"pushing theology to activism"
I heard the word rapture far more than I heard the name Jesus. That’s just how we were. We were terrified. We though it was our job to scare the hell out of everyone. Somewhere in there, love got left behind. We said we were following Jesus. Somehow, I think we knew that wasn’t […]
A few years ago, I had one of the most interesting encounters of my life. I was working as chaplain in a downtown hospital. I was called to a room on the 2nd floor. When I entered the room, the patient was terribly unkempt. The sign on the door said the patient’s name was […]
Many years ago, I worked as a chaplain at a large public hospital. Late one night, I received a message to get to the lobby immediately. Christmas was only a week away and I ran past a nativity scene stuck to the glass. Jumping down the steps, I felt like I just didn’t believe […]
Stepping through the green wet grass, I picked up egg after egg. Stuffing the brightly colored pieces of plastic into the trash, I was reminded of how quickly we trash what we deem useless. I started to think about the message of Jesus. In the midst of my prayers concerning reimagining leftover resurrection trash, one […]
*I originally wrote this piece for the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Forest, Jim. Loving Our Enemies: Reflections on the Hardest Commandment. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2014. Lucifer got jealous of the boss. Haven’t we all made this kind of mistake before? God kicked his ass out of heaven and never let him come back. […]
*These reflections are taken from pieces of the last words of the last 40 persons executed in Texas. Robert Ladd- “Let’s ride.” We stop. We are afraid. We don’t want to move an inch. Danger is a paralyzing force. In the face of certain death, Robert Ladd looked danger in the eye and shrugged. […]
*These reflections are taken from pieces of the last words of the last 40 persons executed in Texas. Arnold Prieto- “There are no endings, only beginnings.” For Jesus, the ending was just the beginning. For Arnold Prieto, the ending was just the beginning. What about for you? I invite you to pray the last words […]
*These reflections are taken from pieces of the last words of the last 40 persons executed in Texas. Miguel Angel Paredes: “I hope you let go of all of the hate because of all my actions.” How do you pray for those who hate you with good reason? When we name hate we probably make […]
*I delivered this keynote address at the LGBTQ Religious Experience Summit at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas on March 21, 2015. May this be a wild experience for us all…perhaps even a queer experience if we are lucky. Let’s begin by talking about theology. What is theology? Most people think that theology is […]
*These reflections are taken from pieces of the last words of the last 40 persons executed in Texas. Tommy Sells- Silence. Tommy Sells was a serial killer. Do you realize this system of execution makes you one too? In the silence of Tommy Sells, I invite you to repent: Silence. Amen.
