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: 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: 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: 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…
By: Tim Clark on November 4, 2024
My most deeply held convictions about slavery were probably formed from a combination of my upbringing, my understanding of history, my grasp of the Bible, God’s heart for people, and my exposure to a global community. The brief one-sentence version of that conviction would go like this: “Slavery is always bad.” To unpack that a…
By: Kally Elliott on November 4, 2024
My most deeply held convictions before the readings were that both, colonialism and slavery were and are harmful, and frankly, evil systems that continue to cause immense suffering for those they oppress. I believe we need to take a hard look at our history, owning up to our collective and personal failings, and roll up…
By: Jenny Dooley on November 4, 2024
My Current Beliefs and Convictions Slavery I believe slavery is a dehumanizing evil because it deprives human beings created in the image of God of their basic human and universal legal rights that restrict their freedom of movement, self-determination, and dignity. I know slavery comes in many forms, including sexual, chattel, bonded, and forced labor.…
By: Russell Chun on November 4, 2024
Cyrillic: Большинство всегда угнетает меньшинство. Romanized: Bol’shinstvo vsegda ugnetayet men’shinstvo. The Majority always victimizes the minority. Part 1, Summary Part 2 What I learned Epilogue Part 1, Summary – The majority ALWAYS victimizes the minority in EVERY country. The sin of Pride in the majority looking down on the minority who look, act, and…
By: Jana Dluehosh on November 1, 2024
Let me start this week first by apologizing. I am 20 hours late in getting this blog done. I am sorry. I know where I am sorry, which is that it decreases my chance to interact with you all, but perseverance is the word of the semester for me. I make choices each semester on…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 31, 2024
Last June, I attended the International Reformed Theological Institute Conference at our alma mater in Yogyakarta. In a conversation with one of the participants from the Netherlands, we turned to the state of the church in our respective countries. The person showed me data showing that in his country, 51% of people aged 15 and…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on October 31, 2024
“Only when something is lost can it be found. Only when something dies can it be born again.” [1] I have lamented over the past week about the current state of the United States. It has been an extremely challenging time for me, so difficult that I have had to protect my peace by…
By: Adam Harris on October 31, 2024
It’s the season for chili here in Tennessee. It’s getting cool; the leaves are changing, and chili recipe videos are now a part of my algorithms. Last week, I ran across a chili recipe that looked amazing and had great reviews. It inspired me! I got all the ingredients and made it for the family.…
