WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (PNS) — The Rev. Denise Anderson noticed something about the infamous news footage of white nationalist marchers in Charlottesville, Virginia in the Summer of 2017: Most of them were young. While a lot of the talk about racism in the United States focuses on events decades and even centuries ago, events such as Charlottesville and the 21-year-old man who shot and killed nine black people in a Charleston, South Carolina church in 2015 reminds us that racism is not dying out. “People you see perpetuating racist ideas and forms of abuse are so often young,” said Anderson, coordinator for Racial and Intercultural Justice for the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “People are being recruited into white nationalist groups at young ages, so if the church does not offer a contradictory voice, we have no hope for the eradication of racism.” Anderson was talking after a hopeful event: Her discussion “What is a Racist? Unlearning what we think we already know” at … [Read more...]
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Book Reviews 6 hours ago
Threshold of Discovery: A Field Guide to Spirituality in Midlife
L. Roger Owens Church Publishing, 200 pages Reviewed by Teri McDowell Ott With his 40th birthday just two months away, L. Roger Owens wondered aloud with his spiritual director, Sister Anna, if he might be entering a dark night of the soul. Sister Anna responded, “It sounds less to me to like a dark night, and more like a threshold of discovery.” Sister Anna’s words struck Owens, leading him to search for God in a new, intentional way. He decides to take 40 walks the year after he turns 40.… continue reading... -
Outpost Blog 6 hours ago
I’ve forgotten how to read for fun
When I was a kid, reading was my hobby. Other kids played soccer or did gymnastics or participated in Scouts. While I dabbled in a few of these activities, what I loved most was to read. Historical fiction was a particular favorite, whether it was American Girl doll books or The Magic Treehouse series. Filling out a summer reading list was a thrill — even if my sister always had more books listed than I did. (Though that school year reading log? Not nearly as fun.) Then, I became an… continue reading... -
Book Reviews 1 day ago
Summer books: Briefly noted
In This World of Wonders Nicholas Wolterstorff Eerdmans, 334 pages This memoir is a series of vignettes, stories and remembrances of a life well lived by a beloved teacher, philosopher and advocate for justice. Holding Faith Cynthia L. Rigby Abingdon, 408 pages The author has an uncanny ability to make theology appealing to a wide range of audiences. This could easily be the go-to introduction to theology that many congregation members, pastors, students and teachers need right now. The Source of Self-Regard Toni Morrison Knopf, 368 pages A feast of… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized85 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews61 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews71 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
U.S. Supreme Court denies petition to hear Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) case June 3, 2019 Outlook Reporting1 comment The United States Supreme Court has denied a petition for a stay in a defamation case involving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which means the case – brought by Eric Hoey, formerly the PC(USA)’s director of evangelism and church growth – will proceed in state court in Kentucky.
The PC(USA) had petitioned to the nation’s highest court for a stay of a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling because it’s trying to prevent Hoey’s attorney from proceeding with discovery in the case, which potentially could requ...
Court of Appeals upholds dismissal of defamation lawsuit following the 1001 New Worshipping Communities investigation August 1, 2017 Outlook Reporting1 comment A Kentucky Court of Appeals panel has upheld a state court ruling dismissing the defamation lawsuit that Roger Dermody brought against the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
In a July 28 decision, a three-judge appeals court ruled that the lower court was correct to apply the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, saying that not to do so would involve “excessive government entanglement into an ecclesiastical controversy.”
The three-judge panel upheld a 2015 summary judgment by Jefferson Circuit Judge Judith McDonald-Bu...
Philip Lotspeich responds to 1001 announcement June 2, 2015 Outlook Reporting1 comment On June 1, Marilyn Gamm, chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, announced during a news conference that four Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) employees who were involved in an investigation of the 1001 New Worshipping Communities program no longer worked for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s national staff. Gamm declined to say whether the employees resigned or were fired or whether something else had happened, describing that as a “private personnel matter.”
On June 2, one of those employees, Philip Lotspeich, released a public statement expressing his views about what has happened. Lotspeich a teac...
Can this Triennium’s generation be the one to end racism?
5 faith facts about the moon landing: Space Communion and a prayer league of its own
(RNS) — Where humans go, faith seems to follow. It’s no less true of NASA’s first manned mission to land on the moon, when astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins made their way farther into the heavens than anyone had gone before. Here are five faith facts about the moon landing, which half a century later still inspires awe and wonder in people of all faiths and no faith. 1. Aldrin took Communion aboard the Eagle lunar lander. When Aldrin first floated the idea of celebrating Communion during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, NASA administrators responded with skepticism. The agency had already fended off a lawsuit filed after astronauts broadcast themselves reading from the Book of Genesis during the Apollo 8 mission, which atheist activist Madalyn Murray O’Hair derided as a violation of the separation of church and state. (Her case was ultimately dismissed.) But Aldrin, who would later describe the mission as “part of God’s eternal plan for … [Read more...]
Threshold of Discovery: A Field Guide to Spirituality in Midlife
L. Roger Owens Church Publishing, 200 pages Reviewed by Teri McDowell Ott With his 40th birthday just two months away, L. Roger Owens wondered aloud with his spiritual director, Sister Anna, if he might be entering a dark night of the soul. Sister Anna responded, “It sounds less to me to like a dark night, and more like a threshold of discovery.” Sister Anna’s words struck Owens, leading him to search for God in a new, intentional way. He decides to take 40 walks the year after he turns 40. Suspecting that staying close to home would be key to discovering a spirituality for midlife, Owens’ walks don’t take him anywhere new or exotic, but rather to his local nature preserve three miles from his home outside of Pittsburgh. Likewise, I too sought out a spiritual director in my 40s, seeking to feel God’s presence like I had in my younger years. Owens’ journey, then, feels familiar and his Merton-esque style of writing led me to contemplate my own life and faith. Owens, who … [Read more...]
I’ve forgotten how to read for fun
When I was a kid, reading was my hobby. Other kids played soccer or did gymnastics or participated in Scouts. While I dabbled in a few of these activities, what I loved most was to read. Historical fiction was a particular favorite, whether it was American Girl doll books or The Magic Treehouse series. Filling out a summer reading list was a thrill — even if my sister always had more books listed than I did. (Though that school year reading log? Not nearly as fun.) Then, I became an adult. Books for classes replaced novels during college. The Washington Post Express replaced those college texts during my commute home when I worked in Washington, D.C., after graduating. Books on theology and leadership and the Bible replaced that newspaper when I transitioned to seminary (well, at least until the 2016 election, when I resumed reading the Post). Reading always served a particular function, and it was rarely for “fun.” As I was actively interviewing for my first call, I came up with … [Read more...]
Triennium preacher: Like Zacchaeus, youth are called to climb down and dine with Jesus — and invite others
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana — Like Zacchaeus, many youth “live in a world where we are concerned about how others see us,” said Chicago pastor Sandra Van Optstal during a Wednesday sermon that highlighted a lively and earnest afternoon worship service at Presbyterian Youth Triennium. “People saw Zacchaeus as someone who was not gospel material. He had everything he needed, and it’s not likely he will would turn that around.” And just as Zacchaeus internalized who he was and the tax-collecting work he did, today’s high school students often feel under the same pressure, she said. Her own family’s expectations back in the day weren’t nearly what many of today’s students face. Van Opstal said she had three low bars to clear in those days: “get good grades, don’t do drugs and try not to get pregnant. That’s it. If I did it, then people said, ‘Hallelujah!’” “The pressure, the pace and the anxiety you all feel is something I don’t understand at all,” Van Opstal told the 4,000 people in … [Read more...]
Interim leadership announced for World Mission
LOUISVILLE (PNS) — Sara Lisherness, the current director of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministry, will serve as the interim director for World Mission, effective Aug. 16, 2019. “Sara’s deep faith and passion for ministry makes her the ideal person to serve in this time of transition,” said the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, executive director and president of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “With her Peacemaking Program experience and 12 years’ leadership in Compassion, Peace & Justice, she possesses the gifts necessary to lead World Mission during this season of change.” Since this past fall, World Mission has been working through a strategic planning process through consultations around the world. Under the leadership of the Rev. José Luis Casal, who is retiring effective Aug. 15, 2019, World Mission staff have gathered information and feedback during these consultations. According to Moffett, “It’s time now to pause, take a breath and reflect on what we’ve learned and … [Read more...]
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