Category Archives: Bullying/violence
Addressing injustices everywhere they are found
Eric Garner’s death at the hands of a policeman was alone distressing, sad, unsettling, and painful–even more haunting is to see the video of it happening. The Grand Jury decision not to indict the policeman inflamed an already raw and unhealed …
Reflecting on Black Sexualities, Black Religiosity, & Black Lives in Anti-Black Times
These reflections were first shared on October 20, 2014 at the Columbia University conference, “Are the Gods Afraid of Black Sexuality? Religion and the Burdens of Black Sexual Politics,” and published in TheFeministWire.com Seventy-three days ago, Mike Brown, Jr., an …
Why I became honest about my truth as a Black, gay preacher
The Christian faith is about love and justice, but talking about life and light from the dark space of a closed closet would only perpetuate death. My words would be weakened if I weren’t honest about my own truth.
What kind of father?
You could probably call my father a social justice minister because he outwardly acknowledged the devastating effects of racism, the gaps between those who had and those who did not, the lack of humanity for people in prison, and the …
At what cost to these children of God?
My own journey as a Black, same-gender-loving man brought me, years ago, into a church whose pastor never uttered a condemning word. Outside the pulpit, the pastor was gentle and supportive. Inside the pulpit, he wasn’t gay-hateful, but neither …
5 tips to begin welcoming gay/transgender people in the church
Perhaps you love your congregation, but you’re troubled or hurt by its failure to acknowledge and affirm the presence of gay and transgender (LGBT) people. You know the church is failing in its mission to welcome all, but it’s hard …