’Tis the season
Merry Christmas from all your friends at The Presbyterian Outlook!
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.
More Stories from this Author
Ultimately, it’s all about mission
There’s nothing like a comprehensive tour of Vatican City for remembering why we’re a reformation church. A pause of just 60 seconds at each priceless artifact, our guide told us, would add up to 12 years viewing the museum alone.
The Theology of John Calvin
by Charles Partee. WJKP, 2008. Hb., 365 pp. $49.95.
Jesus in a Jewish context
It is with some trepidation I write in response to Bill Tammeus’ article on anti-Semitism in Presbyterian preaching (Outlook August 3, 2009).
Mary
Perhaps more than any other figure in Scripture, Mary has held the expectations and norms of humanity with a complicated tenacity.
Advent 2009
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
The dawn from on high will break upon us … to guide us in the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79).
Christmas Dinner
So how will you spend Christmas afternoon? The one thing I don’t miss now that I’m no longer serving as a congregation’s pastor, is the way I used to spend Christmas afternoons.
Lesslie Newbigin centennial celebrated
GENEVA (ENI) — The life of Bishop Lesslie Newbigin, an English Presbyterian instrumental in the creation of the united Church of South India and who played a key role in the World Council of Churches, is being commemorated 100 years after his birth.
Christmas dinner
So how will you spend Christmas afternoon? The one thing I don’t miss now that I’m no longer serving as a congregation’s pastor, is the way I used to spend Christmas afternoons.
Ministers and members need to “measure up”
Measuring outcomes needn’t be any more difficult for a church than for, say, a corporation.
Worship attendance, faith, and leadership
Statistics published by Research Services of the General Assembly Council in 2006 confirm what most of us already suspected.
A Hymn for the Third Sunday of Advent: John Went Out to Preach God’s Word
John Went Out to Preach God’s Word
A Hymn for the Third Sunday of Advent
Year C – December 13, 2009
10 minutes with …Stanley Hauerwas
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) Remember that book How to Win Friends and Influence People? Let’s just say that Duke University ethicist Stanley Hauerwas has been hugely influential, but that doesn’t mean his salty tongue has made him a lot of friends along the way.
What was Norman Rockwell thinking?
As the double holidays surround us, the woe language in our country rises to a new level.
Tom Taylor to head Presbyterian Foundation
Tom Taylor, deputy executive director for mission for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been named the new president and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Foundation.
10 minutes with …Stanley Hauerwas
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) Remember that book How to Win Friends and Influence People? Let’s just say that Duke University ethicist Stanley Hauerwas has been hugely influential, but that doesn’t mean his salty tongue has made him a lot of friends along the way.
Room in the Inn for sure: blog reflections on letters to the editor
As the writer of a weekly editorial, I often can predict which editorials will generate a flurry of damning letters to the..
Film in review: “The Road”
The Pulitzer-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy is now faithfully converted to the big screen. The problem is, it’s just as successful as the book in being really depressing.
No reinstatement of priest suspended for ecumenical Communion
(ENI) — A Roman Catholic theologian suspended as a priest after conducting a Communion service at a Protestant church in Berlin says attempts to be reinstated have been unsuccessful and that he sees no basis for dialogue with his bishop.
Room in the inn
Many a story, many a poem, many a carol has been written about the experience of Mary and Joseph finding “no room in the inn.” For them it was no mere sentimentality that they had to eat, sleep and give birth in a smelly stable-cave. And that happened in their family’s hometown.
Mission trips: Feel-good visit, or life-transforming experience?
When congregations or presbyteries send people on short-term mission trips, “we want this to be a transformation experience for every participant,” Donald Dawson says. “Of course, we want it to last. We don’t want it to be a high, and three weeks later we’re back and it’s over. That happens too often.”
Immigration forum: Loving neighbors, even undocumented?
It is estimated that approximately 12 million undocumented people reside in the United States and another estimated 300,000 come each year, according to materials from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Immigration Issues.
Immigration forum: Loving neighbors, even undocumented?
It is estimated that approximately 12 million undocumented people reside in the United States and another estimated 300,000 come each year, according to materials from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Immigration Issues.
When pastors’ silent suffering turns tragic
c. 2009 Religion News Service
HICKORY, N.C. (RNS) What kind of personal pain would cause a 42-year-old pastor to abandon his family, his calling, and even life itself? Members of a Baptist church here are asking that question after their pastor committed suicide in his parked car in September.
Calvin anniversary organizers say events challenged “caricature”
GENEVA, October 22 (ENI) — Organizers of a year of celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of 16th-century Protestant reformer John Calvin say they hope the events will mark a new interest in the relevance of his legacy to issues such as economic justice.