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Jordan E. DeSanto

Jordan E. DeSanto writes on how Christian thought influences pop culture and politics. Originally from rural Washington state, he is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and the University of Washington.

By this Author

The comedian Chris Rock, left, reacts after actor Will Smith slaps him onstage during the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles March 27. (AP/Chris Pizzello)

Will Smith's slap heard round the world forces us to imagine life free of transgressions against Black women

Will Smith's Oscars transgression offers a moment for us to reflect upon and scrutinize the institutionalized systems of misogynoir within our culture and society, including the spaces we occupy as Christians.

The influential novelist and essayist James Baldwin (1924-1987) speaks in Amsterdam in 1984. Giovanni's Room was published in 1956. (Wikimedia Commons/Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage)

65 years later, ‘Giovanni’s Room’ models LGBTQ+ allyship

Just as Jesus entered our world so that He could empathize with our human experience, so, too, does in his 1956 novel, James Baldwin invites us into Giovanni's room — to empathize with the pain and joy of the LGBTQ+ experience.

Lil Nas X appears backstage with his awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Old Town Road" and Best Music Video for "Old Town Road (Official Movie)," during the 62nd annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Newsc

In Lil Nas X's 'Montero,' Black, queer people hold the keys to salvation

Homophobic theology causes physical and mental harm to the sacred bodies of Black queer people. Watching Lil Nas X, an openly queer and unapologetically Black artist, gives me hope.

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