Category Archives: Richard Wright

Barth and the Death Contract

In His dying, the dying which awaits us in the near or distant future was already comprehended and completed, so that we can no longer die to ourselves (Rom. 14:2f.), in our own strength and at our own risk, but … Continue reading

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Native Son and The Christological Determination of Death

The third part of Native Son begins with Bigger in jail (for the murder and alleged rape of a white woman), in a trance that was “not so much a stupor…[as] a deep physiological resolution not to react to anything.” This … Continue reading

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The Theological Contours of Rihanna’s “Man Down”: pulling the trigger on rape culture

Rihanna’s video “Man Down” not only draws out the dire consequences facing us in a culture of rape, it also exposes the theological contours of the problem. In my previous post, I suggested that Rihanna’s character faces a kind of … Continue reading

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Richard Wright, Life and the Threat of Death

To be a slave is to exist under the threat of death, where the master determines when, if, and how one might die. In this situation, the desire to live sustains the bondage. The looming threat of actual death transforms … Continue reading

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