Human Rights Day 2019 A Litany of Wrongs & an Advent Invitation Many of us are besieged right now with calls to embrace the joy of the season—to plan parties, buy gifts, don our most festive faces. The promise of time with family and friends sparks joy, indeed, as does the anticipation of Christmas, even…
Housing Not Handcuffs: Pushing Back Against Punishment of the Homeless On the San Francisco Bay Area public transit system last spring, I saw a heavily armed police officer rouse a man who was sleeping peacefully on the seat in front of me, his humble load of well-worn belongings beside him. The officer forced him to…
From Tragedy to Triumph: Courageous Survivors & the Quest for Justice Last week I saw a remarkable documentary film, “A Thousand Girls Like Me,” about one brave Afghan woman’s astounding quest for justice after years of sexual violence. Khatera, 23 and pregnant, seeks help from no less than 13 religious leaders. Most tell her to…
Amidst a Torrent of Injustice, the Hope of Advent & the Promise of Human Rights Day While the world faces an unprecedented refugee crisis, our government is slashing a program to welcome a small fraction of those in most danger. Although a commission of global experts confirmed the dangerous racism of our policing system, last week Atatiana…
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….