What a joy to spread the news that Jonesboro, Arkansas, has a newly constituted chapter of the NAACP! The need for a chapter was made tragically clear in 2012, when a young African American man, Chavis Carter, died in police custody. Carter's death from a gunshot wound to the head was ruled a suicide. As the... Continue Reading →

I’ve spent a lot of time in my scholarship of religion observing the spiritual practice of imprecatory prayer—calling down curses, terror, and even death on those you see as God’s enemy. Those who use it look to scripture—particularly Psalm 55, 58, 68, 69, 83, and 109—for models of how we can ask God to destroy... Continue Reading →

My oldest got a thermos--the kind of gift that signals you're growing up but not yet so grown up that you can expect only socks and long underwear--for Christmas. He's in heaven. Now, when he sets the tea kettle on the stove each morning, he puts in enough water for both his regular morning cup... Continue Reading →

This year, the AAUP will publish a special issue of The Journal of Academic Freedom examining the concept and reality of academic freedom today.  Submissions of up to 8,000 words are due by the end of the month. The details below come directly from the CFP. The goofy logo of Turning Point USA, comprised of students who... Continue Reading →

Arkansas State University, where I teach, the University of Kansas, my alma mater, and just about every Mennonite college I love and have taught at is or has recently been searching for a new president or chancellor. While the needs of each institution vary, here are the questions I'd ask if I were on the A-State... Continue Reading →

Naomi* was trying not to cry, but it wasn’t going well. She was a good friend of mine, unexpectedly pregnant with her third child, who would be born within a year of her second. She was a great mother who handled the surprise of that well, but, five months in, there was news. She was... Continue Reading →

It's not too late to give yourself a little incentive to write this month! Any Good Thing is sponsoring a bet-on-yourself Writing Challenge this month, and today's the last day to join. The rules are simple: You commit to writing at least 400 words each day for five days of the week, Sunday through Saturday.... Continue Reading →

For those of you who want to read along...here's my Spring 2017 SOC 3313: Sociology of Sex Syllabus: ssoc-of-sex-syllabus-spring-2017 Some reading highlights:

Want to write more this year? You probably already know what to do--write daily. Ideally, you'd do it before the other demands of your day start, but that's not always realistic. Plus some of us are just not morning people, so it'd be great if we could stop valorizing early birds. You probably don't write... Continue Reading →

Submissions will soon be due for a Fall 2017 Symposium on Black Love at the University of Kansas. The event is being organized by Dr. Ayesha K. Hardison, associate professor of English and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks, full professor of American Studies and African and African American Studies. (Full... Continue Reading →