When I first met Deborah*, the word that came to my mind was “firebrand.” Deborah lives among an unreached people group. Long ago, they were stripped of their dignity, identity and God-given purpose in life. Grave injustices have brought this entire population to a place where is no electricity or water. There are very few economic opportunities, and […]
Protect the Power of Eternal Hope
One of the most destructive lies of American chattel slavery was that “if we were good and obedient slaves, we would be greatly rewarded in heaven.” In the twenty-first century, this distortion of Scripture is morphing into something equally as insidious. This aberrant teaching has so deeply affected African American Christian consciousness that we’ve swung the […]
“To Those Who Suffer” – Meet Itohan Omolere
I had the pleasure of meeting Itohan Omolere at a recent conference in Chicago. This young woman’s elegant spoken word artistry and tender heart for the persecuted Church immediately captured both my theological and theatrical heart. As her carefully crafted words unfold stories of Christian endurance from Mosul to North Korea and places beyond, she transitions between locations with a haunting […]
“One:” Global Anti-Christian Hostility, and the Case for Action
*Editor’s Note: Some links in this article contain graphic content. I’m often asked why I prioritize the global persecuted church when there’s so much need right in our own backyard. I understand the question. Like most, I serve a local community with pressing needs and issues. How should we regard the global persecution of Christians […]
‘Step Out The Boat:’ Following the Urban Disciple Maker
In the wake of the Brown/Garner decisions, it has been revealed that numerous conversations need to take place in American Christian circles regarding culture, race, class, systemic injustice, public policy, Christian responsibility, and so forth. Of course, at the center of each of these themes we place the Gospel and its implications for each. Enter the […]
My People, My People: A Letter to the Church in America
In July 2014, I was invited to the Creating Options Together Conference by John Sather, the National Director of CRU Inner City, to give a presentation on the current condition of the global suffering church. At the conference, I was honored to share the platform with my husband Carl Ellis, Bob GreyEagle, Adam Edgerly, Sunish Abraham, Edrin […]
Visual Reasoning Series, Episode 1 – Perspectives on Justice
My husband and I produced this short, ten minute video to compare and contrast societies governed by human opinion versus societies governed by a reference point outside of ourselves. Watch the video here, then feel free to take our poll. Content ©Ellis Perspectives 2013
Endurance. 