Stephen J. Matlock's Blog, page 23
February 19, 2019
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 9: White Superiority
As I continue to learn about the history of racial categories, I repeatedly came across the description of race as a “social construct” and a “human invention.” If the idea of race was human-made, it begged the questions, What person … Continue reading →
February 18, 2019
Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor
“…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Something to remember when considering Black History Month: Let us speak of Denmark Vesey (birth name Telemaque, likely of Akan origin)… Enslaved Africans were moral agents … Continue reading →
February 17, 2019
Moral Choices or Moral Experiments
I did something a few weeks ago that I’ve know about for years that I shouldn’t do. Not gonna give you excuses on why I did what I did: that’s for me to investigate and work on. Not gonna say … Continue reading →
Prayer to Persephone
Today’s post is just poetry, this time from the sublime Edna St. Vincent Millay: Prayer to Persephone by Edna St. Vincent Millay Be to her, Persephone, All the things I might not be; Take her head upon your knee. She … Continue reading →
February 16, 2019
Stretched Out
I’m reading a thread on Twitter that started I don’t know how, but it centers on a topic that’s of great interest to me: the way forward for the white American church as it enters an entirely new situation where … Continue reading →
I’m Just Here to Dance
I had an interesting question the other day: are Christians good? The subject came up because there is a defense offered by some Christians (and some people outside the faith, I imagine) that we Christians are “good” by dint of … Continue reading →
February 15, 2019
Trying Every Doorknob
What do I do about the things that I see that I think aren’t right? What do I do about the situations where injustice occurs, where oppression is maintained, where there is no room for the human and the person and the needs to be understood, much less addressed? So much is a giant system that is rolling on unchecked, and all I have are these small tools and weak commitments that are easily broken by adamant obstacles... Continue reading →
February 14, 2019
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 8: Racial Categories
“The biggest problem with America’s idea of racial categories is that they’re not just categories: they’ve been used to imply a hierarchy born of nature. Regardless of how racial categories came into being, Americans have been cast in racial roles … Continue reading →
#WakingUpWhite Chapter 8–Racial Categories
“The biggest problem with America’s idea of racial categories is that they’re not just categories: they’ve been used to imply a hierarchy born of nature. Regardless of how racial categories came into being, Americans have been cast in racial roles … Continue reading →
February 13, 2019
What, Then, Is the Value of It All?
“A free man is not tempted by chains, and a forgiven man is not tempted by shame.” I recently had an online interaction with someone who attempted to woo me into their belief system by using shame and guilt. That … Continue reading →
