Locs, Heels, and the Bible

  Reparations as Salvation It is interesting that I am writing this post at the beginning of Black History Month 2023. This month, we might hear of a word that the ruling group in society has turned into a cussword. Reparations. It's a word that is on the lips of those who have been fleeced by unjust systems that target and debase them. As hateful as the word might be to some - even some who say they love Jesus, the idea of reparations was God's.  In Luke 19:1-10 we see how a true encounter with Jesus drives a bully to confront his sin and seek to mend his ways through a practical, actionable response known as reparations. Now, to be clear, whether we leave excited, disappointed, or pissed, whenever we truly encounter Jesus, we are changed. This is what happened to Zacchaeus.  So, who was Zacchaeus and what does he have to do with reparations?  Well, Zacchaeus was a sodomite.  Now, before you get too excited about the direction you think this is going in, let me...

 Celebrating! Is it Christian? Is it Pagan? I really don't give a rat's furry behind.  An acquaintance once said to me, “I do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s or any of those things because they are pagan holidays filled with fables that force people to give in to capitalism.” I get it. I respect the truths in the statement. I also believe that these occasions are more than pagan holidays – that there are other ways to look at and engage them.  I choose to celebrate Christmas not because I am dogmatic about it being Jesus’ birthday (because it is not), but because it is a time set aside to mark the birth of the revolutionary Jesus; a time set aside where the world has a way of pausing its angst, to hear the sound of life as God intended; a time set aside to honor the value of family and love. I celebrate Easter not because of the hunt for treasure encased in enticingly colored eggs (that’s fun), but because the green blade indeed rises at Eastertime. The hope ...

  Where Does God Live? When I was growing up, there was a popular song in which a child asked: “How far is heaven? When can I go?” I don’t know that anyone has been able to answer the child’s question. Apparently, heaven is a far away place. I was told that this is where God lived. In 2 Samuel 7, David plans to build a house for God. This is curious. Let’s interrogate David and 2 Samuel 7. Christianity has historically suggest ed that God lived in the places where the people who say they are God’s people lived. This would give rise to all sorts of land-holding drama as peoples across the globe attempt to pin God down to place and time. Now, I get David. I would feel some kind of way if I lived in a mansion and my understanding of where God lived was a temporary knock-up which a hurricane could easily uproot and destroy. I get that. Nonetheless, I question David’s motives and how this idea of tying God down to a particular place has encouraged people groups to ‘other’ one anothe...