Phil Tom accepts government position
Phil Tom, who has been the associate for small church and community ministry for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is taking a position with President Barack Obama’s administration in Washington, D.C.
The Presbyterian Outlook
Creating and curating trustworthy resources for the church, the Presbyterian Outlook connects disciples of Jesus Christ through compelling and committed conversation for the proclamation of the Gospel.
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“Priestly in love, prophetic in speaking truth to power;” Washington Office’s new director outlines plans, challenges
ARLINGTON, Va. — After about two years without a director, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)'s Washington Office is bringing on board Memphis pastor J. Herbert Nelson as director of public witness May 3.
Moscow missionaries, parishioners safe after blast
LOUISVILLE — Bob Bronkema, a Presbyterian missionary who is pastor of Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy (MPC), reports that his family and parishioners are all safe after the Russian capital was rocked by two subway bombings yesterday (March 29).
Erskine College restraining order extended; judge’s ruling expected by April 5
A South Carolina judge has given lawyers on both sides of the Erskine College lawsuit until tomorrow, March 30, to file all their briefs before he makes a ruling. Circuit Judge Eugene Griffith Jr. said at a hearing March 25 that he would rule on the case within 10 days.
Why food now comes in Biblical proportions
More tea, vicar?
Churches in Scotland concerned about human egg “auctions”
EDINBURGH (ENI) — A senior member of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland, backed by a Roman Catholic counterpart, has raised strong concerns around the practice of "auctioning" and selling human eggs for in vitro fertilization treatments.
U.S. Episcopal Church OKs second bishop in same sex partnership
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ENI/RNS) -- A lesbian priest has been confirmed as an assistant bishop in Los Angeles, making her the Episcopal Church U.S.A.'s
second openly homosexual bishop and potentially widening its breach with Anglicans overseas.
Growth issues in our church
I have spent considerable time reading many of the Outlook editorials and letters to the editors, only to wonder in disbelief if..
“How To Train Your Dragon”
Hiccup (the voice of Jay Baruchel) is a bright, skinny, sensitive little Viking lad who just doesn’t seem to fit in with the big, burly, warrior clan where his father, Stoick (the voice of Gerard Butler) is the chief.
Commentary: Officers and essentials, members and essentials, and departures from the essentials
According to our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Form of Government, a General Assembly may issue an authoritative interpretation about the meaning of our Constitution. But an amendment to the Part II of the Constitution (the Book of Order) requires a subsequent affirmative vote by a majority of the presbyteries.
Hong Kong church official praises Google on “information freedom”
HONG KONG (ENI) — A Hong Kong Roman Catholic diocesan official has praised Google's decision to stop filtering the contents in its search engine as it faces a backlash in the Chinese mainland.
Interfaith Alliance urges textbook publishers to ignore new Texas standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ABP) — A national progressive interfaith organization has written leading publishers around the country to urge them to reject changes made to standards for teaching about social studies, history, and economics in Texas.
(Un)fair or (un)balanced? Committee’s Middle East peace report criticized
Not surprisingly, responses have begun to roll in to the report of the General Assembly Study Committee on the Middle East – with some critics contending that the report is biased and predicting it will ignite anew tensions between Presbyterians and Jews.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days gathering calls for justice for immigrants, refugees, displaced people
Editor’s Note: See also the NCC report on the opening of the Ecumenical Advocacy Days event elsewhere on this Web site.
Rending the veil
The veil of the temple was rent in twain … . That gospel verse captured my imagination while worshiping in Elim Bible Institute’s Maundy Thursday chapel service in 1974. As it crossed my mind, the whole biblical narrative flashed before my eyes.
Do churches need “members?”
As faith communities venture into a new era, they face rethinking "membership."
Reveling and revealing
Much of pop culture both astonishes and appalls me. But perhaps nothing does that more than the run-amok habit of celebrities to reveal their bad decisions, transgressions, and destructive impulses to the whole world. And worse than just revealing, they revel.
Who needs the Presbyterian Church?
Recently, I sat in a pastor’s office and asked this question: “Why is it important to have a Presbyterian Church in this community?”
What is your church doing about gambling?
Gambling is a pervasive part of our culture in every state of the union.
Middle East study report: 30 recommendations, tons of fallout
LOUISVILLE. A General Assembly Middle East study group approved in January recommendations that include asking that the two years from 2010 to 2012 be “a time of Presbyterian prayer and action for the Middle East.”
You say “emergent” and I say “emergence”
Words matter. Perhaps that’s why we spend so much time arguing over them, debating them, and, at some point, attempting to concretize them.
Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches
University of California Press, 2009. Hb., 360 pp. $26.95.
Social witness smorgasbord on menu for July General Assembly
louisville (PNS)
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy worked feverishly at its late January meeting on a half-dozen reports it is preparing for the upcoming 219th General Assembly later this year in Minneapolis.
Bars, not church, best place to meet friends, says survey
(RNS) Starbucks, Chili’s, and bars are better places than church to meet new friends, according to a new survey.
Vatican official calls for “ecumenical catechism”
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A senior Vatican official has called for “an ecumenical catechism” setting forth the common beliefs of the Catholic and major Protestant churches.