wgafney's blog

Would the Romans have really respected the human dignity and religious conventions of Jesus while crucifying him - and therefore draped his genitals as we see in so much religious art? What effect would crucifying victims in the nude have on their psyches and those of their death witnesses? What effect has the Church's cover-up of the cross and our crucifixes had on our theologies?

I prepared this meditation for the Logan Legacy Prayer Breakfast, celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Canon Thomas Wilson Stearly Logan, the longest lived priest of African descent in the Episcopal Church who died at the age of 100, at the request of the committee who assigned me the theme of "Engendering Prophecy" from the story of Deborah.

I was honored to speak for Upper School Chapel at the Episcopal Academy - a marvelous institution - on 20 March 2013.

 

Rape is at the forefront of our civil discourse in ways it has not been in my memory or experience: young woman raped to the point of death in India has been the focus of international media. During the run up to the presidential election Rep.

Exodus 1:1 These are the names (shemoth) of the sons of Yisra’el who came into Egypt with Ya‘akov…

Baniym can of course mean "sons" or "children" and usually I err on the side of inclusion. But in this text, it is clear that only male progeny are indicated, demonstrated by the list of names that follow. These are the names of Israel’s sons, but what about his daughters?