I have so much emotions and thoughts in my mind, heart, and body – in light of the oh-so-much that is going on all around the world – including the utterly tragic, brutal, and unnecessary “death” of Michael Brown. But I thought it would be helpful to share a few thoughts how churches, Christians, and leaders can be engaging the events of this past 11 days in their respective churches – now and in the future. I’m not suggesting that pastors... Read more

From the moment they set foot on North American soil, the Puritans who came to the continent viewed their “errand into the wilderness” through a biblical lens, seeing themselves as modern-day Israelites building a New Jerusalem in the New World. But today, the culture war descendants of those Puritans are feeling increasingly alienated and even persecuted in the society they once claimed as their own. They’re shifting to another favorite image from scripture — that of the Babylonian exile, preparing,... Read more

Blacks and whites have sharply different reactions to the police shooting of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Mo., and the protests and violence that followed. Blacks are about twice as likely as whites to say that the shooting of Michael Brown “raises important issues about race that need to be discussed.” Wide racial differences also are evident in opinions about of whether local police went too far in the aftermath of Brown’s death, and in confidence in the investigations into... Read more

Strange fruit currently hangs over many seminaries in the United States of America. Though unity and solidarity are extolled as corporate virtues within their hallowed halls, many seminaries are governed by a racial hegemony that has historically been indifferent to the narratives of minorities. Indeed, there is a functional impotence in regards to issues that besiege minority communities. Though many days were spent discussing how the Hobby Lobby verdict would forever change the landscape of religious liberty, I have yet... Read more

The Rev. Dominique C. Atchison stood at the lectern in the church fellowship hall, her voice soaring, her body swaying. There were joyful and troubled hearts in the seats before her. She sang to soothe their spirits. She preached to inspire their faith. “Beautiful! Beautiful!” the congregants called to her at the Wednesday afternoon service at Brown Memorial Baptist Church in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn. “Amen!” Ms. Atchison mingled with the parishioners afterward, exchanging hugs and handshakes, good-to-see-yous... Read more

Lerone A. Martin has joined the faculty of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis as Assistant Professor of Religion and Politics effective July 1, 2014. Martin’s research is situated at the intersection of African American religious history and media studies. His first book project, Preaching on Wax: The Phonograph and the Making of Modern African American Religion, will appear this fall from New York University Press. The study tracks the productive... Read more

by Edward BlumR3 Contributor It seemed like every few months an African American man had been murdered. It was one hundred years ago and Judge Lynch had taken the reigns from Lady Justice. He and the mobs working for him were not blind. They saw black men, women, children, and communities to terrorize. Judge Lynch didn’t carry a scale to be balanced. He gave his followers a noose to choke their victims. One hundred years ago in 1914, a reported... Read more

by Raedorah C. StewartSpecial to R3 Sometimes I fear I may have been too justice minded, too socially active, and too proactive in demanding accountability when wrongs were committed as I raised my son. He has taken my models of survival of a whole people to a very public and different level — and I am afraid, sorrowful, and proud. But right now, I am afraid. Jay, is the lead organizer of the ‪#‎NMOS14‬, National Moment of Silence for Victims of... Read more

by Jamye WootenSpecial to R3 “We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend…And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it is easy, but when it is hard.”- Remarks by President Barack Obama at the Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. The inauguration, which set a record for attendance for any event on the Mall, drew... Read more

by Andre E. Johnson R3 Editor Follow Andre on Twitter @aejohnsonphd Recently my wife Lisa and I attended the National Summit on Race in Chicago from August 5-8, 2014. The goal of the Summit was bold and ambitious. We were first tasked to endorse a visionary and contemporary Declaration against Racism; second, to develop a framework for a Strategic Action Agenda against Racism in the nation and world; and finally, create new and energize old networks of influences and resources... Read more