Category: History

Kristallnacht: Silence makes way for Violence

Posted in Bodies, Ethics, Germany, History, Holocaust, Life and Living, Politics, Relationships, Religion, Social Issues, Social Justice, World War IILeave a comment

Yesterday, Nov. 10th, was the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht [and if you don’t know much about it, I encourage you to read more here: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht%5D Kristallnacht is “the night of broken glass,” and it marked a shift into a very public phase of the state-sanctioned, deadly Anti-Semitism of the Nazi party. Kristallnacht included: The vandalism…… Continue reading Kristallnacht: Silence makes way for Violence

Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted in Ethics, History, Hope, Life and Living, Love, Politics, Racism, Social Issues, Social Justice, Theology1 Comment

Given that today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, perhaps you might have imagined that this post would be titled, “Remembering” MLK–you know, looking back and celebrating who he was and all he accomplished. But, that is not what I want to do today, January 20th, 2025. Today, I want to invite us to look…… Continue reading Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.

The “Now” of the Church

Posted in Books, Church, Creativity, History, Hope, Imagination, Life and Living, Religion, Theology1 Comment

This book, The End of Theological Education, by Ted Smith, is part of a larger series, “Theological Education Between the Times.” I have read several books in this series, and I highly recommend them; you can find out more about it here: https://www.htiopenplaza.org/tebt#:~:text=The%20Theological%20Education%20between%20the,of%20this%20time%20of%20transition. I read this particular book over the weekend, and I thought it…… Continue reading The “Now” of the Church

Jesus & John Wayne

Posted in Books, Church, Ethics, History, Hope, Imagination, Jesus, Life and Living, Politics, Theology1 Comment

This book came highly recommended by several colleagues, so I finally got around to reading it. I see what the fuss is all about. The thesis is clear and straightforward: for more than a century a significant percentage of white evangelicals (especially men) have been cultivating a toxic “militant Christian masculinity” that has corrupted American…… Continue reading Jesus & John Wayne

Memory, Identity & Storytelling

Posted in Ethics, History, Life and Living, Relationships, Religion, Social Issues, Social JusticeLeave a comment

Recently, I was down in San Antonio for the annual board meeting of the Hispanic Summer Program, which is a fantastic program that will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year. Wartburg Seminary is a proud supporter of this program. This is HSP mission statement [and you can find more about it here: https://hispanicsummerprogram.org/about/%5D Founded in…… Continue reading Memory, Identity & Storytelling

Ordinary People at Auschwitz

Posted in Bodies, Ethics, Europe, History, Holy Week, Judaism, Life and Living, Politics, Religion, Sin, Social JusticeLeave a comment

Yesterday we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. As many of you know, Auschwitz was the largest of the Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers. Over 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered there. Auschwitz proper was actually a whole network of sub-camps, forty in all, that exploited the prisoners as slave labor. [The website, by the way,…… Continue reading Ordinary People at Auschwitz

Commemorating Juneteenth

Posted in Africa, Bible, History, Hope, Imagination, Life and Living, Racism, Religion, Scripture, Social Issues, Social Justice2 Comments

Juneteenth celebrated the proclamation issued to enslaved African Americans by Union general Gordon Granger, in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, that they were free, and the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued nearly two and a half years earlier. From the website http://www.juneteenth.com:…… Continue reading Commemorating Juneteenth