Upending Empire By Taking A Nap

My position is that if the Church, which has as a fundamental value the concept of sabbath rest, cannot be in the forefront of proclaiming rest as sacred and naps as a form of resistance to injustice then we have failed our divine duty to be a place of counterculture holy work and should close up shop immediately. 

When God’s Work Just Doesn’t Fit With Ours

"But in my almost 30 years in local church ministry and now my 6 ½ years in Regional Ministry I have come to understand the biblical challenge for adaptation, growth, innovation, creativity, and – yes – change is not simply a helpful aspect or nice facet of church life, it has got to be central to our faith, as fundamental as mission and outreach, Christian education, visitation and pastoral care, and weekly communion are.  The need to not simply allow for new and imaginative ways of living our faith in community but to integrate it at every single level of our church’s life has become imperative.  And not only do we need to be completely comfortable with change, but we need to do a lot of it and do it fast." ~Rev. Allen V. Harris

Taking The Blame For Stirring Up Trouble

"We have allowed the basest of voices to claim the so-called “moral high ground” of what the church should focus on and what Christians should believe, even though such “morality” is based on the subjugation of women, unquestioned militarism, conspicuous consumerism, vapid patriotism, and a host of injustices to people who might not fit the mold of the majority.  I stand here today to call Carthage Christian Church and Lorenzo Thomas to stay the course you have set in your lives and that you have confirmed in your call as pastor and congregation.  Take the blame for stirring up trouble, for in doing so you will be in a long lineage of the saints of God who made a difference in the world!"  

Prayer For Interfaith Prayer Gathering on the Transformation of Policing

June 10, 2021 - Rev. Allen V. Harris Good afternoon. I am the Rev. Allen V. Harris and I am the Regional Pastor and President for the Christian Church in Ohio. Please join me in a prayer of lamentation. Gracious and loving God; Divine source of all life; maker, sustainer, and redeemer of humanity, hear…

Hey, Check Out The New Neighbors!

"We have been remiss in not taking up the mantle and continuing the tradition of boldly welcoming those different from ourselves into our communities and listening to them, equipping them for leadership, following their wisdom, and becoming the church of the future. Let us not slip back into being a church that was destined to fade from the earth because of irrelevance, unresponsiveness, and irritability!"