Your oppressors forced you to carry a cross, That they fashioned with their own hands That killed your loved ones and would eventually claim you. They made you say, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do" As they mocked and spat upon you, And persisted in nailing you to that beautiful, wretched dogwood. Every word you …
Tag: Forgiveness
Forgiveness and the State of White Supremacy in America
Yesterday, Mother Emanuel AME reopened its doors after experiencing such a traumatic ordeal Wednesday evening. The congregation lost nine precious souls that evening - Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Tywanza Sanders, Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson, Daniel L. Simmons, and Depayne Middleton Doctor - when a white male opened fire aiming …
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Lord’s Prayer as Social Justice Theology: Forgive Us as We Forgive (Part 6)
Over the last few weeks, (with the exception of last week because, um, Ferguson) I have been discussing how the Lord's Prayer can be a model to form a social justice theology. Throughout this series, I have proposed that Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 6 are not only meant to show believers how to pray but how we should …
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In Light of Jodi Arias – Revisioning Our Justice System
Have we come to rely too narrowly on retribution as the only legitimate form of justice? I reflected on this question as news outlets covered the Jodi Arias trial over the last few days. Earlier this month, Arias was found guilty of killing her boyfriend Travis Alexander. After convicting her, a jury determined that due …
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Addressing the Sins of the Past in Four Not Quite So Easy Steps
In a post that I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I asked what is the process in which we are to address wrongdoing in the past in order to bring about reconciliation. I want to follow up that post by pointing to 2 Samuel 21, hoping it will shed some light: "Now there was a famine …
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Addressing the Sins of the Past in the Present to Move Forward in the Future
One of my dearest and oldest friends grew up in a home where she was verbally abused and emotionally neglected by her father. Though her father never laid his hands on her, I don’t think she has even received a spanking in her life, the words that he used against her over the years affected …
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Ebony Johanna 