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
Category: Social Issues
To Open your Mind, Open your Heart First
On the recommendation of a friend and colleague, I just finished a very interesting book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt. It is dense and well researched–and quite compelling. I started taking notes for this blog post and I quickly gave up–no one wants to read…… Continue reading To Open your Mind, Open your Heart First
Think of your Neighbor
Like many of my colleagues, I have been feeling a strong sense of whiplash these past few months. If you work at a college, university or seminary, maybe you have been feeling that way, too. All of us in higher education, including those of us in theological education, have been struggling to stay abreast of…… Continue reading Think of your Neighbor
Fervor in the Face of Futility
I wanted to share some reflections from an article in the recent issue of The New Yorker. The title of the article was “Helicopter Parents” (by Nick Paumgarten), and from the title alone, I imagine the same topic jumped into your mind as it did into mine: those human parents who hover over their children,…… Continue reading Fervor in the Face of Futility
Prayer and Justice
Walter Brueggemann is one of my favorite Old Testament scholars, primarily because I am not an Old Testament scholar! I find his writing very accessible, very interesting, and always thought-provoking and generative. I just finished a recent book of essays, Truth and Hope: Essays for a Perilous Age. As the title suggests, the chapters are…… Continue reading Prayer and Justice
Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.
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.
Call to Allyship
I want to share a recommendation of a short book that I finished last night. The title is Called to Allyship: Preparing Your Congregation for Leaders of Color. It is edited by Rev. Angela !Kebab, and includes chapters written by a variety of leaders of color in the ELCA. Each of the chapter is focused…… Continue reading Call to Allyship
Learning from The Race Card Project
I want to share a bit about a book I just finished: Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think about Race and Identity, by Michele Norris, the creator of The Race Card Project. I first read about this book in The New York Times, and as soon as I read the story, I knew I…… Continue reading Learning from The Race Card Project
A Fresh Take on a Traditional Confession
One of the things that I love about the Lutheran liturgical tradition is the way the language of the prayers, sung parts of the service, etc. become so familiar after years of recitation that I know them by heart. It is comforting to enter into a worship space and be carried through the service without…… Continue reading A Fresh Take on a Traditional Confession
What did you think about “Barbie”?
Did you see the movie “Barbie”? I finally got around to watching it on our flight to Tanzania—I think we all did!—and I’m glad I saw it; it is definitely thought-provoking, and it is also quite entertaining. I read a review of it in The New Yorker when it first came out, and I agree…… Continue reading What did you think about “Barbie”?
Happy Lutheran 