This is the category for Advocate editorials and other viewpoints.
It’s been a hard year—but also a good year. Good, for light is being shined into racial problems and discrimination in important new ways. Good, for in spite of a pandemic, communities and families are coming together. Good, because churches are stepping up in new and innovative ways to help. By Jessica Brodie.
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Bishop L. Jonathan Holston on the coming 2020 Annual Conference.
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Will there be issues? Sure. Nothing is ever perfect. But 2020 has turned out to be an unorthodox year that has required a great deal of flexibility on the part of everyone. Holding Annual Conference online will enable us to move forward and do what is necessary. An editorial by Jessica Brodie.
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“Are we there yet?” Most folks have heard this question while traveling. The GPS even counts down the miles and minutes that remain until you arrive at your destination. The driver points out landmarks for passengers to look for along the route. These checkpoints create digestible lengths of time for milestones reached until the trip is complete. A column for the Advocate by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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People who choose one thing—whether a presidential candidate, a political party, a denomination, or whether or not to send their kids back to school in-person—are not “stupid,” bad or utterly wrong because their choices do not align with our opinion. Let’s respect each other, understand that everyone has a unique perspective—and let peace prevail in the midst of this turmoil. A commentary by Jessica Brodie.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of…
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Oh, Lord, I beg: What do I do? All I can do is love. All I can do is pray. All I can do is try to love instead of fear, to speak out when I’m feeling cowardly. By Jessica Brodie.
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Forty-five years ago, against the advice of his Motown record executives, Marvin Gaye released the song “What’s Going On.” What’s going on is that we can’t breathe. The weight of oppression and injustice is suffocating. By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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How quickly I started to forget the most important lesson the pandemic taught me: Let go of the steering wheel and let God be the driver. A reflection by Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. Growing up in the Holston household, respect for your elders was the rule. Fear was not exactly what my brother and I had for our father, even though we were scared at times, but it was the awesome power of his presence. He was a yes sir/no sir kind of guy. If he asked you to jump, you asked how high. If he asked you to run, you asked how far. If he asked you to stand, you asked how long.
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As news, photos and other details surface surrounding the shooting death of an unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery—a 25-year-old who was jogging near his home in Brunswick, Georgia—United Methodist church…
Read MoreBy the Rev. Angela Halter Marshall Some people may think the pandemic has finally “gotten” to us. They may think being quarantined and the practice of social distancing has taken…
Read MoreBy the Rev. Amiri B. Hooker The solution to revive the social justice teachings of Jesus is not the all-out 2020 lynching of black men and women. Has society gotten…
Read MoreBy Dr. Robin Dease As a seminary student in Washington, D.C., I worked for Marriott Management Services in the George Washington University community. I had the awesome opportunity of catering…
Read MoreBy Jessica Brodie. I’m astounded by the beauty of God’s glory shining across every single page of this month’s newspaper. Take a look and tell me if you don’t agree! On every page, you’ll find examples of regular men and women—and sometimes children!—doing something extraordinary for the Lord, living beyond themselves to spread the Good News or to help others in His name. And all this is happening when many of us are stuck at home, quarantined for the most part because of the coronavirus.
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By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston. The famed Dear Abby advice column offers wisdom wrapped in empathy and practicality. One such insightful column includes ways to have a chance for a fresh start today. There is no need to wait for a new week, a new month, or a new year. We don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the long term.
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These are trying times, to say the least. Our lives are upended, routines are off and many of the plans we thought we had a month ago are now completely and irrevocably gone. Some of us have lost our jobs, our security, our prospects, our health. And yet still: God is good. All the time. Even now. Especially now. A column by Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie.
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May we live out the hope found in the resurrection by continuing to participate in the life of our churches in helpful ways. Here are some suggestions. A column by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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On hearing God’s call and how to respond. By Jessica Brodie.
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Anticipation abounds in uncertain times. We want to know what to expect, what the prognosis will be—and we want to know now. In the face of the unknown, we can find ourselves overcome with fear and helplessness. By Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.
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