The Presbyterian Outlook, Author at The Presbyterian Outlook

Incarnations of Christian community — October 21, 2019

October 22, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Disciples of Jesus Christ are called to live in ways that reflect the character of the One they follow. We are given the gift of community. We are to gather to worship, learn and be shaped for service. But what does that kind of incarnational community look like? How does transformation happen in ways that bear fruit? This issue of the Outlook tells stories of how incarnations of Christian community take shape. God's shaping of those communities is ongoing and not easy, but always infused with the power of the Spirit. Click here to read the issue in the Uberflip reader. Welcome to Bar Church In Seattle, people gather for spiritual conversation and connection in places that aren’t churches. Leslie Scanlon reports. Creating together at Coastland Commons A new worshipping community explores the role of creativity in worship. Leslie Scanlon reports. An agnostic’s guide to moral persuasion George Anderson identifies three areas to help strengthen pastors of politically diverse … [Read more...]

Tagged With: Christian community

Women in ministry through the lens of former co-moderators (who are women in ministry)

October 22, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

As we were leaving our roles as the first co-moderators of the General Assembly (2016-2018), our roles also changed in terms of our ministry contexts. Denise shifted from serving as pastor of Unity Presbyterian Church in Temple Hills, Maryland, to serving the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) as coordinator for racial and intercultural justice. Jan shifted from serving as associate executive presbyter of Chicago Presbytery to general presbyter of Charlotte Presbytery in North Carolina. It’s not unusual for former moderators to move to a new call after their term ends with the General Assembly. In fact, there are very few former moderators who have stayed in the positions they were serving on the day they were elected. We were very visible not only because we were the first co-moderators, but also because it was the first time that the moderator’s microphone at General Assembly was shared by two women. And this was especially notable because 2016 marked the 50th anniversary of … [Read more...]

Tagged With: women in ministry

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

October 21, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Ann Voskamp Zondervan, 240 pages I was gifted the book “One Thousand Gifts,” which made its way into my vacation reading this summer. A thought-provoking read, it invites the reader to experience a life of joy. The book offers a unique perspective on gratitude as Ann Voskamp presents a practical guide to living a life of joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama and daily duties in poetic form. The book invites its readers to awaken to God’s everyday blessings as well as God’s “all-pervasive grace.” Voskamp writes from her personal journey on farming, parenting and writing. However, before she arrives at this part of her journey, she reflects on the brevity of her first name “without the flourish of an e” and its meaning – full of grace. Following the accidental death of her younger sister, she struggles with what it means to live full of grace, or to “live fully alive.” Voskamp found in the innocence of her early childhood days that she was more open to the gifts of God. … [Read more...]

The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong

October 17, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Karen Gonzalez Herald Press, 200 pages Reviewed by Neil Craigan Immigration is one of the hot-button issues in the current political landscape of the United States. It is an issue that is impossible to ignore and on which everybody seems to have an opinion. What is often missing in these largely partisan debates is the recognition of the full humanity of the immigrants. In “The God Who Sees,” Karen Gonzalez reminds us that “immigrant stories always matter, because immigrants are image-bearers of God.” In this book the reader will encounter stories, not policy — but those stories will challenge the way we think about immigrants and immigration. Throughout the book Gonzalez takes on the challenges of biblical exposition, autobiography and advocacy. Gonzalez invites the reader to step into the stories of several biblical immigrants: Naomi and Ruth, Abraham, Hagar, Joseph, the Syrophoenician Woman and the Holy Family. Examining the challenges faced by these immigrants, she uses … [Read more...]

Tagged With: immigration

The place and status of women

October 16, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: As we mark our 200th anniversary, we look back at the Outlook's coverage of issues in the church that are still relevant today. This article was published in March of 1953 and presents a Reformed theological discussion of the role of women in ministry. In order to give us perspective on the present, it helps to look back and get a sense of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. This article is reprinted just as readers in 1953 would have experienced it, advertisements and snippets from other articles included. MARCH 16, 1953 IN MANY WAYS the position of the Reformed churches regarding women is similar to the positions of other churches. In a word, that similarity consists, on the one hand, in a traditional discrimination against women who, for various reasons, are regarded as subject to male leadership and authority; and on the other hand, in a modern movement toward emancipation and equality which in our time has seen the growth of numerous women's … [Read more...]

Tagged With: women in ministry

Responses to domestic violence in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

October 15, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

“Don’t walk alone at night.” “Always carry pepper spray.” “Never leave your drink unattended at a party.” “When walking alone in a parking garage, always put your keys between your fingers.” Most females have heard these recommendations at some point. They are the sacred conversations that happen from woman to girl — words of wisdom and warning. Grandmothers and mothers continue this oral tradition from generation to generation. The terminology and situation change over time. Now the conversation includes: “Never meet a man you met online in a private place.” The sentiments remain: Stay safe. Girls are taught this wisdom literature at a young age for survival, but why is the responsibility of safety only taught to girls? “Why aren’t we telling boys: ‘Don’t do these things’?” asks Rabbi Laura Metzger. A self-described “rabbi without walls,” she serves in a variety of settings in Louisville, Kentucky. Metzger recognizes men must be informed, too. Many of these warnings … [Read more...]

Tagged With: #MeToo • women in ministry