The Rev. Madison Shockley

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The Rev. Madison Shockley is the pastor of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ (UCC) in Carlsbad, Calif. Originally ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1979, he has served churches in St....

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Obama’s Dangerous Dance With Crowley and Gates

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Jul 30, 2009 Let me declare my bias up front. No, I am not a friend of Henry “Skip” Gates, but I had an encounter with the Cambridge police similar to that of the good professor -- 36 years ago! Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

To This Minister, Prop. 8 Is Repugnant

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Nov 4, 2008 The thousands of same-gender couples who have married in the few months since the California Supreme Court cleared the way are in fact married. The notion that a majority vote by people who are not party to these marriages of love, commitment, care and family will have the power to impose a divorce on these couples is flatly repugnant. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Rev. Wright on the Battlefield

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Mar 18, 2008 Missing from the media hullabaloo surrounding the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr.'s now-infamous sermon (a particular sample of which is still playing in heavy rotation on countless broadcast stations) were some key contextual details about Wright's church, black Christianity and Barack Obama's personal history. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

One Giant Leap for America

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Jan 15, 2008 Barack Obama represents not just a bridge between America's various cultural, racial and spiritual communities. According to Madison Shockley, the eminently qualified Sen. Obama holds out the promise of a much-needed healing for America by "just standing there allowing us to say 'Yes' to him." Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Romney’s Religious Dodge

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Dec 14, 2007 In the first of a new Truthdig series on religion and politics, the Rev. Madison Shockley analyzes Mitt Romney's recent landmark speech and finds that America's most famous Mormon is trying to have it both ways. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Barack’s Racial Balancing Act

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Jan 23, 2007 Sen. Obama's multiracial heritage could help mend the great fissure in American society. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Rev. Madison Shockley: Christian Coalition in the Fray

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig May 2, 2006 The religious advocacy group is inserting itself into the fight over the San Diego congressional seat of disgraced ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

You Mean Jesus Didn’t Have a Bodily Resurrection?

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Apr 13, 2006 Interested in a real Paschal Mystery this Easter? How 'bout this? Why does the Catholic Church insist that Jesus had a bodily resurrection, when Paul clearly says in Corinthians 15:44: "It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Belief & Religion

Easter: The Resurrection (with Questions)

The Rev. Madison Shockley / Truthdig Apr 13, 2006 Hallelujah! Easter is almost here. Aren't you glad? What's that low sigh I hear? Ohhhhh that's right, you're one of those progressive Christians. Easter is probably the most conflicted time of the year among progressive churches, even more so than Christmas. Even a progressive Christian can reasonably assert that Jesus was really born, even as the debate goes on among others about how he was born. But this is not so with Easter. Either he was resurrected or he was not. And when we say he was not, then someone somewhere will quote I Corinthians 15:12 to us, "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?" Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )