This article is the third piece in the ReDEFINING Blog Series. ReDEFINING aims to dismantle the dominant, destructive, and inaccurate perceptions of people by crafting a new narrative for ourselves and defining who we are and who we want to be. For more information about the series and how you can participate > “You don’t act black.” …
Continue reading ReDEFINING Blackness: In Search of a New Identity
A few months ago, I sat in church with tears streaming down my face like waterfalls. Just days before, I had been utterly disappointed and hurt by someone who I considered an ally simply because they said they were committed to racial reconciliation (that was my first mistake). Though I had experienced similar situations before. the familiarity …
Continue reading Racism, Oppression and the Hope of the Gospel
The killing of Mike Brown nearly a month ago has unfortunately proven that we do not live in a post-racial America. While a black man sits in the highest seat of authority in this country, his position has not lessened the degree to which black bodies are profiled and stereotyped on a daily basis. In …
On Easter Sunday, a little over 22 years ago, I came to know the Lord at my grandmother’s church - Evangel Assembly of God in Milwaukee, WI. Since then, I have spent the better part of my life attending Assembly of God churches, schools, conventions, and summer camps, and am even licensed by the denomination …
Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer: a Social Justice Theology
About two months ago, World Vision’s CEO Richard Stearns issued a statement saying that it would permit its employees to enter into legally same sex marriages. As soon as he made the announcement, Christians around the U.S. responded with negative feedback. The denomination that I am a part of, issued their own statement and called …
Continue reading The Christian Community: Collective Power Among Us
In America, we tend to often operate between two extremes. On one side of the spectrum, we are driven by austerity, Pharaoh-like ideologies, feeling like there is not enough. On the other side of the spectrum, we are driven by mass consumption, Solomon-like dreams hoarding more and more and doing so by any means possible. …
Ebony Johanna 