There comes a point where you know you are getting old, which was hammered home to me recently when it was revealed that apparently “ska has been uncool forever.” I remember the 90s, and forever seems a little bit longer than that. However, when your favourite band of the late 90s has now reformed twice to record albums and is having to juggle recording with family life, there may be some truth to the assertion....
In James Cone’s revolutionary work, Black Theology & Black Power, Cone depicts a theological system that is truly black in its methodology and biblical in its exegetical foundation. Prior to his work, there was no theology by and for black people, and the prevailing theology of the day, a burgeoning evangelical theology, was decidedly white and colonial in its foundation and methodology. This theology originated with the fundamentalist movement and persisted through the Jesus movement...
My life is a series of ridiculous, over the top, unlikely stories. I’ve confronted a neighbor on meth whose reply to me was, “The shadow people are coming.” As a kid, I was chased down by a teenager in a car who, in his own words, was hell-bent on killing us. The first time I ever got into college happened because several people decided to donate a total of about $12,000. I have an uncanny...
Self-mastery, ordered love, and self-examination are key elements to a life of character and virtue. In this post, I will unpack the myths and kernels of truth in each of these elements. Self-Mastery Self-Mastery is not akin to “finding oneself.” I heard a story of a young woman who was headed to medical school but deviated to live in Israel in a commune to “find herself” before she began at the institution. This is ridiculous but...
White Space Maintaining black dignity in white space is the name of the game of life for a black person in the Anglo-American realm. Conversational and cultural norms are undoubtedly white in this realm. This can be brutal in its exhaustion and confusion and can be seriously disorienting for black folk working and living in this space. Once a black American enters white space, which is usually located right outside of their door, they are instantly an...
Let the one who has ears to hear, hear; and the one who has the power to act, act. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say ‘thoughts and prayers’ but do not have works? Can ‘thoughts and prayers’ save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their...
My Valentine’s day was slightly out of the ordinary. My girlfriend scheduled an oil change by accident and we ended up spending Valentine’s day at the Toyota dealership and Dunkin’ Donuts. Afterwards, we went to our evening classes. My Professor threw confetti at me and gave me candy when I read ἀγάπη. It was a strange night. The Professor was the second of three we would have for our course. My girlfriend and I left,...
If you have been watching the World Series, or have simply been online this week, you may have seen the storm that arose after Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros rubbed in a home-run off Iranian-Japanese pitcher, Yu Darvish, by slanting his eyes up and referring to him as “Chinito” [Little Chinese Guy]. People of the internet, as you might imagine, took sides. Many deemed the gesture disgraceful and worthy of suspension from the remainder of...
During my sophomore year of college, I looked up the entry in a theological dictionary on “angelology.” It suggested that we know very little about angels, and that the best places to get acquainted with the theology of angels were Augustine’s City of God, Anselm’s Why God Became Man, and select writings from Pseudo-Dionysius. That turned out to be massively unhelpful, because my confusion about angels began from having read those three authors that year....
“I went to an Ivy League School. I’m very highly educated. I know words. I have the best words.” https://youtu.be/v22uq-DWGg8 It was simply natural (albeit mean) for many to use the words Donald Trump and “ignorant” or (even lazier) “stupid” in the same sentence. NOTE: This only applies to Trump, not his supporters (who have clearly expressed they have as many reasons in favor of him as they do against Hillary Clinton and the...
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