Christmas past
I live in a faith-based CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). I came here first to an independent living apartment. When needed, I..
The Presbyterian Outlook
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Pa. pastor Frank Schaefer won’t quit voluntarily
(RNS) The Rev. Frank Schaefer said Monday (Dec. 16) he would refuse to surrender his clergy credentials voluntarily and continue to perform..
Learning by doing, doing by learning: Committee on Theological Education embraces young leaders
In 2008, 25-year-old seminarian Kathy Wolf Reed was the youngest person to become an elected member of the Committee on Theological Education..
PC(USA) ordination examinations: The need for clarity and alternatives
Luke 2:1-20: A poem for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
Perhaps they thought it was the Feds who’d come for them! Somehow, the N.S.A. had tracked, and would condemn Those dirty shepherds,..
And then there were 172: Presbyteries of Alaska and North Puget Sound merge
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The Synod of Alaska-Northwest has voted unanimously to merge the Presbyteries of Alaska and North Puget Sound (NPSP). The merger..
Film in review – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
Unity with difference: Same-gender marriage discussions
The 2012 General Assembly came stunningly close to taking a bold and controversial step – rejecting by just a 52-48 percent margin..
Moral Mondays: North Carolina civil disobedience movement recalls, reaffirms Mandela’s legacy
Members of Salem and New Hope presbyteries gathered on Moral Monday. From left to right: Alice Geils Nord, Bernie Nord, Bob Brizendine..
YAV program expands to six new sites
LOUISVILLE (PNS) The Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has announced that it is adding six new service sites..
Book review – Fathers in Faith: Reflections on Parenthood and a Christian Life
Allan Hugh Cole Jr., editor Cascade Books, Eugene, Ore. 98 pages. Fatherhood seems to have fallen on hard times, which has ironically..
Time names Pope Francis its Person of the Year
ROME (RNS) Pope Francis was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year on Wednesday (Dec. 11), adding yet another high-profile accolade to..
At National Cathedral, a vigil for victims of gun violence
(RNS) The crowd hushed, the lights dimmed and the National Cathedral’s bourdon bell chimed for three minutes — each minute to commemorate..
Small steps toward unity with difference
Christians today should not live in the fantasy that they know more about the faith than those who came before them –..
Church Realignment and the Search for ‘Greener Grass’ (blog)
This post originally appreared on Juicy Ecumenism, a blog from the Institute on Religion and Democracy. It is reposted here with permission...
Unity with difference: Theologians dig in
Knowing that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is about to confront once again the question of whether Presbyterian ministers should perform same-gender marriages..
The radio preacher, the atheist blogger, and me
I have two colleagues who constantly irritate me but have taught me volumes about how to speak about faith. I seek them..
Whitworth awarded $1 million from Lilly Endowment: Grant will fund initiatives to connect school, congregations
SPOKANE, WASH (PNS) Whitworth University has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to fund a new comprehensive church engagement..
A million for mission: A second $1 million gift will fund the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s domestic ministries
LOUISVILLE (PNS) As the year winds to a close, the Presbyterian Mission Agency has received its second $1 million anonymous gift in..
Membership define: Burgess urges church to recast membership as baptismal covenant
PRINCETON, N.J. (PNS) With the idea of membership meaning less and less in American culture and its churches, the Rev. John Burgess..
How much of Christ can we stand in Christmas? (commentary)
(RNS) Midway through the dash from Thanksgiving Day to Gift-giving Day, it’s time for the annual quandary: “How much of Christ can we..
Moving things around
My congregation may or may not help to create one of the “1001 New Worshiping Communities” the PC(USA) is promoting, but just..
Anchoring-Tethering: What Neal Presa thinks is coming and becoming in theological education
I welcome and thank Neal D. Presa, Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012-2014) as a guest blogger in an Advent series answering the..
Call and response ecclesiology: Joe Small says how we think about Christ is how we think about the church
PRINCETON, N.J. (PNS) God’s Word sounds in the midst of a cacophony of other voices ― cultural, political and religious ― making..
Targeted by Assassins: Women, Children, Families of Honduras
21 year old student Lenin Bladimir Dubon; 61 year old Tolupan activist Maria Enriqueta Matute; 23 year old farmer Melvin Amaya; And,..