebles, and thousands of his followers have worshipped in public-school auditoriums, sponsored programs... Read more

By R. Drew Smith Special to R3 Published originally in KineticsLive There is a scripture verse that has become a tag line for the thriving praise and prosperity emphasis within American Christianity: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29: 11, NIV). It should be noted that the popularity of this verse has coincided with a growth... Read more

Hugh Freeze takes his seat near the back of the Mississippi football meeting room, and from here, with his three daughters sitting to his left, the Rebels coach can see everything. Players begin filing through the doors a few minutes before 10 a.m., some wearing dreadlocks and others buzz cuts. Several carry Bibles. Christian music plays through the speakers of this 200-seat auditorium, and Freeze mouths the words to a song titled “Jesus Paid It All.” This room in the... Read more

Among the many congratulatory letters George Washington received after assuming the presidency was one from “the Convention of the Universal Church, assembled in Philadelphia.” “SIR,” it began, “Permit us, in the name of the society which we represent, to concur in the numerous congratulations which have been offered to you.” The letter reassured the president that “the peculiar doctrine which we hold, is not less friendly to the order and happiness of society, than it is essential to the perfection... Read more

Only a few weeks have passed since the horrific shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, in Ferguson, Mo. As I have reflected on this tragic incident, I am not a big supporter of clichés, but the phrase, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” seemed to have great validity. Countless incidents have occurred nationally and right here in North Texas that mirror the Brown tragedy. My heart constantly aches at the sight of excessive force being inflicted... Read more

Dear friend, I have heard about your dilemma. Trust me, I have. You’re sick and tired of hearing about how you can’t criticize your senior pastor, because “Touch not my annointed.” Every Sunday you feel like you want to leave, but you can’t. Once you make the decision to leave, this open letter will be for you. So, here’s a few pieces of (unsolicited) advice for when you make the drastic move. 1. Fundamentalist churches rely on closed cultures. Not... Read more

by Andre E. Johnson R3 Editor I recently attended our Convocation service at Memphis Theological Seminary where we celebrated our 50th year anniversary in Memphis, Tennessee as a seminary. Our president, Rev. Dr. Jay Earheart-Brown delivered an inspiring sermon titled, “Ministry in the Real World.” He reminded us about the decision of the seminary to move from McKenzie, Tennessee to Memphis in 1964. It was a move led in part to the seminary’s vision and mission to teach all people—both... Read more

One late night at the end of her sophomore year of college, Jackie sat in her parked car and made a phone call that would forever change the course of her life. An attractive sorority girl with almond eyes and delicate dimples, she was the product of a charmed Boise, Idaho, upbringing: a father who worked in finance, a private ­school education, a pool in the backyard, all the advantages that an upper-middle-class suburban childhood can provide – along with... Read more