I danced around the kitchen in my underwear the other day. The blinds were up and I bet the cars driving by my apartment on the 980 had a fabulous view of me in my underwear as the music blared over the sound of my dishwasher (I wasn’t inviting voyeurism; it was a long overdueContinue reading “Dancing in my panties—a girl pastor’s commitment to helping the next generation see themselves better than she did”
Category Archives: Gender
Systemic Fat Bias—is that a thing? (The complicated layers of race and gender that make it MAYBE a thing but also not)
(editorial addition: I forgot–part of what inspired this post was a spoken word that in four very blunt minutes captures what this blog fumblingly approaches addressing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxgpCfPqQpk) I remember the first online dating profile I ever posted, in 2004, while I was in seminary. It was on Nerve (don’t judge—it was “for the thinking hedonist,” ifContinue reading “Systemic Fat Bias—is that a thing? (The complicated layers of race and gender that make it MAYBE a thing but also not)”
Chris Brown, celebrity relationships and Domestic Violence Awareness Month
editor’s note: additions in italics “Do YOU like Chris Brown?” my then 10-year-old niece asked two years ago as she and her mom were driving somewhere. I should have noticed the inflection in her tone, but I was being hip and cool aunt Sandhya, so I said, “Yeah,” forgetting who he was and what aContinue reading “Chris Brown, celebrity relationships and Domestic Violence Awareness Month”
On earbuds, harassment and not wanting to block out the world. (And on Mrs. Hall and “Seeing a Woman.”)
I use earbuds now. I use them reluctantly but at full volume, ever since a woman shouted out the passenger window of a passing car at me, “eat more salads!” And when I pulled out my earbuds (softly playing This American Life), thinking it might be someone I knew, she hollered, “you heard me!” andContinue reading “On earbuds, harassment and not wanting to block out the world. (And on Mrs. Hall and “Seeing a Woman.”)”
To everything… a reflection on seasons of a radical
I gritted my teeth as she said it. A colleague I deeply respect was speaking at a luncheon, and she, with the full force of her Memphis charm, put forward this statement: “When I was twenty, I wanted to change the world.” She paused for dramatic effect. “When I was thirty, I wanted to changeContinue reading “To everything… a reflection on seasons of a radical”
The Cross and the Lynching Tree—Atonement Theology and Beyond
Several people have expressed interest in my recent sermon about my concerns with atonement theology. Let me first say that I might never have preached this sermon if our church weren’t doing a sermon series on “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Bible But Were Afraid to Ask,” where congregants got to submitContinue reading “The Cross and the Lynching Tree—Atonement Theology and Beyond”
Monsoon Wedding, my childhood, rape culture and no-go-tell.
I was inspired by the tremendous essay “My so-called ‘Post-Feminist’ Life in Arts and Letters” by writer Deborah Copaken Kogan. One of the many issues she touches on is not talking about sexual assault because we will get smeared. We’ve seen that in the Steubenville case and also in the recent suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons,Continue reading “Monsoon Wedding, my childhood, rape culture and no-go-tell.”
Malcolm, Martin, the Mahatma and a couple of Mary’s: A resurrection story
Malcolm, Martin, the Mahatma and a couple of Mary’s: A resurrection story Holy Saturday sermon By Sandhya Jha New Spirit Community Church, Berkeley, CA March 30, 2013 The Gospel : Mark 16:1-8 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go andContinue reading “Malcolm, Martin, the Mahatma and a couple of Mary’s: A resurrection story”
If “What To Expect,” “Traveling Mercies,” and “I and Thou” had a baby: A review of Hopes and Fears
It takes a certain amount of fortitude to read a book on the joys and challenges of parenting when you’re single and childless not by choice. To do so during the holidays takes flat out bravery. So I sat down on a Sunday afternoon, girded by a burrito in the mission district following a holidayContinue reading “If “What To Expect,” “Traveling Mercies,” and “I and Thou” had a baby: A review of Hopes and Fears”
5 things I’d like to share with men about women (including you, because I can tell you’re a very progressive man)
I got called out. Gently. But I got called out by a colleague of mine whom I respect immensely. He called me out because the other day I posted an article called 5 Ways Modern Men Are Trained to Hate Women. Now the piece is pretty harsh, and it paints in broad generalizations, and IContinue reading “5 things I’d like to share with men about women (including you, because I can tell you’re a very progressive man)”
Sandhya Rani Jha 