Jesus was a Jew who was born and died in subjugation to Roman Empire. His body was and remains marked by gender, culture, and religion. Given this, we need to ask ourselves how might have Jesus’ cultural context as a colonial subject shaped his religious and social practices. What we see in his ministry is that he sought to resist the lure of both colonial and religious power. In today’s parlance, we can say that in some ways Jesus utilized the tools of decolonization in his ministry. Given the legacy of European colonization, American imperialism, and Christianity’s role in supporting both, decolonial thinking is a key value that informs the kind of community we seek to create at The Loft. This Sunday, we will be joined by Rev. Dr. Yuki Schwartz, assistant professor of constructive and political theologies at Claremont School of Theology, to explore the role and import of decolonial thinking at The Loft and the future of the Church.

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