My daughter, a first-time voter, said to me, “Mom, it feels really important to me that Kamala Harris wins the election.” I replied, “I feel the same way.” Plenty of pundits and talking heads are outlining why: the policies on her website, women’s rights, empowerment of the middle class, her message about lifting people up. But I want to talk about a different reason. As I Christian pastor, I’m concerned about the future of Christianity in the US due to the uprising of Christian nationalism since Trumpism took root. It’s no surprise that as a pastor, I believe that faith really matters. I can cite scientific research about the healing power of spirituality, point you to stories of individual transformation, and highlight the positive impact of religion on society. Heck, I've devoted my life to sharing this good news. But I am also astutely aware of the damage that faithful people can do: oppression, manipulation, coercio...
This is written with permission of the daughter of Sha-Von. Last year, my church started a journey of more actively pursuing racial justice. After so much struggle in the Twin Cities, we could not turn our eyes away any longer. As a step in this journey, the staff and executive team was asked to make progress in our ability to adapt to diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, and to understand more deeply the biases operating in us. I remember meeting one-on-one with our consultant. I found myself saying to him over and over, “I feel as if I know what I need to do in my head, but I don’t intentionally create space and time to interact with the diversity around me. I’m scared. I'm a perfectionist. And I can’t be perfect at this. I’m worried that my interactions could create harm. I don’t want to be that person. So I just withdraw.” That was last spring. And I didn’t make an...
I used to get eggs from a friend who had free range chickens in her yard. The chickens wandered around everyday eating ticks and whatever else they found. These chickens' eggs were so good—hard shells, dark yoke, and yummy. I’ve never tasted a store-bought egg, even those marked “free range,” like the eggs from these truly free chickens. The United Methodist Church is a mess. I don’t need to go into the details. Most of you know what’s happened. And if you don’t, a quick google search will fill you in quick. Like most United Methodists in the US, I’m sad, especially for the pastors who identify as LGBTQI+ and pastors who are leading divided congregations. Grief. Frustration. Vulnerability. It's all part of this. I must be honest with myself too. I’m in a safe church, which is mostly of one mind. As a cis-gender, heterosexual woman I have a ton of privilege in how I frame the debacle of the last few week...
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