A few months ago, guest contributor A. Adar Ayira wrote about keeping the faith in an age of white (supremacist) Christianity. She described the organized actions of Christian-led white supremacists and the threat to people of color and racial equality. She concluded by observing the absence of a visible opposition from white Christians who disagree with how the teachings and values of Jesus are being distorted. She pointed out that white people tend to rely on Black and non-Black people of color to lead the pushback.
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“Acting as If” and Our National Elections
For a while I have been gently reflecting on the connection between faith and our desire and commitment to live together in love and community. For me, the shift from despair to hope about the 2024 election campaigns is a great relief. America is certainly proving to be a free society where everyone is entitled to their opinion. Having lived seven decades, I appreciate the ups and downs will continue. With that in mind, today’s post is about “acting as if”.
Faith, Politics and Choices: An Ongoing Discussion
We continue our exploration of the connection between individual and collective faith and our politics. I’ll present some recent examples as a way to get beyond the sound bites on our “culture wars.”
Exploring the Gifts of Freedom
It’s hard for me not to wonder about freedom and what it means this July. All the chaos and drama in our national discourse lead me to reflect on my personal freedom, and how that connects to my freedoms in the broader community. Today’s post will explore the connection between individual freedom and choices, and community freedom and choices.
Editor’s Note for July 9th
Editor’s Note: I hope you enjoyed your celebration of the Fourth of July week! As mentioned last week, in thinking about my many freedoms, I realized I was free to take a couple weeks off from writing this blog! Critical Conversations will resume next Tuesday, July...
Fourth of July Note
Editor’s Note: Happy Fourth of July week! In thinking about my many freedoms, I realized I was free to take a couple weeks off from writing this blog! My co-author Joy Jones and I are doing final edits on our book about Bill and Lois Wilson and their impact on the world of addiction and recovery. As noted in last week’s post Summer’s Gifts…
Summer’s Gifts
Today’s post is a break for me and you from pondering life’s bigger challenges – structural racism, the 2024 elections, and the many other challenges we face daily. Summer has always been and continues to be a time to take a break and appreciate. Here are some reflections on recent summer observations.
Facing our Election Fatigue: Consider Twelve Step Wisdom?
Today we continue to explore the question of, “What the November 2024 election will mean to our country’s future?” What will this election mean for our nation’s progress in becoming a multi-racial/multi-ethnic democratic nation? If this season brings progress in respecting each other and working together, we can make progress on our many other issues.
Paths to Learning about Race and Racism
Editor’s Note: This week’s post is by guest contributor Mark Docken and continues the question of how do we all work for more racial justice without shutting down communication through “us” and “them” approaches and “discussions”. Mark is a native of the Midwest, a retired pastor and friend and brings a fresh perspective to the discussions.
In Ukraine, war takes its spiritual toll
Our little delegation has returned from Ukraine.
Four of us went to that war-torn country, at our own expense, to bear witness to the suffering of the Ukrainian people and to listen to their voices regarding the war. Our focus was on the trauma of war and the mental health of the people, two years after the full-scale invasion by Russia. We also wanted to meet people working with the Ukrainian military, to see how they are holding up and what they need.