While it’s not spoken of much these days, it’s important to remember that the creation of a national holiday for Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. was fiercely opposed by those who self-identify as “conservatives” and many others, including then-president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. If we want the children to value the King Holiday;...
The recent political endorsement of current Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance has caused quite a stir and rightly so. Mayoral candidate, Senator Cathy Pugh in disrupting the endorsement forum last week at Friendship Baptist Church did more than reveal an egregious departure from tradition and fair process that would have allowed...
For the past maybe 15 years, those of us in the Black Church tradition have jointly witnessed the rise of ecclesial bodies and newly ordained bishops in denominations that theretofore did not engage in such practice. I still remember being a host of a Baltimore-based, two-way talk radio show some years ago and engaging...
Tributes, websites, songs, poems, and scholarships dedicated to The Honorable Marcus Garvey can be found all over the internet – and deservedly so. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, (August 18, 1887 – June 10, 1940) the Jamaican-born, Pan Africanist organizer made tremendous impact in this world – the reverbs of which many of us are still...
At the September meeting of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, Baltimore City State’s Attorney, Patricia Jessamy, made the case for her re-election. Touting her years of experience and multi-faceted approach for engaging crime in Baltimore, Jessamy criticized her challenger in the race, Gregg Bernstein, by saying, “he doesn’t think a prosecutor’s office should have anything...
In C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence Mamiya’s classic work on the Black Church, they rightly describe the character and nature of the “Black sacred cosmos.” Much more than just casual weekend activity or flippant denominational recognition; Christianity for practicing African Americans is so interwoven into personal and social identity that it’s hard just to...
Recently, I finished reading The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity by Soong-Chan Rah. Rah, a fellow Baltimorean by way of Korea, provides a truly thoughtful and passionate critique of the current landscape of American Christianity. The foundation of the book’s argument is not rooted in theology, but actually finds it...
By now many of you have heard about this Christian Militia out of Michigan that allegedly was planning to incite a violent attack on police officers – hoping to spark a larger militaristic confrontation. These types of stories pop up from time to time so while I’m dismayed by it, I’m not necessarily shocked...
Photo Credit: Telegraph.Co.Uk I have an uneasy feeling when it comes to Christian Missionaries. I know that sounds strange coming from a pastor. But anyone who reviews the history of missionaries from the Western, American context will find a deluge of disheartening examples connecting Christian Mission with subjugation, oppression, and the dehumanizing of Indigenous...
Kwanzaa Reflection 2011: Today’s Principle is Nia – Purpose
Habari Gani? Nia which means purpose. To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. And in that spirit of Nia; I’d like to share this important article written by Dr. Adam Clark. CHRISTIANITY AND KWANZAA By Dr. Adam Clark (originally...
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