Instagram Posts from the Week of Sept. 29, 2019

Podcast Rec. - Oct. 1, 2019

Past Listen - Freedom Road Podcast: Episode 1: #MeToo #ChurchToo #SilenceIsNotSpiritual (Released Feb. 2, 2018)

“Every single generation of my family, every generation that we can go back to, back to slavery, literally back to my third great-grandmother, Leah Ballard, every single one has been violated, abused, raped, or molested, either by a family member or somebody else.”-Lisa Sharon Harper

“1 in 5, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a faith based campus or not, 1 in 5 women experience sexual harassment or sexual assault on college campus...My body was telling me something happened.”-Belinda Bauman

“I was just struck by, across all these different streams, the story after story that was coming in and just sort of echoing what it is that we saw played out in the media with Harvey Weinstein and all these other celebrities coming out with their stories.”-Nikki Toyama-Szeto

“I thought, ‘What is it about this culture that we cannot talk about sexual violence?’”-LaShawn Warren

In this initial episode of the Freedom Road Podcast, Lisa Sharon Harper spoke about #metoo and gender-based abuse and violence with LaShawn Warren, Belinda Bauman, and Nikki Toyama-Szeto. I cried listening to this the first time. I experienced anger, shame, and relief as I relived my own #metoo stories while holding space for others who are suffering. This episode reminded me that I am not alone in my pain or in my healing.

#lisasharonharper #lashawnwarren #belindabauman #nikkitoyamaszeto #freedomroadpodcast #podcast #podcastrecommendation #podcastrec #metoo #churchtoo #silenceisnotspiritual #endgenderbasedabuse #endgenderbasedviolence #endviolence #endsexism #endpatriarchy #dismantlepatriarchy #loveyourneighbor  #feminism #feminist #jesusfeminist #lament #repent #repair #empathy #equality #listening #learning #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative



Account to Follow - Oct. 2, 2019

As you can see on the From Privilege to Progress IG, Michelle Saahene and Melissa DePino, the two women behind this account, released a video that took place at Starbucks. The video went viral, leading to them starting the #ShowUp Against Racism movement.

Their story is detailed on the From Privilege to Progress website under the “About Us” tab: “Michelle Saahene and Melissa DePino met at Starbucks in Philadelphia on April 12, 2018. They connected after witnessing two innocent black men being arrested for not buying a coffee. Michelle was the first person to speak up, and Melissa tweeted the video, which went viral with over 13 million views. It took their cohesive effort -- a black woman and a white woman standing up to racism -- to set off an international story that sparked the dialogue on what racism looks like today. Together they started From Privilege to Progress (P2P), a national movement to desegregate the public conversation about racism. P2P calls on all Americans to join on the path to antiracism by learning, speaking up in their everyday lives and amplifying the voices of people of color on social media.”

Follow @privtoprog if you aren’t already, and support the work of Michelle Saahene and Melissa DePino through GoFundMe and/or by filling out a speaking inquiry.

#privtoprog #accounttofollow #showup #showupagainstracism #michellesaahene #melissadepino #fromprivilegetoprogress #p2p #antiracism #antiracist #antiracismwork #dismantlewhitesupremacy #endwhitesupremacy #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #broadeningthenarrative



Additional Rec. - Oct. 3, 2019

Additional Rec. - “The Importance of Normalizing Conversations About Race + White Supremacy” I L. Glenise Pike

This video resulted in a major shift for me, specifically regarding repentance for what L. Glenise Pike called “stolen anger.” I confess that in my journey of broadening the narrative regarding race, I have stolen anger from black, Indigenous, and people of color. I apologize to those whose anger I have stolen. I have been unkind “on behalf of people of color,” but part of becoming an antiracist for me must be normalizing conversations about race and white supremacy and inspiring others to do the same internal work I am striving to do. I also apologize to those who have been on the receiving end of the anger I tried to justify.

L. Glenise Pike explicated three pillars of antiracism work, four stages of antiracism work, and the dangers of not normalizing conversations about race and white supremacy. I was challenged to change and grow as I furiously took notes in order to reflect on the wisdom that poured forth from L. Glenise Pike in order to put it into action in my life.

I highly recommend this video to learn more about becoming antiracist and normalizing conversations about race and white supremacy. You must be a patron to view the video, but I urge you to become a patron to access this video and other content that addresses antiracism.

#additionalrecommendation #recommendation #lglenisepike #normalizingconversationsaboutrace #antiracism #antiracist #becomingantiracist #empathy #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #checkbiases #checkassumptions #humanity #learning #takenotes #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #repent #repair #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative



The Root Articles - Oct. 4, 2019

I am intentionally refraining from inserting my opinions about forgiveness into this post in order to better focus on the voices of others. The Root articles are hyperlinked below.

I’m not sure what to say in light of the news of the 10 year sentence of Amber Guyger in the murder of Botham Jean or the hug Brandt Jean gave to the woman who killed his brother. However, many others have spoken out, and I want to share what they have to say.

In the article “18-Year-Old Brandt Jean’s Hug of Amber Guyger Made Me Sick. But It Ain’t About Me, Though” by Damon Young, Young wrote, “It’s impossible to see that and not also see years of subjugation; of black people expected to forgive the behavior of violent racists; of white apology and performative reconciliation existing in place of sincere reckoning and substantive change; of the minimizing and flattening of black rage; of the pathological passivity some believe is an intentional byproduct of our reliance on and interpretation of Christianity; of the ceaseless benefit of the doubt white people, even white murderers, receive; of how white tears are weaponized to inflict harm; of this sort of forgiveness being considered by unwell-meaning whites (and blacks) to be a benchmark, an evolution, the standard; of a systemic declawing and dehumanization; of us being asked, being expected, and being demanded to possess a superhuman capacity for grace.”

In the article “What Botham Jean's Mother Had to Say About Dallas Police and Her Son's Show of Forgiveness” by Anne Branigin, a quote from Allison Jean, Botham Jean’s mother, was shared. Allison Jean told NBC DFW, “There are many Christians who asked me if I would forgive Amber. I will leave my forgiveness for Amber to myself. God knows my heart...What I want you to do for us, for the family is to support the legacy of Botham. We have created the foundation not to help us, but to help the underprivileged, the underserved, the vulnerable, the voiceless. So I ask you to support the Botham Jean Foundation. I would love to help someone who Botham would have wanted to help.”

In the article “Botham Jean, Amber Guyger and the Delusion of Forgiveness” by Anne Branigin, Branigin wrote, “Video of the embrace immediately caused waves online. Some people, many of them white, valorized it, calling Jean’s act ‘inspirational.’ Some, many of whom were black, were confused or disheartened by it.” 

In addition to these articles, @sincerely.lettie delivered an analysis in her stories, so please follow her for future stories and posts. And @lisasharper has a thread from yesterday that I urge you to read.

#bothamjean #bothamshemjean #sayhisname #justiceforbotham #justiceforbothamjean #blacklivesmatter #seekjustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #justice #grief #lament



Book Rec. - Oct. 5, 2019

Current Read: Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans

“To demand that the Bible meet our demands is to put ourselves and our own interests at the center of the story, which is one of the first traps we must learn to avoid if we are to engage the Bible with integrity or care” (Evans, 2018, p.10).

“If I’ve learned anything from thirty-five years of doubt and belief, it’s that faith is not passive intellectual assent to a set of propositions. It’s a rough-and-tumble, no-holds-barred, all-night-long struggle, and sometimes you have to demand your blessing rather than wait around for it. The same is true for Scripture. With Scripture, we’ve not been invited to an academic fraternity; we’ve been invited to a wrestling match. We’ve been invited to a dynamic, centuries-long conversation with God and God’s people that has been unfolding since creation, one story at a time. If we’re lucky, it will leave us with a limp” (Evans, 2018, p.10).

“For a moment, I felt silly for responding so emotionally to a bunch of old war stories that left the rest of the faithful seemingly unfazed. But this is the deleterious snare of fundamentalism: It claims that the heart is so corrupted by sin, it simply cannot be trusted to sort right from wrong, good from evil, divine from depraved…If the slaughter of Canaanite children elicits only a shrug, then why not the slaughter of Pequots? Of Syrians? Of Jews? If we train ourselves not to ask hard questions about the Bible, and to emotionally distance ourselves from potential conflicts or doubts, then where will we find the courage to challenge interpretations that justify injustice?...'Belief in a cruel god makes a cruel man,’ Thomas Paine said. If the Bible teaches that God is love, and love can look like genocide and violence and rape, then love can look like...anything. It’s as much an invitation to moral relativism as you’ll find anywhere...A lot of people think the hardest part about religious doubt is feeling isolated from God. It’s not. At least in my experience, the hardest part about doubt is feeling isolated from your community” (Evans, 2018, pp.66-68).

“In other words, the prophets are weirdos. More than anyone else in Scripture, they remind us that those odd ducks shouting from the margins of society may see things more clearly than the political and religious leaders with the inside track. We ignore them at our own peril” (Evans, 2018, p.120).

“The miracles of Jesus prefigure a future in which there is no more suffering, no more death, no more stigmatization, no more exclusion, no more chaos. They show us what it looks like for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, and they invite is to buy into that future now, with every act of compassion and inclusion, every step toward healing and reconciliation and love...The apostles remembered what many modern Christians tend to forget-that what makes the gospel offensive isn’t who it keeps out but who it lets in” (Evans, 2018, pp.185-186).

“My experience loving and engaging with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender friends has convinced me that the Bible has been unfairly used against them, often with tragic results” (Evans, 2018, p.205).

“The Christian life isn’t about intellectual assent to a set of propositions, but about following Jesus in the context of actual marriages, actual communities, actual churches, actual political differences, actual budget meetings, actual cultural changes, actual racial tensions, actual theological disagreements. Like it or not, you can’t be a Christian on your own. Following Jesus is a group activity, and from the beginning, it’s been a messy one; it’s been an incarnational one...While the nature of our differences and debates has changed, the apostles’ advice about how to handle those conflicts remains applicable to us all…‘You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it...The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet “I don’t need you!”...If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it’ (1 Corinthians 12:27,21,26)”  (Evans, 2018, pp.206-207).

Inspired is entertaining as the writing of RHE brings the Bible to life in fresh ways. It was also enlightening, providing important cultural information that enriched my understanding of the context in which the ancient writings of Scripture were recorded. And it was encouraging for my weary soul to rest in the hope that permeated throughout this book. Rachel Held Evans was a gift to many who were hurting, and her legacy continues facilitating healing and restoring dignity. 

#currentread #inspired #slayinggiants #walkingonwater #lovingthebibleagain #bookrecommendation #bookrec #rachelheldevans #becauseofrhe #rememberingrhe #eshetchayil #womanofvalor #reading #learning #doubting #loving #growing #love #lovegod #loveneighbor #healing #deconstruction #reconstruction #evolvingfaith #faithtransition #spiritualmisfit #broadeningthenarrative