liz – Rev. Elizabeth Durant

Wait, I’m Not “Special” Because I’m White? Thoughts on Internalized Superiority

by lizcourage & vulnerability, entitlement, racial identity, systemic racism, white privilege October 8, 20152 Comments

I was privileged to have a conversation recently with a young Black activist who I deeply admire. I was surprised when she suggested that there is nothing remarkable about the white part of white supremacy. In different cultures around the world, in the past and present, groups have acted in similar ways, creating and maintaining brutal, dehumanizing and oppressive …

Beloved Community is Our Only Security

by lizparenting, theology, violence July 17, 2013April 26, 20204 Comments

(My daughter’s birth day was Monday, but this post has taken me three days to write.) Today, July 15, is my daughter’s first birthday. I want to write her a letter filled with tenderness and joy. Instead, as I sit down to write, all I can think of is Trayvon Martin and the verdict announced this …

Cultural Baggage on Spiritual Journeys

by lizculture, history, land, theology May 1, 2013April 26, 20207 Comments

Part of my current angst is to retrieve and unpack the cultural baggage I have around my spiritual beliefs. I imagine big heavy suitcases covered with the customary black scuff marks that indicate multiple trips through baggage claim. Some of mine probably have tattered “Gate Check” tags because I keep trying to drag them on …

Raised to be White

by lizlanguage, parenting, racial identity February 7, 201313 Comments

While I’m writing about white supremacy in Christianity for school, I’m also caring for our baby daughter (now nearly seven months old). So as I’m reading about how we become white, I can’t help but think of how she is becoming white, even at this young age. We talk about gender in our house and …

What Color is Your God?

by lizlanguage, racial identity, theology December 28, 20124 Comments

What color is your God? I envy my friends their relationship with rocks and rivers, ocean and trees. God for me will always wear a human face: Our Lady, blessed mother of the world, and Jesus. I’m knee-deep in a thesis for my master’s degree about racism and White Christianity. Womanist scholar Mukti Barton writes …