“I couldn’t shake the duped feeling—duped and infuriated to have inherited a legacy that contaminated me with injustice.” This chapter…
Little Things with Great Love
I’m snowed in today (and have been since Thursday), and though we may get some relief this afternoon what with…
Review: When They Call You a Terrorist
Yet another reminder of James Baldwin’s words* “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things…
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 6: From Confusion to Shock
“Racism wasn’t about this person or that, this upset or that, this community or that; racism is, and always has…
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
You know, as we get older our sleep cycles shift. Used to be that I could sleep straight through, night…
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 5: Within the Walls
“For me, part of the waking-up-white process is acknowledging that I’m a recovering lemming*…I never considered that the space I…
Waking Up White, Introduction
Debby Irving mentions her childhood in a privileged New England family. An interesting article was posted Thursday by the New…
Are #BlackLivesMatter and #BlueLivesMatter Opposite Sides? A Conversation
An interesting conversation in church this morning, Our pastor, after reading a few books about race and conciliation (Including Jemar…
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 4: Optimism
“By pretending the world was virtually problem-free, my family culture left me grossly underprepared to solve problems.” The 50s and…
Believe
Something I think about every so often is how we are sometimes two people. We are people who think we…
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 3: Race Versus Class
“Which one is the real issue?” The temptation when confronting a difficult issue is to find a subsidiary issue, make…
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 2: Family Values
“One of the things my white mother could not teach me was to honor feelings of outrage.” This chapter is…
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 1: What Wasn’t Said
This chapter* opens with a provocative quote by the author: “‘WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALL THE INDIANS?’ I asked my mother…
If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see
James Baldwin* said this, I’m told: “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you…
Jesus of the Scars–Edward Shillito
Today’s blog entry is just the poetry from Edward Shillito “Jesus of the Scars” by Edward Shillito If we have…
What Would You Do If You Could Bring Conciliation?
This is a review of the book “The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism”…
The Barley Soup Recipe
So this was a tasty dinner tonight: barley soup, from a recipe a friend gave our family for Christmas (along…
New Year, New Labels
In thinking about the last year, I’ve struggled to place myself theologically. I am raised Protestant, became a Christian through…
Feats of Clay
Our heroes are flawed. Our villains have moments of redemptive grace. We live in a complex world, where we cannot…
Come, Desire of Nations, Come
Come, Desire of nations come,Fix in us Thy humble home;Oh, to all Thyself impart,Formed in each believing heart! Merry Christmas,…
White People: Follow Directions, Please, and Keep Your Hands and Arms Inside the Vehicle at All Times
I’m shaking my head, still. I posted a note on my FB wall from Thomas Merton: Our job is to…
Does History Matter?
I’m involved in life, like many people, and one thing that fascinates me is how we forget our past when…
What Is the Place of Jonathan Edwards As an Example to the Church?
I’m in an interesting discussion in a book group, in which we’re reading Jemar Tisby’s book “The Color of Compromise”…
For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel—Except the Hard Parts
I saw this on the NPR website this morning, and it sparked a reaction in me. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/09/674995075/slave-bible-from-the-1800s-omitted-key-passages-that-could-incite-rebellion On display now…
Who Then Is My Neighbor?
(ETA: A much better response can be found here: https://mereorthodoxy.com/and-who-is-my-neighbor/) If you’ve been around the New Testament to any great…
The Color of Compromise—A Review
This is perhaps one of the most accessible, clear, and gentle book you might read about the history of, and…
Thus Far Has the LORD Helped Us: A Retrospective of a Decade
Think of a moment in time, a dot, a pivot. You put a stake in the ground, marking the place…