Note: Today I had the opportunity to give this address on behalf of the Faculty during a special chapel in honor of Dr. Daniel Lockwood on his last day as President of Multnomah University, where I teach. Just the other day, someone asked me concerning US Presidents: Can one respect the office without respecting the person? President Harry Truman told General Douglas Macarthur when Macarthur walked in 45 minutes late for their meeting on Wake Island in the Pacific that he did not... Read more
Author’s note: An African American friend of mine raised respectful concern over my use of a Lynyrd Skynyrd song “None of Us Are Free” while discussing gang violence. Regardless of what others might think of the use of this song and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music generally, my friend’s concern over what he (and he believes many other African Americans) takes to be the group’s racist associations (he referred to the song “Sweet Home Alabama” as an example of the concern) has... Read more
This piece originally appeared at Sojourners on October 14, 2013. I watched 12 Years a Slave today. The film is based on Solomon Northup’s autobiography by that name. Northrup was a free black man living in Saratoga, N.Y. He was lured away from his home to Washington, D. C., on the promise of lucrative work and was kidnapped, transported to Louisiana, and sold into slavery. He was rescued 12 years later. Some of the questions and issues that the movie raises are:... Read more
How in the world did Marissa Alexander get sentenced to twenty years in prison for firing a gun in the air in self-defense against her husband whom she claimed violently attacked her and threatened to kill her? She didn’t even hurt him, and yet she ended up getting severely hurt by the whole ordeal. How did Eve get blamed for everything in the garden of Eden in many circles for much of church history, when she wasn’t the only one... Read more
When it comes to justice issues, activists, theorists and policy makers living in the moment often charge where angels fear to tread and newcomers to the issues waffle in confusion. The newbies like myself can easily feel like they are drowning in the depths of the complexities surrounding the issues in question. What should they (we) do? Wait for handouts, where the experts on the issues give them basic meat and potato food for thought? Newbies should be humble enough... Read more
Some of you may be familiar with Pink Floyd’s classic song “Comfortably Numb,” which appears on the album, The Wall. As I understand it, the song is about the character Pink’s battle to deal with the world as a result of abandonment and isolation. The song fits within the framework of The Wall as a concept album. Among other things expressed through the album, Pink had experienced the loss of his dad during World War II and his teachers’ hostilities... Read more
What makes for healthy theology on the subject of healthcare? I suppose it all depends on which theologian you are asking. From my vantage point, drawing as I do from certain Trinitarian thought forms, one must be attentive to guard against the extremes of individualism and collectivism respectively. The ground of all reality is neither an individual(s) in isolation who is selfishly concerned nor a collective without distinctive particularity and responsibility. God is three distinct persons in eternal communion. As... Read more
The jury is still out on Obamacare. Opinions vary. If somehow it were shut down or largely gutted, what would be done to curb the spiraling costs associated with healthcare in America’s free market economy? If the Affordable Care Act goes forward untouched, will it be able to address the problem based on “market incentives” rather than by “government decree,” as one columnist noted? What’s the solution to making quality healthcare affordable? I believe we all want quality, affordable healthcare.... Read more
A friend asked me the following questions based on my blog post with Tom Krattenmaker on the recent change to the Voting Rights Act: “Should unqualified individuals be allowed to vote? How do you propose to address voter fraud in a way that is more extremely simple and fair as providing qualifying identification?” In response, we first need to ask if voter fraud is really such a big issue requiring enormous legislation, or if it is greatly exaggerated. Here’s what... Read more
One of my fears with screening fetuses for diseases and handicaps, among other things, is the desire to abort “unwanted” pregnancies. Please don’t take this as a right or left thing. The commodification of human identity is no respecter of partisan politics. The danger exists that the market will govern the totality of our lives, no matter our political stripe. However, it does not govern the biblical narrative’s emphasis on the sacredness of human identity. To put a spin on... Read more
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