A Place at the Un-Table

“But it’s the death threats that have continued to ferment for me. What is it about a woman’s curves, a woman’s supple thighs, a woman’s dimpled cheeks or ample waist that elicits violence? Perhaps the bodily reality of a fat woman is itself a rupture of a contract every femme person is conscripted to sign: to present their bodies as offerings for men’s consumption and indulgence, starved and sculpted to the beauty standards of the day. Fatness is an in-your-face rupture of this contract.”

Emily’s review of I Will Eat You Alive, a new work by Baltimore’s Katie Hileman.

Save Lives By Using Pronouns Consistently

“Approaching the singular “they” with quibbles about grammar or viewing it as a nonsensical demand misses an important truth: It is a simple request from a community so maligned that such a large proportion of them have been suicidal. “They” is not an inconvenience. It is a life-saving tool to protect the vulnerable.”

Start Looking, and You'll See Roads All Over the Bible

On the road driving West, I belonged to no one. Detached from the rhythm of Sunday night supper, I was untethered, and often forgot what day of the week it was. When I discovered it was Sunday, the songs of my congregation rose in my heart. On the wind, I thought I could detect a hint of rosemary.

The Last Gasp of Lent

“Emily, how long is this gonna last?” Sharon shouts at me over the wind. “Everything’s closed,” she complains, “and I’m going stir crazy. When are we gonna have church again?” A trans woman who’s been through more than her share, Sharon’s shaky mental health, dependent on her various support networks, has already taken a hit from the isolation. All the community centers she and Harold frequent are now closed now.

“I don’t know,” I tell her, wondering how much to prepare her for. “It will probably be a long time.”

How Do We Remember People Killed By Police?

“I write down every name in pencil on my sheet of brown paper, the corners fighting to curl up. One of the names is Nicholas, a boy who was 13 when he was shot by police in 1994, I read. And then I frown. Nicholas Naquan Heyward Jr. was killed in the Gowanus Houses, just yards away from where I sit in my apartment.”

An excerpt from The Christian Century from Emily’s book, For All Who Hunger.

Your Brain Won't Work As Well: Tips for Spiritual Leaders During COVID-19

I served as a clergy person through Hurricane Sandy in New York City. It was scary and hard, and while a hurricane is very different from what we’re facing now, working in the time of #COVID19 has felt really familiar.

…Here’s a few things I’ve learned about how to make it through, in the long haul.

Read the piece on Medium

The Bible's #MeToo Problem

"It is empathy, not regulations, that will create a different vision for masculinity in our nation, rooted in love instead of dominance. But transformation happens only in the hard light of truth."

Read Emily's Opinion piece in the New York Times.