Before I traveled to the Oceti Sakowin camp, I viewed the events unfolding on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota primarily as an environmental protest. This is largely the frame used by the media: people trying to protect their water from contamination. This portrayal isn’t untrue, but it misses
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Article originally published in the Presbyterian Outlook on November 15, 2016: https://pres-outlook.org/2016/11/dont-display-solidarity-express/ This is not a piece about Standing Rock and the water protectors. This is a reflection to expand the narrative of what happened during the clergy action visit to Standing Rock on November 3, 2016. For information about
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This article was originally published on November 9, 2016 on Denise’s blog, ‘SOULa Scriptura” at The United States of America has elected Donald Trump its next president. It’s sinking in as I type that. We (the royal “we”) elected Donald Trump, a beloved child of the Most High God. We
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If I remember correctly, the classroom in Tennent Hall had a half moon window. I can still see the faces gathered around the table that day in 1992, still feel the familiar, smooth feel of a laminated church tabletop beneath my fingers. We were on the second floor, so we
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There is no debate about climate change. We’re not talking about the fact that the scientific consensus is overwhelming (though that’s true). We’re talking about the fact that climate change wasn’t the subject of a single question during the presidential debates. Our political discourse right now is deafeningly silent about
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Lessons form a Personal Paradigm Shift I have a confession to make. I used to cringe at the word “activist.” I looked at them, and all I saw were loudmouths who wanted attention. And you know what bothered me more than activists in general? White activists. I found them overly
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More than four thousand people have gathered at Camp of the Sacred Stones, three separate prayer camps north of Cannon Ball, North Dakota, near the northern border of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s reservation. The people, known as “Water Protectors,” have gathered in an effort to stop the Dallas-based company Energy
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The Potential Long-Term Effects of our Discourse this Election Season A version of this article was originally published at https://alexispmaloof.com/2015/10/12/be-sober-be-watchful-activism-and-public-discourse/. To absolutely no one’s surprise, election season is upon us again. Admittedly, it’d be hard for anyone to miss the circus surrounding this year’s historic presidential election. Its coverage in
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To Our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Brothers and Sisters September 6, 2016 Dear Colleagues Across our Church: We are prompted to write by the tragically early death of our brother in Christ, the Rev. Eugene “Freedom” Blackwell, pastor of House of Manna in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eugene joined the church triumphant on August 29th,
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Working for Peace in the Middle East at the 222nd General Assembly About a month ago, I was sitting in a large ballroom adjacent to other commissioners and delegates to the 222nd General Assembly, anxiously waiting for the work of the Committee on Middle East Issues (Committee 8) to begin.
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