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Reprinted with permission from Presbyterians Today, 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, Ky. 40202-1396. This article originally appeared in the December 2005 edition of PT. Subscription information is available at 1-800-558-1669.
During my theological education and early in my pastoral ministry, “multiculturalism” and “diversity within unity” were fashionable issues in seminaries and some church denominations. Then, some of the same church leaders and congregants who had made a public point to develop cross-cultural sensitivity among Christians turned their attention to developing “contemporary worship.”
There are three reasons for revising the language of G-6.0106b. First, the warrants adduced in the current version are flawed. Second, the requirement that an entire category of persons must take a vow of celibacy as a condition of living a Christian life (and thus qualified for leadership) denies a basic tenet of the Reformation heritage. Third, the ethical question regarding the morality of homosexuality cannot be decided merely by exegesis of the Bible.
This essay is adapted from a lecture presented at the 2008 Gathering of the Presbyterian Coalition, and adapted with permission from a workshop presentation at the Presbyterian Coalition Gathering, October, 2008, in Newport Beach, Calif. It was published in Theology Matters, Vol. 14, No. 5, Nov/Dec 2008. It is reprinted here with permission from each organization/publication.
Hey You –
Close to real skin color David —
What slingshot will you use to fight our ailments?
Bethany R. Furkin, a recent honors graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, has been named a reporter for the Presbyterian News Service. She begins work Feb. 2.
(ENI-ALC)--The founders of the Reborn in Christ Church (Renascer) have said they were dismayed and saddened by the deaths of nine people in one of the denomination's churches after a roof collapsed in Brazil’s largest city.
(ENI)--On the third day of an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza, Palestinians were only beginning to realize the scope of their losses from a three-week Israeli onslaught, said the director of the Anglican Al Ahli Arab Hospital.
The media have been full of stories and commentaries on the water landing of a US Airways passenger jet that resulted in no fatalities, and few serious injuries. Often, almost too often, the outcome of this potential mass tragedy has been proclaimed to be a miracle. One commentator said that the happy ending was the result of a series of small miracles.
(ENI) -- Roman Catholic monks in Bosnia-Herzegovina have resumed production of a world-famous cheese after they were forced to stop by the Balkans war in the mid-1990s.
"Our numbers fell and we were forced to cut back — and in 1996, we stopped making it completely when the last brother who knew the recipe died," explained Zvonko Topic, one of two surviving Trappist monks at the Marija Zvijezda, or Mary Star, monastery near Banja Luka. "But we've now decided to bring it back to consumers here, and we'll be opening a small shop soon for tourists and visitors."
(ENI)--The All Africa Conference of Churches is calling for global prayers for Zimbabwe on January 25, while reiterating the crisis in the southern African country stems from dishonest leadership.
LOUISVILLE — An early morning fire in sub-zero weather destroyed historic Portland Avenue Church in western Louisville today (Jan. 16).
Two primary authors of “A Social Creed for the 21st Century” have sent an open letter to President-elect Obama advocating the social policies outlined in the creed.
LOUISVILLE — A hardy band of about 75 Presbyterian Center employees and others from around town braved near-zero temperatures today (Jan. 15) for a “Justice Walk” to commemorate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
(ENI) — Churches and associated groups around the globe have mobilized to send aid and assistance to those affected by Israeli attacks on Gaza and to lobby their governments for a cease-fire in the tiny territory where 1.5 million Palestinians live.
(ENI)--The synod of a South African church that has breached membership lines once demarcated by color under apartheid, has been unable to endorse the singing of hymns during church services. It has postponed a decision until 2012 — almost 10 years after debate started on the matter.
(ENI)--US religious leaders have converged on Washington, D.C., calling on the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to tackle a host of issues, including the need to overcome poverty in the United States.
(ENI) — President-elect Barack Obama has chosen to include Jewish and Islamic clergy as well as Christians of various stripes in his inauguration ceremonies.
(ENI)--Some Sudanese church leaders are warning of serious consequences if the International Criminal Court issues a war crime indictment against President Omar al-Bashir, while others are quietly backing his prosecution.
(PNS) To commemorate a man who lived his life in service to others, in 1994 Congress transformed the Martin Luther King Jr., holiday into a national day of community service. Presbyterians across the nation are encouraged to join in this day of service as individuals or in groups.
(ENI) — Charges of polygamy against two men in Canada who have several wives are expected to result in a challenge to the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees religious liberty.
(ENI) — The Berlin State Library has launched an appeal for funds to save and digitalize thousands of letters and manuscripts that belonged to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an anti-Nazi Protestant theologian who was executed shortly before the end of the Second World War.
(ENI) — A Tokyo-based multi-faith and interdenominational coalition has sent U.S. President-elect Barack Obama a list of proposed changes to military policies and arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region, where tens of thousands of Americans are stationed.
LOUISVILLE — Jeffrey Lawrence, a New Yorker whose working life has taken him from law to real estate to advertising to parish ministry, has been named publisher of Presbyterians Today magazine. He began his new work on Jan. 5.
“I think I bring a unique perspective to the magazine as a seasoned businessman and Christian minister,” Lawrence told Presbyterian News Service in an interview. “Presbyterians Today is a critical mission of Christ’s church and I knew as soon as I applied that this was the right fit for me.”
LOUISVILLE — When Lynne Smith was a girl growing up in El Paso, Texas, she said she wanted to be a nun.
And so Smith followed the more conventional path … to ordained Presbyterian ministry and a first pastorate in Dodge City, Kan. But the yearning for a more contemplative spiritual life was never far from her mind.
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