Author Archives: Benjamin White

We’re VERY human! (And that is a good thing.)

South Jersey Cell leaders on Zoom “Forget ‘we are easily misled.’ We are easily led… period.” – Justin Beniston My friend Justin said this years ago and I wrote it down because it struck me as being so true. We, that is to say, human beings, are very easily led. Labels such as individualist, free-thinker,ContinueContinue reading “We’re VERY human! (And that is a good thing.)”

How to Read the Most Brutal Parts of the Old Testament

Getting to Know the Bible (Part 10) I really like the Bible. I am passionate about helping others get into it, too. It’s pretty intimidating to get started so we created an introduction course called Getting to Know the Bible. It’s 10 sessions given every year to whoever is interested. It is one of ourContinueContinue reading “How to Read the Most Brutal Parts of the Old Testament”

We need your shininess! Tell Your Story

Shine Bright! I wrote this up for peaceandjusticeproject.org but I thought you should see it, too. It was a lot of fun and I am still glowing. >>>>>>>>>>> It is Martin Luther King’s Birthday today, January, 15th. So last night was Martin Luther King’s Birthday Eve! We got together to celebrate by sharing stories aboutContinueContinue reading “We need your shininess! Tell Your Story”

I Like Listening to James Cone

I just began reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone and I am instantly amazed by the comprehensive description of the pervasive and pernicious power of the lynching tree in American History. I love Cone’s lyricism, and his love for the blues as a means of painting that terrible picture — howContinueContinue reading “I Like Listening to James Cone”

“Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” Verse Four Explained

The Best Verse of Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing Requires Some Explaining “Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” is my favorite Christmas Carol. It was a family favorite growing up but it became a personal favorite when I was driving home form the hospital after my first son, Oliver was born. Carrie Underwood was singing itContinueContinue reading ““Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” Verse Four Explained”

On the Holy Mountain: A Christmas Story

My dad posted one of his Christmas Stories this week on his blog, Development, at rodwhite.net. I had at least 3/4 of a mind to do the same before he did so I took it as confirmation. My family began writing Christmas Stories together when I was seven years old. I love it. Here’s someContinueContinue reading “On the Holy Mountain: A Christmas Story”

A Shirtless Dancing Guy for Your Joy

Min 0:00 Just a shirtless dancing guy In 2009, on Memorial Day Weekend, there was a music festival in the town of George in the state of Washington. And at this “Sasquatch Festival” a shirtless man started dancing. But his dance solo became an irresistible dance party in a matter of minutes and some blessedContinueContinue reading “A Shirtless Dancing Guy for Your Joy”

Conversations with Lamentations

Biblical lament is hard to handle. Lament is hard to handle.  When we decided to practice lament as a way to hope for Advent, the idea resonated with me but I don’t know if I knew how hard the practicing would be. I’m finding all kinds of reason to avoid the difficulty. They come inContinueContinue reading “Conversations with Lamentations”

We need better imaginations for our social justice movements

Advent is coming It’s Advent Eve, Eve (this year Advent starts on November 29, four sundays before Christmas Day). I find myself more ready than ever to enter into the yearly practice of communal waiting. I need time to ponder and space to consider. This year turns up all the questions and the tension isContinueContinue reading “We need better imaginations for our social justice movements”

How Will We Love Through the Election?

“Unreliable Allies” Karl Barth, a German Theologian who helped organize the Confessing Church in opposition to the Nazi regime, once said that the church ought to be an “unreliable ally” to any and every political system. That is to say that our primary allegiance to Jesus and his kingdom will often come into tension withContinueContinue reading “How Will We Love Through the Election?”

Tear/Tear, Seem/Seam, Knew/New

On shrinking cloth The heat of a warm water washing or heated tumble dry or, in the image of today’s poem, a flap out on the sunny line, the stretched out fibers of an unshrunken cloth relax. The individual patch of cloth becomes stronger. The individual fibers become relaxed in the heat. That sounds niceContinueContinue reading “Tear/Tear, Seem/Seam, Knew/New”

Some Doubts Ought to Be Trusted

Doubt can be bad but it doesn’t have to be In the glut of internet facts we swim in like a trash compactor on the Death Star, doubt is not hard to come by. Slogging through the truthiness spectrum of political speech might make you sick. Yes, you could be sick with doubt. In itsContinueContinue reading “Some Doubts Ought to Be Trusted”

Hope From a Couple of Poets

Where is Jesus? Poetry helps me reach into and beyond reality. The news out of Louisville, Kentucky this week hit hard for me and my friends. Breonna Taylor’s murderers are not held accountable and it is all very legal. The worst part for me was that so many Christians I know were  running to defendContinueContinue reading “Hope From a Couple of Poets”

Don’t Forget, Jesus is the Lord of History

Is the Church Just Following Culture? Try as we might, we cannot separate ourselves from the influences that have shaped us personally and the greater forces that have shaped our context. Our ongoing, and longstanding dialogue about antiracism in Circle of Hope has been dialed up in recent months in the wake of police killingsContinueContinue reading “Don’t Forget, Jesus is the Lord of History”

What Do I Do With My Kids and the Bible?

The Bible my parents gave me when I was 10. Let’s Have a Bible Class Since we’re all basically part time teachers this school year my friend Bryce had the idea that one of the subjects he ought to teach would be the Bible. I was quite taken by the idea. It hit me whenContinueContinue reading “What Do I Do With My Kids and the Bible?”

Have you sung together on Zoom yet?

Worship Woes Have you sung together on Zoom yet? It’s terrible, impossible, and I love it. I don’t know all the techy bits to tell you why, but Zoom only transmits one audio channel at a time. So if you try to sing together it frenetically bounces from one voice to another trying to figureContinueContinue reading “Have you sung together on Zoom yet?”

If I Can Remember My Dreams

On vacation in the woods, I am trying to tune into my dreams. It’s working. I always ask my boys each morning if they had an dreams during the night, so I thought I should point that question at myself more seriously. I sleep very soundly and  rarely remember my dreams.  I lament the lossContinueContinue reading “If I Can Remember My Dreams”