ST. LOUIS (OGA) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, issued a statement  from the denomination’s 223rd General Assembly condemning the Trump administration’s new policy of separating young children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. “What has this nation become?” Nelson queried. “How have we wandered so far from Jesus’ kind admonition, “‘Let the little children come to me…’” He also criticized the Justice Department’s stated use of separate detention of parents and their children as a “deterrant” to immigration and accused the administration of selective use of scripture, saying the citing of Romans 13:1 to obey the law (presumably whatever the law says), while ignoring the higher scriptural demand that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10) is a blatant misuse of the biblical message. The full text of Nelson’s statement, dated June 16, 2018: As Presbyterians gather for the meeting of our 223rd … [Read more...]

(OGA) The Hispanic/Latinx National Presbyterian Caucus and the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, General Assembly Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U,S.A.) have issued a statement in response to President Trump’s comments earlier this week referring to certain immigrants as “animals.” The complete text of the statement, issued May 18: Joint Statement from the Hispanic/Latinx National Presbyterian Caucus and the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), along with the rest of the United States, continues to experience the tearing apart of our social fabric by a president who insists on using inflammatory and divisive language about immigrants in this country. Faithful Presbyterians believe humans are created in God's very own image, and each should be afforded equal respect and dignity. Calling certain immigrants to the U.S. “animals” demonstrates yet again President Donald Trump’s xenophobia. The fact that President Trump defended his … [Read more...]

(OGA) Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, J. Herbert Nelson, II, issued a statement today condemning President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, citing that containment of Iran’s nuclear program has been “severely jeopardized.” Lifting up the foundational importance of peacemaking to the Christian Gospel, Nelson expressed the importance of treaties as a pathway to peace, despite their imperfections. Nelson wrote, “While no international treaty is perfect, interim agreements such as this are essential to guiding the nations of the world toward peace rather than war.” Noting concern for the withdrawal’s impact on the United States’ relationship with the agreement’s other signing nations, Nelson urged Congress to, “use their good offices to move the administration back into this partnership …” The full text of Nelson’s statement: Peacemaking is at the heart of the Christian Gospel, and it is intended … [Read more...]

(OGA) – The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has joined an interfaith amicus brief opposing the Trump Administration’s third executive order, which deals with restricting travel to the United States. The brief—in the case of Trump v. State of Hawaii—was filed at the U.S. Supreme Court on March 30. The case, originally filed in the Ninth Circuit by the State of Hawaii; Ismail Elshikh, Ph.D.; two John Doe individuals, and the Muslim Association of Hawaii, sought an injunction to stop the Federal government from implementing the third of the executive orders issued in 2017 restricting travel to the U.S. The court agreed with the plaintiffs and stopped the government from implementing its travel ban on October 20, 2017. The third travel ban, which is the subject of the court’s ruling in this case, indefinitely suspended the entry of nationals from seven countries, and restricted certain types of visas for … [Read more...]

(OGA) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II has signed an amicus curiae brief in a suit filed in the Northern District of  California to enjoin the federal government from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The plaintiffs in the case are the University of California, the States of Maine, Maryland and Minnesota, the City of San Jose, CA, the County of Santa Clara, CA, the Service Employees International Union Local 521 and individual DACA recipients, Dulce Garcia, Miriam Gonzalez Avila, Saul Jiminez Suarez, Viridiana Chabolla Mendoza, Norma Ramirez and Jirayut Latthivongskorn. The court granted them a temporary injunction which stopped the government from ending DACA, finding that the plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm if DACA should end, and that there was a public interest in keeping DACA. The court ordered the government to maintain the DACA program on a nationwide basis under the same conditions as … [Read more...]