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The Black Church, Obama, & Gay Marriage
While I plan to get deeper into this particular subject, I
felt it important to at least engage, albeit briefly, on the subject matter.
The Earth cracked, just a bit, for many Black pastors and
Christians when President Obama announced he was in support of gay marriage.
This tore open a slice in the gender constructs within Black cultural milieus
that has, especially in Christian circles, gone unengaged with for decades. Sexuality, sexual orientation, its twin cousin
gender performance is a continual issue for many Black Christians. The idea of
how do I act as a man; how do I act as woman; role performance; femininity;
masculinity; sexual awareness, are all issues that tend to be seen as very
binary for Black Christians—generally speaking. For example, you are either
having sex within marriage, in a heterosexual, monogamous relationship or you
are “sinning.” Therefore, when the President made his announcement it caused a
deep stir for many Blacks—just go to Twitter or Facebook...
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The L.A. “Riots” 20 Years Later: Toward A Theology of Action by Any Means.
Twenty years ago one of the
largest insurrections occurred in Los Angeles California. I was 18, angry from
the tirade of police brutality, enraged from a lifetime of racism growing up in
Texas, prepared to give my life for justice, and in shock to the “not guilty”
verdict just handed to me on the closed circuit television in my senior English
class. I could almost literally see the world around me turn red. I was infuriated
that, once again, White’s would “win” and Blacks—for that matter all ethnic
minorities—would have to take a backseat, yet again. The anger rose, filled the
room, others looked around, and in an almost joint accord we—the student body—decided
to go out and discuss this issue of racism in a more “public” setting. One by
one, each of the classrooms began to empty out as word of the verdict spread.
My friend Larry pulls out an American flag and begins to burn it. My...
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Theologizing Tim Tebow
Faith and religion within the
public sphere has an interesting personality. A personality which has race and
culture at the center fueling its character. Therefore, with the recent rise in
fame of Denver Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow, I find it interesting how his
faith and spiritual notions are being played out in the public arena. Allow me
to first say that I have no problem with him “performing” his faith in a public
manner. Yet, the frenzied imposition of meaning
on the power of his “religious convictions” (e.g. the Broncos are winning as a
result of his prayers) includes, but transcends what Wade Clark Roof refers to as
civil religious rhetoric in his article American
Presidential Rhetoric from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush: Another Look at
Civil Religion. This type of religio-political rhetoric tends to create
myths and fantasy within the public arena, which in turn create meaning, cultural
mores, and social reality for the people who believe it. Myths...
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Film Review: Thunder Soul
Mentoring is messy. There is no
other way to say it. If you are doing it right, then it is very mess. Moreover,
the time it takes to be involved in a person’s life while they live out their
own drama can sap all of your energy. Yet, every once in a while we find a
person like Conrad Johnson who embellishes all of the finesse of a great mentor yet is
able to instill the rigors of real life into his mentees like a drill sergeant
does with their cadets. Someone who is able to live with the person, in their
drama, yet pushes them not just through it, but beyond it; that was Conrad
Johnson.
If you are not familiar with whom
Conrad Johnson is, then you must see the new film directed by Mark Landsman (Skylab 2005; Peace Of Mind 1999), and produced in help from Jaime Foxx, titled...
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Troy Davis & The New Jim Crow: It Could've Been Me
As I sit here stunned and a bit silenced, I’m befounded by the decision to murder a man with no physical evidence, witnesses who recant their testimony, another shooter identified, and a pile of evidence pointing to doubt in the murder of an off duty police officer, Mark MacPhail. If you are unfamiliar with what has been happening here, then simply type in Troy Davis into any search engine and read up on the facts. Kevin Powell, Lisa Guerrero have written some amazing pieces and Jasiri X has had an amazing push for the stay of execution for Troy Davis that you can read as well.
My problem here is twofold: 1) the lack of justice for African Americans—in particular—in this country (this is a historical problem; if you are new to this...
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10 Years Later: An Essay on Post 9/11 America
We now have 10 years between us and the events which re-shaped the U.S. forever. 10 years have passed and much has happened in between those years. The landscape and cultural structure of the U.S. has changed forever. Those events which scarred many Americans gave us a real life glimpse into the face of evil. Many lost loved ones, friends, family members, co-workers, and witnessed horrific sites of people jumping to their deaths and explosions in buildings where the implied reason made you conclude more deaths were occurring; contrast that with narrative of heroic acts aboard United Flight 93, people carrying the disabled down flights of stairs, brave firepersons giving their lives up for the masses, and the countless law enforcement officers who risked their lives to save people trapped below the rubble. Yes, lives and families were changed on that day 10 years ago. In a flash, it...
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Amy Winehouse: Toward A Theology of Suffering
Almost every great artist/ performer over the last 50 years has struggled with their demons. But their struggle has given us some of the best art, music, dance, poetry, books, and even theology. One of my favorite quotes is in the DVD extras of the film Bruce Almighty when Bruce is having a conversation with God (Morgan Freeman) and asking him why he didn’t save this young man when he was brutally picked on as a kid. God simply answers and says that if the kid had not gone through that pain and hurt, the poetry and literature he wrote about, which inspired many later in his life, would have never come to fruition.
Most of us have a theology which takes us far from pain and suffering. We have tended to label being “Blessed” with affluence and wellbeing. We tend to see those who suffer as being “lost”...
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Armageddon & Bull Sh*t Theologies
One week ago (Saturday May 21, 2011) we should have all been blown to cosmic dust, or raptured up into the Heavens, or put into purgatory, or…what is it about the end times that gets us all in a query of frenzy? What is it about mass death in the name of God that has a lot of religious pious individuals smiling from cheek to cheek and actually being overwhelmed with happiness? A lot of this has to do with the belief in something that is obviously bigger than us and brings us immense self-identity, self-worth, and a false sense of self-righteousness; the same concept happens with, say, health freaks, environmental zealots, and anyone who has found the “Gospel” in a “religious” type context. Sociologist J. Paul Williams depicts this religious process as 1) the secret level—which a person keeps to their self and does not discuss or divulge...
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Death & The Neo-Politics of Bad Guys in Post 9/11 America
So, what do we celebrate when a social villain is killed? I got the news on my phone while I was running around Chuck E Cheese (A local video/ mini-amusement restaurant) with my four year old: Osama Bin Laden Dead; Killed by U.S. Forces. My initial reaction was nothing. What could I feel? A man, who had allegedly done all these horrific things to our country, was now killed. What did that mean to me? Not a damn thing. During the Vietnam war era, hundreds of African Americans carried signs that stated: No Vietnamese Ever Called Me A Nigger!” I have to, in context, say the same thing in regards to Bin Laden: What did he do to me? The nine police officers that brutally murdered friends of mine during the late 80’s are still alive—and well I might add. The police officers that shot and killed a bi-polar elderly...
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Cornel West on Remembering Legacy
As Black History Month concludes, I thought it be good to let Dr. Cornel West shine some light on remembering the legacy of struggle and strife within the African American community and where we currently are and headed. Dr. Cornel West is one of the most prolific voices in the African American community today and brings to the table a social praxis which engages not only the academy but also the day to day person.
Check out what Dr. West has to say as we reflect on the struggles and accomplishments of African Americans this month...
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