This year we partnered with the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) as they were working to build deeper conversations around race and how to be a more welcoming, inclusive community. Dr. King famously said that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours in Christian America. And as a member of the ELCA, I can … Continue reading included or excluded?
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is the Executive Director of the Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of The Light We Give, How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. We talked about his love for basketball, his advocacy for religious pluralism and a surprise lesson he learned one day recently when he forgot his earbuds while going for a run. “Life … Continue reading Simran Jeet Singh
Andrew Cheung is the senior pastor of Washington Community Fellowship, a Protestant community located less than a dozen blocks from our nation’s capital that strives to practice love as a lifestyle. We talked about his interest in crossing boundaries, his personal walk through life with a sense of wonder, and in our ability to create healing for one another. “I think we can either approach the … Continue reading Andrew Cheung
Humam Taha graduated from the University of Mosul, where he studied to be a translator. After the United States invaded Iraq, Humam joined the coalition forces as a translator to help resolve cultural differences and misunderstandings. In 2007 he moved to Dallas after the U.S. Congress passed a bill giving sanctuary to linguists who worked with coalition forces and their families. “Only the good things that … Continue reading Humam Taha
It’s easy to reach out to those you feel comfortable around. Compassion comes easy in those circles. But we tend to place ourselves in a bubble. We surround ourselves with those who look like us, live like us, and voted like us in the last election cycle. If we hope to bridge any of the divides that exist in our country (or even the divides … Continue reading Holden Village 2.0
Brandon Sheehan was born near Venice Beach, California. He says he grew up with sandy toes and salty lips. He studied fire ecology in college and worked for the forest service fighting wildfires. Brandon grew up Jewish, but eventually studied Tibetan Buddhism and was a resident at the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee, Montana where he cast statues of the Buddha and helped … Continue reading Brandon Sheehan
Jarell Wilson describes himself as black, gay, and Christian. He lives in the South and, at times, he struggles to balance these three identities in a society that he says doesn’t embrace two thirds of them. He believes that people often try to put identities into boxes, and that results in stereotypes that lead to stress and conflict. Yet, at the end of the day, Jarell finds … Continue reading Jarell Wilson
Carl Kenney is a minister, author, advocate, teacher, and in his own words, a “prophet of the people.” He believes that we spend too much time and energy fighting one another because of our differences—with devastating and wide-reaching results. “I don’t have to tear you down for the sake of making me better.” My theology is rooted in the compassion of Christ. I’m a person … Continue reading Carl Kenney
