In January I had the privilege of preaching during Spiritual Renewal Week at John Brown University in Arkansas. When I received the invitation, I thought the school was affiliated with the abolitionist hero John Brown who played an important role in leading antislavery protests during “Bleeding Kansas” before his raid on Harpers Ferry. But that’s … Continue reading Interrupting White Supremacy in Conservative Christian Institutions
Life Made Me a Pro-Choice Christian
Trigger Warning: This article includes Rape and Abuse of Women I am obsessed with life, let’s start there. There’s nothing more precious than the experience of our existence: this incredibly frail and mysteriously resilient reality through which we get to make connections that shape our souls toward love, God, ourselves, and each other. I’m also … Continue reading Life Made Me a Pro-Choice Christian
I Refuse to Pray for a Racist Abusive President
Over the course of the last 7 months, I’ve had too many conversations with folks who were frustrated with how Trump was mishandling the Pandemic of 2020, aka Covid-19. It collectively seemed that there was a collective wish and hope was to see Trump get coronavirus. Honestly, this wasn’t because of anything malicious, in my … Continue reading I Refuse to Pray for a Racist Abusive President
Praying with Female Saints Helped Our Spiritually Mixed Marriage
What the church people don’t tell you is that, in any marriage, the person you wed will not be the same person you wake up with in five years, nor the same person who brings you coffee in fifteen years. What you don’t imagine is that one day your spouse will look you dead in … Continue reading Praying with Female Saints Helped Our Spiritually Mixed Marriage
Loving Our Neighbor Means Voting In Solidarity with Them
My mother drove me to the polls the first election after my 18th birthday. She was as proud as she had been on the day I took my first steps or learned to read. I was crossing another major milestone. I cast my vote that day, but after that I didn’t vote again for over … Continue reading Loving Our Neighbor Means Voting In Solidarity with Them
A Palestinian Christian From the Other Side of the Wall
I am Arab, Palestinian, Christian, evangelical, Lutheran, and male. Every element of my identity clearly marks and distinguishes me from other groups. In today’s world, especially in a Palestinian context, we are born with these identities, and in many ways, these identities determine our future. We are given religious identities—Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Baha’is—before … Continue reading A Palestinian Christian From the Other Side of the Wall