What is worth fighting and dying for? For many people, it is the prospect of safety for those they care about which is more likely to happen when someone has the liberty to live in freedom from oppression. Captain Thomas Higgenson, a white abolitionist, led a nearly all-black unit in the Union Army. Writing in … Continue reading Episode 323: The Spirit of Justice – “Fighting for Freedom.”

Listen to Psalm 36, the lyrics of which contrast the way evil people use power with that of God. 1 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to … Continue reading Episode 322: The Spirit of Justice – “Radicals.”

Have you ever tried to read the Bible from cover to cover? I know that when many try, they do pretty well getting through the stories of Genesis and Exodus, but lose interest as they start Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These books of laws can seem archaic and difficult to understand to the contemporary reader, … Continue reading Episode 321: The Spirit of Justice – “Resisting Unjust Economies.”

How long can you walk? I have a desk job, and because of that, I don’t get an opportunity to move around much. But I do walk when I’m not at the office, though when I am walking alone, I often grow bored and want to head home to be with people. I really want … Continue reading Episode 320: Sustainable Solidarity – “Considering Capacity.”

Have you ever been so moved by something in the news that you felt powerful emotions afterwards? In the age of social media and 24-7 news coverage, we may find that we have an overload of information that make us feel those emotions. But in the period leading up to the American Revolution, words similarly … Continue reading Episode 319: The Spirit of Justice – “The Language of Liberty Part 2.”

Words change people. I remember when I was a young social worker, I was assigned to meet with a new client whom I had a strong bias about. I was convinced that this person and I had very little in common, and that this individual was someone potentially dangerous. So I was guarded as I … Continue reading Episode 318: The Spirit of Justice – “The Language of Liberty Part 1.”

Dates tell a story. My wife and I will often calculate the decades that we have known each other, and reflect on the fact that at this point in our relationship, we have been together longer than we have lived with our families of origin. As an inter-racial couple, sometimes this prompts questions about how … Continue reading Episode 317: The Spirit of Justice – “1619.”

What does it mean to be Black? From the time of Columbus to the time before the American Revolution, people with ancestry from Africa were present through every era of American history. Yet, what this meant varied over time. During the colonial period before the American Revolution, while ideas of superiority and inferiority were a … Continue reading Episode 316: The Spirit of Justice – “The Making of Race.”

Today, we are going to be talking about whitelash. What is whitelash? According to Jemar Tisby, it is like a social version of Newton’s Third Law: for every antiracist action there will be an equal (or disproportionate) and opposite reaction. Historical examples: after the civil war freed slaves, Jim Crow laws oppressed these newly freed … Continue reading Episode 315: The Spirit of Justice – “Whitelash.”

We are entering a season where many people who care about justice, equity and oppression may feel discouraged and hopeless. Oppressive policies are all the talk in the news, and it can be difficult to function at times. In times like these, sometimes a good book can help. Today we begin reading the book, “The … Continue reading Episode 314: The Spirit of Justice – “Resistance, Advocacy and Activism.”