In recent weeks, U.S. ally Saudi Arabia was found to be responsible for the grisly extrajudicial killing of American resident and international journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Intelligence confirming that this happened at the behest of Saudi’s Crown Prince has moved legislators on both side of the aisle to decry the murder and distance themselves from Saudi Arabia. Yet…
Virtuosos of Hypocrisy at the United Nations Much has transpired in the realm of foreign affairs since the recent announcement that the United States would withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council. But as our traditional alliances are being strained and our President pursues closer ties with Russia, it worth revisiting this…
God’s Children in Need: Justice & Rights for America’s Poor (Part II) My last blog post reflected on the pressing needs of America’s poor—needs underscored by the recent findings of Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. Who constitutes America’s poor? At least 40 million people according to the U.S. Census…
God’s Children in Need: Justice & Rights for America’s Poor (Part I) “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Well after the Sunday morning sermon a few weeks ago, I was still mulling the passage in which Jesus speaks these words….
A Christian Word on Sexual Abuse: Repent It’s moving like wildfire: the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein sparked a firestorm of accusations of assault, harassment, rape, and child sex abuse, which spread quickly from the upper echelons of Hollywood to elected officials to leading journalists in mainstream media. In a few brief months, accusations…
Response to Charlottesville: A Call to Christians We at Justice Revival are horrified by the actions of white supremacists in Charlottesville last weekend. We are appalled at the views of those who rallied to re-assert white dominance and privilege in our society. We grieve the violence that has once again resulted from this racial idolatry….
Honoring God by Loving the Homeless “A lot of people don’t look at housing as a human right, but it is. To have a decent place to live is a basic human right.” – Jimmy Carter When asked about the significance of decent housing for neighborhoods and communities, former President Jimmy Carter was clear about…
The Shooting of Jordan Edwards: A Mother’s Day Lament In his picture we see a handsome adolescent boy with a charming smile, his bright blue collared shirt buttoned up all the way. It’s an image that hints at all the goodness later revealed about the 15-year-old freshman. He was a strong student, a valued teammate,…
Why Should We Have Rights? “I don’t deserve any rights!” a seminary classmate announced, across high rows of ripe cherry tomato plants on an otherwise mild summer afternoon. We were tending our gardens in the Yale Divinity School Farm, where I spent my happiest hours that season learning to nurture young squash and zucchini plants….
What is Justice, Anyway? “No one is against justice,” my colleague, a gifted professor of law and philosophy, contemplated. He has a way of cutting through complexities to clarify the heart of a debate. “The difficulty,” he continued, “comes in agreeing on what constitutes justice.” In many of the Christian circles I know best, we…