Crittenden named stewardship leader
LOUISVILLE — David Crittenden, of Indianapolis, Ind., has been chosen to lead a new stewardship ministry for the General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC). He will begin service on January 3, 2011.
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Druids get official OK in Britain
LONDON (RNS) — Druidry, the pagan worship that has been practiced on these shores for thousands of years, on Oct. 1 gained recognition by the British government as an official religion after a four-year legal battle.
Members named to Middle Governing Bodies Comm.
LOUISVILLE — Cynthia Bolbach, moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), have announced the names of the 21 members of the General Assembly Commission on Middle Governing Bodies.
Independent panel names six physical, sexual abusers of missionary children
An Independent Abuse Review Panel investigating sexual and physical abuse involving the children of Presbyterian missionaries serving in Africa and Asia has publicly named six people that it determined had abused children.
Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years
Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years- by Philip Jenkins
HarperOne, 2010. vii+317 pp. ISBN 978-0-06-176894-1
reviewed by Rebecca Harden Weaver
In A Brief Statement of Faith (Book of Confessions 10.2) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we make an astonishing claim: “We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God.”
A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice
A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice- by Everett L. Worthington Jr.
Downer's Grove, Ill., IVP Books
reviewed by Dan McCoig
Worthington’s title is worth noting: A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy- by Eric Metaxas
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 591 pages, $29.99
reviewed by Cynthia Bolbach
Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee.
Against the Tide: Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities
Against the Tide: Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities- by Miroslav Volf
Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
reviewed by Henry G. Brinton
In 1969, feminist Carol Hanisch popularized the phrase “the personal is political.”
The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder
The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder- by William P. Brown
Oxford University Press, January, 2010. 352 pages, $29.95.
reviewed by D. Mark Davis
Bill Brown’s latest book strikes me as an invitation; specifically, an invitation to persons of Biblical faith and to persons devoted to science to communicate with one another as what he calls “cohorts of wonder.”
After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters
After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters- by N.T. Wright New York: HarperOne, 2010. 307 pages.
reviewed by James Cubie
We know why
Time to break through denial.
Films in review: “Due Date” and “Inside Job”
“Due Date” is the “road movie” that takes a lot of left turns. It’s one of those “Odd Couple” arrangements, where Robert Downey Jr., plays the uptight, wound-up, fussbudget, and Zach Galifianakis plays the free spirit — ditzy, discombobulated, disheveled and somehow they wind up in a car together, traveling across the country.
Film in review: “Morning Glory”
“Morning Glory” is the kind of “chick flick” that is relatively safe for guys: the males are still secondary, but not insignificant. And though not intended as any kind of parable about church --- religion is never even mentioned --- it feels like many of the same dynamics, anyway.
Haney’s concluding report from Cape Town
Richmond pastor, Richard Haney, reflects on what was and wasn't a part of the recent Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. If you missed his earlier reports from Cape Town, they are also available as Outlook blogs. Click here to read the full article.
Cape Town conclusions
Two weeks ago the Cape Town Congress on World Evangelization concluded and I arrived back home in Richmond, Va. Jet lag finally..
Same-gender marriage in ancient Rome
In a previous Outlook blog (“A Progressive Myth,” 10/4/10), I presented evidence that, contrary to claims by progressives in the sexuality debate,..
Covenant Network conference considers “Celebrating the Whole Household of God”
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians annual conference November 4-6, 2010 in Houston, Texas, became a family reunion of sorts as more than 200 people gathered to explore further the network's goal of working "toward a church as generous and just as God's grace."
Lindner, Small challenge MGB commission to find new “patterns of mutuality”
BALTIMORE – What is the future in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) of presbyteries and synods?
Byers retiring as executive director of Covenant Network
Pamela Byers, who has served as executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians since it was founded in 1997, has announced that she will retire next summer.
COGA writes off $315,000 in ‘uncollectible’ per capita
McLaren radio discussion available
God Complex Radio has put up a discussion with Emergent Church author and consultant Brian McLaren at last summer's Church Unbound Conference..
Film in review: “Pure Country 2: The Gift”
“Pure Country 2: The Gift” is pure cornpone. At times it’s so awkward it’s embarrassing; at other times it feels like a two-hour country music video. But at its core it’s heartfelt, family-friendly, and religious, which couldn’t be all bad.
Hearing God in the angry voices
“Let him alone and let him curse, for God has told him to.” - 2 Samuel 16:11. Rare is the person who..
Film in review: “Hereafter”
“Hereafter” promises a glimpse into the afterlife, but is strangely devoid of any kind of reference to any religion, including Christianity. So don’t expect any faith statements of any kind, other than some amorphous sort of ill-defined assumption that is a lot closer to the Biblical Sheol than anything resembling the heaven of the New Testament.
Presbyterians and Politics
Today would be a good day to try your hand at a crossword puzzle, "Presbyterians and Politics."