If I could pray to Saint Martin…

I wonder what my prayers would look like if an Evangelical Protestant like myself was allowed to pray to canonized saints. 

I wonder what my prayers would look like if they were addressing slain prophet Martin Luther King Jr.. 

What would we talk about? 

Of course…good Pentecostal that I am I would expect two-way communication.  I would expect a response from the person I am addressing.   

But if I could pray to St. Martin what would the conversation be like?

Although I do not believe in praying to saints (no disrespect to my Catholic brothers and sisters) I wonder what a prayer session with St. Martin would be like. 

Can you imagine that? 

This weekend on the eve of observing Dr. King’s b’day I will be hosting three prayer sessions with Saint Martin. Each day I will begin with an opening petition.  I will begin tomorrow.

What will he say to me?

Saturday Opening Petition:

St. Martin,

Patron Saint of earth-shattering justice, peace, and love what do you think about all those monuments, streets, boulevards, parades, and highways named in your honor? How would you like to be honored?

Sunday Opening Petition:

How do we preach and give witness to the gospel today?

Monday Opening Petition:

How should we Dream today?  

Happenings

Scot McKnight recently spoke at the Westminster Theological Seminary Student Association Conference An Eternal Word in an ‘Emerging World’? His talk, entitled “What is the Emerging Church?”, is available in its entirety in PDF format for download here.

Recently gave a talk with my good friend Rod Garvin @ Davidson College in Davidson, NC on October 26th.  Titled: Living in a White World.  In it we discuss part of our faith testimony; how we became “racially conscious”; the way in which black music has captured the African-American experience; and the on-going challenges of being black in today’s society.  Listen here.

Last week.  Got a chance to see Brian McLaren deliver a sermon @ Wake Forest University.  Briefly dialogued with Brian afterwards.  Talked about some of the exciting things happening globally in the church.   

Thinking about the ‘war’ on terror…

Ideas are often bulletproof.  However, they are rarely immune to good rhetoric, persuasion, and integrity.

The Church and Postmodern Culture Project

My brother Geoff Holsclaw is coordinating a project with respected theologians and philosophers investigating the intersection of Christian theology and praxis within a postmodern culture. 

(ht: will samson)

Dialog: The Gospel, Social Injustice, and War

From my brother Rod Garvin over at Soul.  He has enaged a black Reformed brother on the relationship between the gospel, social injustice, and the role of the church in the midst of these realities.  Great discussion taking place.  Here’s an excerpt from the post:

I have been having a very stimulating and enlightening conversation with Thabiti Anyabwile, one of my Reformed Christian brothers, over at Pure Church. His post entitled, “‘This Day and Age’ and the Church” served as a starting point for the dialog. I welcome you to read the original entry, as well as the comments below and weigh in on the very important questions that we both have raised during the course of the dialog.

I believe this to be an important discussion for black Christians (any Christians actually…for this seems to be a discussion taking place everywhere…it seems) of whatever tradition to have.  The black Church’s tradition of prophetic witness and social justice is waning, in my opinion, and is becoming overtaken by more insidious forces such as American Individualism and Consumerism.  I look forward to seeing these brothers (maybe some sisters can chime in as well) dialogue.  I have joined the fray as well.

Say what?

Cruising through the blogsophere I happened upon this post from Thabiti Anyabwile from the Reformed side of things.  He blogs at Pure Church.  I find the growing number of blacks in the Reformed tradition intriguing.  While I disagree with much of his description of Kingian leadership and message I do believe that it is important to have these kinds of discussions.  This gives further credence that black Christians are not a monolith.  A good thing to be sure. 

Dr. King Is Not the Right Model for Black Preachers

excerpt:

The African-American church needs leaders that are not as concerned with political wars and public policy as much as they are concerned with a faithful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mid-term elections pale in comparison to the serious assaults committed by the enemy of our souls against the church and African Americans. While the church has given its brightest and best in the cause of social justice, she has suffered a significant drain on her leadership resources and her primary mission of making disciples. Consequently, today’s Black church may in many ways be weaker than the church in 1830!

Super-King Returns

I saw this Boondocks episode on this past MLK day.  Sometimes black folks have to be self-critical.  I am convinced that King would say something like this if he returned.  Me thinks.

Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn

A recent article informs us that black men are not fairing well in our society.  I was just recently in conversation with my mother dealing with a topic very similar to this.  She told me about how growing up during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era black folks of varied socio-economic status lived in the same communities.  She talked about how integration paved the way for middle class/affluent blacks to leave those close-knit black communities for greater opportunities.  This left behind a black under class in mostly urban centers.  What also happened in this black middle class exodus was a weakening of traditional black institutions that were autonomous from the dominant culture.  Anyways…this article gives much food for thought for those of us who are engaged in inner city work or ministry.

ht: Max (when are you going to start a blog man!)

Coretta Scott King dies at 78

This story at MSNBC…

Coretta Scott King (1927-2006)

Thinking about Tookie

Many thoughts. Very few words. I have been thinking about Stan “Tookie” Williams alot lately. Actually I am a little depressed about the whole deal. I found this quote from one of my favorite theologians, D. Stephen Long in his book The Goodness of God. I thought it somehow applicable to this situation.

Christianity was born out of the imprisonment and execution of an innocent person. Given our history, we cannot seek the solution to crime in a punitive prison industry. Although Christians and other innocent persons have often been labeled as criminals, this does not imply that all criminals are unjustly persecuted. Some people do evil things that require the kind of correction imprisonment could potentially bring. Imprisonment should not be a time of punitive retribution but an opportunity for people to face the reality of the evil they have committed in hope that they might yet repent and turn toward the good. p. 299

Did Stan turn toward the good? I hope so. Whatever good that he did do I hope that it finds it way towards the hood in the midst of nihilism and violence. I hope the good that Stan may have done be not swallowed up by the revenge of the State. Much more to think about.