By: Jonita Fair-Payton on November 11, 2024
Let Them Be Wrong I have learned to let people be wrong. It is something that I have learned to do over time, after many failed attempts at trying to convince someone of something that they did not want to be convinced off. My sister is highly skilled at letting people be wrong. She and…
By: Mathieu Yuill on November 11, 2024
A few months ago, I found myself in one of those conversations you dread—an argument so loaded that it felt less like talking and more like defusing a bomb. A close friend of mine and I had stumbled into a political debate, one of those deeply divisive topics where both of us were convinced the…
By: John Fehlen on November 11, 2024
As a Christian, I would find a conversation with Peter Boghossian nearly impossible. Hmm…I wonder if there is a book on the market that could help me with this? Oh wait, Mr. Boghossian wrote one called How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide. Allow me a moment of sheer snark: I think this…
By: Jenny Dooley on November 11, 2024
A Story After checking in with the apartment management office where I’m staying in Penang, Malaysia, I was asked to wait as ID cards were made. A few minutes later, I was greeted by a friendly gentleman who worked at the facility. He welcomed me to Penang and spoke of his upcoming holiday. A few…
By: Tim Clark on November 11, 2024
I was ready to be inspired when I started reading the book How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide. After the first couple of chapters, it seemed like the book might be more about “how to have any conversations” than only the impossible ones because the principles and practices I started noticing in…
By: Kally Elliott on November 11, 2024
I’ve sworn off conversations about politics with my father. I haven’t told him this but I think he’s taken the hint. I’ve witnessed him trying really hard to not talk about politics with me. I can see him squirming, beginning to say something divisive (at least it is divisive from my perspective) and then stopping…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on November 11, 2024
I am terrified at the moral apathy, the death of the heart, which is happening in my country. These people have deluded themselves for so long that they really don’t think I’m human. And I base this on their conduct, not on what they say. And this means that they have become moral monsters…
By: Cathy Glei on November 11, 2024
Our Children’s Ministry is in the process of adopting a new curriculum. The curriculum resource we are currently using was adopted just after the pandemic. It was purchased because it fit our scope & sequence, Biblical foundation, and spiritual formation benchmarks for kids. It also had components that fit our needs during the pandemic. Currently,…
By: Esther Edwards on November 11, 2024
My daughter has two-year-old twins. It can be quite comical to see how they are learning to negotiate and converse. Without a doubt, they are beginning to see that they are not alone in the universe. The controversy is continually around what is “mine.” My toy. My food. My shoes. But skills are being taught…
By: Dinka Utomo on November 7, 2024
My Standpoint Colonialism and slavery, in my view, are both kinds of oppression and exploitation that are carried out by a group of people or nations against other groups or nations who are weaker. Colonialism and slavery are practices that are carried out to accrue the most significant possible benefit from the people or nations…
By: Jana Dluehosh on November 7, 2024
Summary of my most deeply held convictions before the readings and why I have these beliefs. My first encounter with my whiteness occurred as a young teen when I was visiting my dad’s extended family in Michigan for a family reunion. I clearly remember sitting in a Pizza Hut as I heard my grandpa and…
By: Adam Harris on November 7, 2024
‘Yes, I got my wife’s approval for the title. This week we are supposed to write about our views and assumptions about colonialism and slavery before we read A History of Slavery by Jeremy Black[i] and Colonialism by Nigel Biggar.[ii] Pre-Reading Thoughts First, I realize our tendency with just about anything and everything is to…
By: Todd E Henley on November 7, 2024
Shame can often feel like an overwhelming and paralyzing force in our lives. As a therapist, I’ve learned to navigate my own feelings of shame, and I have come to realize that openness is key. Honestly, before delving into this topic, I had no understanding of colonialism, and my background kept me from shaming myself.…
By: Mathieu Yuill on November 5, 2024
What I Believed Before the Readings When I reflect on colonialism and slavery, my beliefs are rooted in a deep understanding of their economic and social implications. For colonialism, I’ve long believed its primary motivation was economic—how to acquire wealth and ensure power. It’s about systems designed to keep a specific group on top while…
By: Jennifer Vernam on November 5, 2024
Colonialism and Slavery- What Do I Believe and Why? I believe that humans are predisposed to try to dominate each other in a misplaced attempt to have dominion over the earth. It is an extension of our miss-ordered loves- a belief that if in charge, we can do it better, and deserve to be at…
By: Pam Lau on November 5, 2024
What I Believe Through Story My understanding of slavery and colonialism has been shaped over the years through the lens of literature—both as a student of English literature and as a teacher of it. Writers like George Orwell,[1] Malcolm X,[2] Maya Angelou, Russell Baker, and Flannery O’Connor[3] illuminated the complex dynamics of colonialism, revealing the ways in which…
By: Cathy Glei on November 5, 2024
This week, I set aside time to reflect deeply on the complex histories of slavery and colonialism, revisiting both my education and early teaching experiences as a fifth-grade teacher. Teaching these topics early in my career required me to navigate difficult historical truths while fostering an environment where young students could begin to understand the…
By: Esther Edwards on November 5, 2024
To summarize my current convictions and deeply held beliefs regarding colonialism and slavery before the reading, I had to reflect on my early years. I was taken back to my 6th grade class, and I distinctly remember my time in the library with a class assignment to create a booklet of one-page summaries on quite…
By: Kim Sanford on November 5, 2024
As I sit down to reflect, a few thoughts come to mind. Slavery is unequivocally wrong because it cruelly dehumanizes one who is made in the image of God. A worldview which allows for one people group to dominate, control and enslave another does not truly uphold the dignity of each human as a bearer…
By: John Fehlen on November 4, 2024
What is a summary of your most deeply held convictions before the readings? To answer this question, I need to quote myself from a recent blog post: “I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. By small, I mean less than 1500 people. We were an hour from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I mention that because…
