In the documentary Pay it No Mind: The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson, Marsha P. Johnson recounts how her faith is a bedrock of her organizing. At the end of the documentary, Marsha recounts talking to Jesus Christ at a young age about moving to New York City when he says back to her, “You know, you might wind up with nothing.” Marsha retorts back to Jesus, “Honey, I don’t care if I never have nothing ever till the day I die. All I want is my freedom.” As multiple friends and admirers of Marsha P. Johnson can attest, this was how she lived out her life. Marsha could be handed $2 and a bag of cookies, and by the time that she reached the end of the block, she had given all that she had just received away to others who needed it more than her. Agosto Machado, an artist and friend of Marsha, recalls that she was like “Jesus with the loaf of bread and the fish, Marsha always had something to share. Not only her good will and thoughts - a bag of potato chips, she would just hand it to the group of kids.”
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Terror rushed through my veins. Lights flashed as a red-haired, clown-faced someone poked their head through a dark curtain. I jumped. My heart was beating out of my chest. And it wasn’t even Halloween. This was a drag show, and I was about to walk onto a tiny stage in heels for the first time. The stakes were low (it was just a small charity show for a local school), but my anxiety was high. How would I do? How would this feel? Just minutes later, I found the answer: joyful, free, and just a little more like myself. All because of a sequin dress, some glitter, and a pair of discount heels from Target.
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As America delves into a deeper abyss of right-wing ideology and authoritarianism, the Christian faith continues to be co-opted by Christian nationalists to theologize and justify hate and greed. Following Jesus demands and mandates us to call out the sin of hate and to understand the demonic forces that distort not only the Christian faith, but any religion that doesn't subscribe to whiteness and power. Here are 6 books you should read about Christian Nationalism.
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The decades of occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli government and the current genocide of Palestinians is something no one can ignore, especially people of faith. Our faith moves us to call out the injustices of our world, the killing of thousands of people, and governments that take advantage
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In June, we moved to San Diego, and I stepped away from being a pastor. I’ve still built connections with clergy, and a recent meeting with one pastor stuck out. We talked about following up, and he said, “Reach back out in January.” It was December 1. Caught off guard
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For 31 consecutive weeks, Israelis have taken to the streets, mostly in Tel Aviv, to protest the decision by the current right-wing government of Israel to initiate an overhaul of its judicial system. Israel’s “Unreasonableness Law” is a measure that removes the courts’ power to overturn decisions made by Israel’s
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