Not Of This World

For some reason, Christianity has become associated with right-wing conservatives, and so it is rare to have conversations about the idea of privilege within Christian theology. This is unfortunate, because the conversation about privilege needs to be had in all circles. Plus, privilege and theology actually work together really well, and looking at them together can actually help you understand both better.   Privilege is an undeserved advantage. The word can be used generically, but what I'm really talking about here is when society systematically bestows privilege on one segment of the population over another segment. For example, I am white, straight, cisgender, a native speaker of English, and able-bodied, and all of these characteristics make it easier for me to navigate the world than for people who do not share these characteristics. I have never had to worry about where I would be able to go to the bathroom, I can pursue education at the highest level in my native langua

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth,  judge righteously, defend the rights of  the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 (ESV) The Idea I'm not exactly sure how the idea of starting a blog was planted in my mind, but from the first, I felt like the idea came from God. It seemed a little silly, like, Are you sure that God wants you to start a blog? Would anyone actually read it? What could possibly be His purpose in that?  But even more than that, it seemed scary. They say you're not supposed to talk about politics, or about religion, and definitely not about politics and  religion, in polite company. It gets people upset. But that was exactly the idea that was behind this blog--politics and social justice issues, and how the Bible and my faith intersect with them. But the thought persisted, though I pushed it down. A few days later, at a Bible study, a friend told us something he had been taught about how to discern the w