I'm reminded of what Dr. King said after four little girls were murdered in an Alabama church: "We must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderer."
You cannot love your neighbor while supporting systems that crush, exploit, and dehumanize them. You cannot love your neighbor while accepting less for them and their family than you do for you and your own.
Being spiritual means that we become more than pursuers and purveyors of a system. It requires a total change of heart, a total concentration of mind..... It is the seeking that counts. It's so easy to forget that simple truth in a capitalistic society that teaches us...
Resurrection means God’s way prevails. When Jesus died, most thought his teachings died with him, overpowered and silenced by the might of “the system.” The power of entrenched interests seemed triumphant. We understand. Experience teaches us large systems and even...
Prayer is not just a two-way transaction. It also involves the great socio-spiritual forces that preside over much of reality. I mean the massive institutions, social structures and systems that dominate our world today, and the spirituality at their center. …Prayer...
As a political-religious metaphor, the kingdom of God referred to what life would be like on earth if God were king and the kingdoms of this world, the domination systems of this world, were not… The kingdom of God was not only for the earth, but involved a...
Justice differs from private charity: Charity is about giving a hungry person some bread, while justice is about trying to change the system so that nobody has excess bread while some have none; charity is about treating your neighbors with respect, while justice is...
When medical bills are the biggest cause of bankruptcy in the United States, there are systemic injustices at work. When people working 40-hour weeks at minimum wage jobs still can’t earn enough to support their families, there are systemic injustices at work. When...
Hope reminds us that the way things are…is precarious and in jeopardy. Hope reminds us not to absolutize the present, not to take it too seriously, not to treat it too honorably, because it will not last. Because hope has such a revolutionary function, it is more...