Black Church is my mother tongue
To speak Black Church is to dwell in a world of metaphors about a God who is engaged in the lives of Black people.
Lessons from the land of lake effect snow
Life can be as unpredictable as the weather in upstate New York. But God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Small creatures
“There’s a frog in our house!” My daughter and I said the words together, but only one of us was excited.
The spirituality of waiting
If God is present in the planting and the harvest, then God is present in the time when nothing seems to be happening.
Phoning home
God, like an attuned parent, hears not just the words we say but also the hidden parts of our hearts.
Showing up for church when I don’t want to
When I show up, God shows up—although not always in the sermon.
The grace of deep-bellied laughter
Does our theology have space for a Jesus who not only weeps but also laughs?
Settling into the joy of vocation
My life must be lived as a response to something beyond myself and my material needs.
A poet’s truth at the graveside
At the interment, the holy words I needed to hear weren’t from the Bible.
What I wished for
Sometimes we can’t express what we want, even when we are in desperate need.
Failing and falling
At a workshop, I was asked to list my failures. The experience has stayed with me.
Albert J. Raboteau changed both American religious studies and African American studies
He was among the first to ask, What is religion for a people birthed in the cradle of chattel slavery?