Throwback Thursday: It Happened in the Oregon District

[This essay was originally published as “The Pastoral is Political: Woman Card, Man Card, Winning Card” for RevGalBlogPals during the 2016 presidential election. The meeting with the church leader took place at a pizza place in the Oregon District in Dayton OH, a favorite meeting place for downtown workers. Early Sunday August 4, the Oregon District…

Throwback Thursday: You Can Do That

[From the five-year-ago me. This essay was originally published March 14, 2013 on Political Theology Network.] My first call to pastoral ministry came to me when I was eight years old. It was everything a call to ministry should be: in a church worship service, kneeling at the altar on a Sunday night, candle light and…

Clergy Harassing Clergy: Time to Listen Yet?

Workplace harassment is all over the news. A wide variety of workplaces have been exposed as former havens of violating personal space and suspending professional ethics. The church, of course, has its own harassment stories. Have we listened for them? As a mentor to clergy, and as the convener of the Ask the Matriarch feature for…

A Psalm in the Chaos

In the chaos of this time we threw up our hands and screamed we hid in the house and binged on mindless TV we went on with our lives with singular determination to work harder and avoid the coming catastrophe “Give us joy!” and “Give us faith!” they shouted Not our own authentic voice Not…