In Black culture, there is a saying: call the roll. If you grew up anywhere near a Black church, you know what that means. It is the moment when the preacher begins to cook. And yes, that is sacred language. It is when she is no longer just delivering notes
More
Chocolate melts, roses wilt, heart decorations come down. Even as a child, I sensed that love refuses to stay simple, neat, or predictable. Valentine’s Day passed quickly, but the questions it raised about love lingered much longer. I learned early that love could be layered and complicated, especially when it
More
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
More
In a time when systems attempt to silence women, the women of the past remind us how to sing songs that testify to the fullness of humanity’s goodness; they remind us that women have survived for centuries by gathering together, standing their sacred ground, and seeking justice, mercy, and love.
More
After years of distance from the Church, a long season of doubt, and what I can only call spiritual exhaustion, I found myself sitting once again in the sanctuary where my faith began. I had returned to a small, quiet Evening Prayer service at a parish I had once belonged
More
Regardless of our colliding political beliefs, most Americans would agree this country is experiencing a crisis of identity. Political and social structures once considered dependable, have lost our trust. Ideals about democracy are more fluid than ever. Nothing is as we once thought it would be. Our sense of security,
More
Many today worry about the disappearing church in the Holy Land. In recent meetings with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), a broad coalition of 36 member denominations and organizations representing more than 88 million American Christians working towards a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East, another profound
More
Jennifer Frayer-Griggs is a graduate of McNeese State University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program, where she had the honor of working with Iowa Poetry Prize winner, John Wood, and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Morri Creech. In addition to writing poetry and nonfiction essays, she is a progressive pastor
More
“Everywhere I turned, I heard the same words: ‘You have to forgive.’” wrote trauma survivor and author Nancy Richards. “They came from my family, my counselors, and the religious community alike. I saw myself as a complete and utter failure. As though my self-esteem wasn’t low enough from years of
More
Lent has long been framed as a season of fasting, repentance, and turning toward the Divine. Yet, in a nation gripped by state-sanctioned violence, legislative cruelty, and the erosion of basic rights, Lent cannot merely be a time of private reflection. It must also be a discipline of resistance, a
More
Unbound Social