Were I to be reduced again to the chains, I regard being the slave of a religious slaveholder the greatest calamity that could befall me. They are the worst, the basest, the meanest, the most cruel an… — Frederick Douglass
Introduction to a special issue of “Signs of the Times” (4 November 2016, No. 94)
by Ken Sehested
By now, DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) has become a familiar acronym to many in the US. The confrontation near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, where the Cannonball River joins the Missouri River, is cleft by a thin barricade.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Advent is a season of great longing, specifically for those longing “from below.”
The longing is a revolutionary one, however, and frightening to those in charge, who have much to lose if existing hierarchies are breached. Such anxiety is what fueled Herod’s terror against male babies.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Presentation for the colloquia on the theology of nonviolence,
Eastern Mennonite University/Seminary, October 24, 2002
by Ken Sehested
Address to the "Coalition for Baptist Principles" breakfast meeting,
American Baptist Churches USA Biennial, 21-23 June 2013, Overland Park, Kansas
You’re a hardy group, I must say—to get up early on a muggy summer morning, on a Saturday, for an outrageously expensive 7:30 breakfast, to reflect on Baptist identity. To say the least, “Baptist identity” is a contested topic, sometimes a boring topic, and often an embarrassing one.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
“The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive. . . .”
—Matthew 13:13
President Barack Obama, speaking at the opening ceremony of the African American Museum in Washington, DC, said: “Hopefully, this museum can help us talk to each other, and more importantly listen to each other, and most importantly see each other.”
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Text: Luke 19:1-10
It seems like we’ve turned to the story of Zacchaeus on several occasions during this past year. I was surprised when it showed up as the lectionary reading for this Sunday; and I almost chose an alternate text, since we’ve given so much attention to the “wee little man.” But I decided to stay with it, to see what new vistas it might open up.
We’ve given a good deal of attention to questions of economic justice since January. Andy Loving, a friend from Louisville, preached for us in February when he was coming through Asheville, and he spoke about “The God of Maximum Return.” Andy is a certified financial planner and an advocate for socially responsibly investing; and his commentary was so stimulating that several of you asked if we could get him back, to help us think about how we can invest our savings in ways that support our values. He did come back in the spring, to do a forum on alternative investing; and quite a few of you signed up for personal consulting on how to align your investments with your faith commitments.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Any of you who spend time on Facebook know you will endure . . . well, uh, let’s keep it decent and say a pre-edited version of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.” And not just from . . . uh . . . the incredulous and socially-challenged who have too much time on their hands.
There are also memes from the seriously well-intentioned, like the one I saw recently proclaiming, in all caps and bold face type, “RACISM DESTROYED IN ONE MINUTE.” As if being able to state insight about a problem is equivalent to implementing the remedy.
Read more › The main title of this sermon, “remembering the future,” is a nonsensical notion. How can you remember the future since it hasn’t happened yet? Maybe if you love science fiction, or if you’re a fan of the actor Michael J. Fox, you can 
imagine going “back to the future.” But remembering the future?
How silly is that, in a grown-up world?
Maybe, in our growing up, we have actually grown in, grown in on ourselves, grown sour on the world, grown weary of illusions, grown cynical about pious propaganda, pious politics, as well as pious religion.
Read more ›Racial antagonism, income inequality and urban decay go hand-in-hand in our culture.
The collection of texts below—for use in personal meditation or public liturgy—
bear witness to both the horror and the hope of our cities.
§ How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. (Lamentations 1:1)
§ Blessed be the Lord, for God has wondrously shown steadfast love to me when I was beset as in a besieged city. (Psalm 31:21)
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Earlier this week, 5 September 2016, President Barack Obama became the first US president to visit the nation of Laos in Southeast Asia. "Given our history here, I believe that the United States has a moral obligation to help Laos heal," he said.
As a result, two important things happened.
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