Eric Folkerth is a minister, musician, author and blogger.
He is Senior Pastor of Kessler Park UMC United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Previously, he was pastor at Northaven UMC in Dallas for seventeen years.
Eric loves to write on topics of spirituality, social justice, music/art and politics. The entries on this blog reflect that diversity of interests.
His passion for social justice goes beyond mere words. Eric was arrested at the White House, defending immigrants and “The Dreamers;” and he’s officiated at same sex weddings.
Eric was the 2017 recipient of the prestigeous Kuchling Humanitarian Award from Dallas’ Black Tie Dinner. (Human Rights Campaign)
Eric has led or co-led hundreds of persons on mission trips to build houses and bring medical care around the globe, to places such as Mexico, Haiti, Russia, Guatemala, and Nepal. He is proud of have shephereded Highland Park UMC's construction of ten Habitat for Humanity homes, (and one Community Center) and helped forge an alliance with Habitat that led to the construction of 100 homes in Dallas, housing thousands of people.
His wife, Justice Dennise Garcia, has 20 years experience as a state district judge and appelate justice in North Texas.
First elected in 2004, she was the first Latina ever elected to a Dallas County state district bench, and she she left that position whe was the longest currently serving district judge.
In 2020 Dennise Garcia was a elected as a Justice of the 5th District Court of Appeals for Texas. She is currently running to be Chief of the 5th District Court of Appeals in the 2024 cycle.
They have the world’s best daughter, Maria, who is a practicing professional counselor in Dallas.
Find links to Eric’s music-related websites, at the top of this site’s navigation menu.
As many of you will know, Dr. Bill McElvaney died earlier today. I will most definitely have much more to say about Bill in the coming days and weeks. But, for now, I am remembering a great night at the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus Awards Event in 2013. Bill got the award that night, and I […]
Here they go again. A group of “Creation Scientists” are back in the news with their goal of proving the literal truth of the Biblical creation story. What they’re trying to do is not “news,” of course. It’s a decades old struggle of a fundamentalist, literalist faith against the truth of science. From the story: […]
Ferguson is a mess. If journalists can be arrested for no reason whatsoever, (hauled out of a McDonald’s, with their press credentials clearly visible) just imagine how average citizens of Ferguson are being treated. Mistrust is at the heart of all that is happening there. Police are unwilling to answer even the most basic questions […]
Originally posted on CrossRoads Faith and Film: Although the genesis and perhaps lion’s share of credit for the power in this inspiring scene from “Dead Poets Society” belongs with screenwriter Tom Schulman, it is the understated yet determined passion in Robin Williams’s delivery that carries the power and meaning of the words through the mind…
To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” — Charlie Chaplin That quote has been a favorite of mine for many years. It’s never felt more achingly true than tonight, as I sit here processing the death of Robin Williams. How painful and beautiful to read the spontaneous […]
“Those crazy Christians, go and jump on some airplane And fly to Africa or Haiti, risk their lives in Jesus’ name…” –Brad Paisley Dear Ann Coulter, I hesitated before writing this open letter to you. I’m writing about your column about Dr. Kent Brantly titled, “EBOLA DOC’S CONDITION DOWNGRADED TO ‘IDIOTIC’” But you get so […]
There an old adage you’ve heard before that goes, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Lots of people attribute this to Harry Truman. Others attribute it to Ronald Reagan. Still others, Albert Einstein. Like many aphorisms, the real answer is likely “none of the above.” […]
Several folks have been curious about the actual charge against those of us who were arrested at the White House on Thursday. I won’t quote the technical language of the statute, but it boils down to standing in front of the White House, holding a sign, and not moving when asked. In a nutshell, we […]
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