I did not grow up Presbyterian, and I can’t identify as a ‘cradle’ or ‘prenatal’ Presbyterian, or any of the ways that
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On November 20, 2019, the Presbytery of Hudson River formally transferred the title of the former Stony Point Presbyterian church and associated property to the Sweetwater Cultural Center, a newly formed organization dedicated “to promote the education, health and welfare
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In Zora Neale Hurston’s 1928 essay, “,” she writes about her lived experience as a black woman in the South. She talks about her racial awakening, describing it as “the day I become colored.” She uses many metaphors to talk about race, including calling herself a “brown paper bag” alongside other bags
MoreA Dialogue Between Two Generations of Black Presbyterians This article originally appeared in the May/June 2002 issue of Church & Society (Vol. 92, No. 5) “The Hope and Challenge of Reconciliation Today”. Rev. Curtis A. Jones interviewed Dr. Gayraud S. Wilmore reflecting on the Confession of 1967, 35 years after
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An Opening Editorial Yes, you read the title right. I am racist, and so is the majority-white denomination I serve, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I’m not particularly happy to admit this about myself or my Church. True, I have never engaged in explicitly hateful actions based on a person’s race
MoreI was teaching youth and college Sunday school a few years ago, and we were discussing the Apostles’ Creed, particularly the part where Christians confess belief in the ‘holy and catholic church’. One student spoke up and asked what the Creed meant by ‘catholic’. Without much thought, I rattled off
MoreSermon delivered by Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 on the occasion of remembering the Charleston 9 and embracing the issue of race in the United States. The worship service was held in the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Originally published
MoreJob Description for a Drug Dealer Local drug cartel seeking new dealers. Position is full time and will work all shifts. Job Skills/Requirements: Applicant must be a self-starter. Ability to count and manage product and cash without creating a paper trail or getting caught by law enforcement. It is strongly
MoreAddiction, Drug Policy, and the Body of Christ Past Approaches and Present Concerns Re-Examining our Nation’s Responses to Drugs, Rev. Gordon Edwards and John Lindsay-Poland A Biblical and Theological Reflection on Consumption, Addiction, and Prejudicial Drug Policy, Rev. Max Lynn Amethyst Church: An Opening Editorial, Rev. Dr. Chris Iosso Addiction: A
MoreReviewed resource available in print or to download at newjimcroworganizing.org Hunter builds on the work of Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Alexander’s thesis is that the ‘War on Drugs’ was designed as and has become a ‘War on People of Color’,
MoreClergy and faith leaders are successfully flexing their political muscle with lawmakers in Washington, DC, to end mass incarceration. Last month the new chairman of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), was confronted by three Iowa bishops — a United Methodist, a Catholic and a Lutheran — who
MoreThe Situation in Richmond, CA Testimony by Andrés Soto before the PC(USA) Drug Policy Task Force, February 14, 2015. Watch testimony in minutes 13:45 – 25:00 of this video of Day 2 of the Richmond Hearings. I grew up here in this town, and I see my life as a
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