On Saturday I received a text message from an ex-boyfriend that reminded me of the worst part of myself and one of the most painful periods in my life. He wanted you to know things from his perspective rather than just from mine, so I thought I’d share the text as he wrote it (withContinue reading “My ex-boyfriend wants you to know some things about me (or–God’s not done with me yet)”
Author Archives: sandhyarjha
“That’s why I don’t watch the news,” #notallmen and the global protection of rape culture
He was for real the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. I had opened up my home to a couple of people coming to Oakland for a conference for activists. We totally bonded over finding a space to create our own identities rather than the identities the world tried to impose on us. He told meContinue reading ““That’s why I don’t watch the news,” #notallmen and the global protection of rape culture”
The false dichotomy of fit versus fat
Why I’m eager to get healthy but not eager to get thin I’m on a juice fast for Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter in the Christian calendar). I’m on day three and it’s going pretty great. It’s been about a year since I did the first one, and this time has beenContinue reading “The false dichotomy of fit versus fat”
Microaggressions, calling out, giving power and eating our young:
Why how we treat Suey Park might matter more than her campaign to cancel Colbert You may be bored by now with the #CancelColbert controversy. I was bored with it before it became a media sensation. And yet here I am, because I just found out that Suey Park is 23, and that turned everythingContinue reading “Microaggressions, calling out, giving power and eating our young:”
Yo pastor is so poor… reflections on Lent, poverty and justice
Lent is a season of sacrifice or spiritual renewal in the Christian tradition, 40 days (plus Sundays) leading up to Easter to deeply consider one’s life. Or Lent is a way of providing a little dignity to really poor people. That’s how it started out, according to my mother. And this brings me some solaceContinue reading “Yo pastor is so poor… reflections on Lent, poverty and justice”
Truth, facts, and the La Paz Cathedral: vacation thoughts on postmodernity
I visited a Jesuit mission church on Wednesday, in the city of La Paz. The missions along the West Coast of Mexico and the United States have a very complex history of bringing faith that people value deeply today but also bringing coercion and violence and conquest. Nonetheless, the guide focused mostly on telling usContinue reading “Truth, facts, and the La Paz Cathedral: vacation thoughts on postmodernity”
The wages of prosperity: why I support the upcoming Oakland minimum wage campaign
This weekend, you might see someone at the grocery store or BART station asking you if you to sign something. This time, it really matters. The Lift Up Oakland coalition is bringing hope back to Oakland by proposing we raise the minimum wage to $12.25 with paid sick days. (This is good news for allContinue reading “The wages of prosperity: why I support the upcoming Oakland minimum wage campaign”
The cost of being reasonable: reflections on why the whole church didn’t preach about Michael Dunn and Jordan Davis
I have some really smart friends. I have friends who are powerful leaders and facilitators and great thinkers. I have friends from all across the nation (and a few around the globe). I have friends of a fair few religious backgrounds, from Atheist to Zoroastrian. And I have friends from a whole lot of differentContinue reading “The cost of being reasonable: reflections on why the whole church didn’t preach about Michael Dunn and Jordan Davis”
Ekklesia: Are you just somebody that I used to know?
Is Christian Privilege killing the church? At what some of my colleagues saw as the breaking point of Occupy Oakland, January 28, 2012, one of my friends said, “Ah, Occupy Oakland, now you’re just somebody that I used to know.” For a lot of folks committed to seeing a justice-filled peace in Oakland, Occupy wasContinue reading “Ekklesia: Are you just somebody that I used to know?”
A Tale of Two Cities: Redemption and gentrification in a “transitioning” neighborhood and a pop-up middle class neighborhood
When I was pastor at First Christian Church of Oakland, a couple of our regular members were homeless. They made most of their income by recycling. They could tell you where to go on Saturdays when the regular recycling center was closed, and how to get money for the wine bottles that don’t have theContinue reading “A Tale of Two Cities: Redemption and gentrification in a “transitioning” neighborhood and a pop-up middle class neighborhood”
Sandhya Rani Jha 