Today is International Women’s Day, and while there is a lot to celebrate, it is also a reminder that there is still so much work to do to promote women’s full and robust participation in all aspects of human society. So, to that end, I’d like to invite you to reflect today on a very…… Continue reading Supporting Women & Girls, Now.
Category: Social Issues
Lament, Caste, and Racism
The faculty at Wartburg Seminary is reading Caste: the Origins of our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. It is a very interesting book in which she uses the concept of caste, as well as several vivid metaphors, very creatively as a way to invite people into thinking about racism with new categories and fresh eyes. (The…… Continue reading Lament, Caste, and Racism
Reflections on “After Whiteness”
I want to share some reflections about a book I just read, After Whiteness: an Education in Belonging, by Willie James Jennings. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but it turned out to be something even better than I thought—something really thought-provoking and important. I read it with the other ELCA seminary leaders…… Continue reading Reflections on “After Whiteness”
What does Authority Look Like?
What does authority look like? Answer: it depends. If you are a white man, you don’t have to ask what authority looks like, you just have to look in the mirror; it looks like you. When someone says CEO, Fortune 500 business leader, Chief Operating Officer, President, more often than not, people assume a white…… Continue reading What does Authority Look Like?
Mitch McConnell and the Importance of Timing
Today, Mitch McConnell learned the importance of timing. As shocking, horrific images of insurrection in the Capitol building fill the news, my thoughts keep turning to Mitch McConnell, and I wonder if he regrets his actions in the weeks following the election–actions, which, I believe, have contributed to the rioting that took place in Washington…… Continue reading Mitch McConnell and the Importance of Timing
“Stranger Fruit”
If you get National Geographic, you saw this compelling article, which came out in the October 2020 issue. It highlighted a new art installation called “Stranger Fruit,” in which “black mothers pose with the sons they fear losing to violence.” Here are the opening sentences of the article: “There is a demand put upon you…… Continue reading “Stranger Fruit”
Radical Hope: Letters of Love
I wanted to share a few thoughts from a great book that I just finished, given to me by a dear friend. The book is titled Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times, edited by Carolina De Robertis. The idea came about three days after the 2016 election, when she found herself…… Continue reading Radical Hope: Letters of Love
Thoughts on “White Fragility”
This post is about a great book I know you have heard about: White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism, by Robin Diangelo. It was great–really eye-opening and also uncomfortable in all the right ways. I hope after you read this blog, you read the book. Let me start…… Continue reading Thoughts on “White Fragility”
Sowing for the Future
Last week, John and I returned from a much-needed vacation in the Finger Lakes. It was an area we hadn’t visited before, and we had a great time–I highly recommend it, even if you’re not a huge wine drinker, which we are not. There are lots of interesting things to see in the region, including…… Continue reading Sowing for the Future
Take Your Guns and Go Home
Saturday afternoon, I got a call from a friend. He knew that I had been planning to go with some students from Gettysburg College over to the Rec Park to watch the fireworks, and he was concerned. Did I know that there were dozens of armed, uniformed men walking around town? I confessed I did…… Continue reading Take Your Guns and Go Home
Happy Lutheran 