The Black Church: Institution or Abstraction?
Rev. Wright’s assertions that it’s really the “Black Church” under attack help reduce the complexity of the religious life of black America to a soundbite…
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Black Church Blues: Parting with “The Black Church”
The Rev. Wright controversy begs the question: Has “The Black Church” outgrown its usefulness?
Read MoreJeremiah Wright for President?
Maybe the real “straight-talk express” should run for the nation’s highest office himself; the one test for president Wright cannot pass is the one the mainstream media insist on more than any other.
Read MorePuritan Narcissus: The Myth of American Exceptionalism
An inflated sense of purpose seems to be part of the American genome…
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Getting Wright Wrong: Preaching is Not Policy
Anyone who thinks that full agreement with your pastor is necessary has never been to church…
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Grace Under Pressure: Reclaiming Hope for Progressive Religion
If progressive religious believers are going to provide any kind of witness to our diverse society we must reclaim the idea of “hope” from the realm of politics. Hope, as theology, is not only about finding common purpose, but about liberation.
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Op-Ed: “Religion As A Wedge”: The Rick Warren Debacle
With the choice of Rev. Warren to make the inaugural invocation, the president elect has proven himself tone deaf to the nuances of American religious life.
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Op-Ed: A Few Things I Wish Barack Obama Had Said
I deeply regret that some people took, or claimed to take, my use of this metaphor as a reference to Sarah Palin. Let me say categorically that I do not see Governor Palin as a pig…
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Damning America: Right and Left
Reverend Wright’s condemnation of the United States made waves, but right-wing preachers have been railing against America’s sins for years.
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Double Helix: Do You Fear What I Fear?
Was Obama’s speech just an exercise in kumbaya idealism?
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