The Presbyterian Outlook, Author at The Presbyterian Outlook

A rich treasure trove of history

January 7, 2020 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

At the Presbyterian Historical Society, we collect the raw materials that support the study of history, but what we deem important enough to save and lift up to the church has changed over time. We have definitely been both proactive collectors and passive recipients of material, and we freely admit today that, like other archives, the Presbyterian Historical Society collection reflects practices that prioritized some histories and materials over others. Acknowledging our own history, for good and bad, is important for our researchers and for us. We strive to be an archive where diverse people – Presbyterians and non-Presbyterians alike – can use our materials to study the past and pose questions about history that speak to all of us today. Like Presbyterian Historical Society, the Presbyterian Outlook is a rich treasure trove of history with 200 years of continuous publication under 17 previous titles. Asking questions about a newspaper as a historical source can be particularly … [Read more...]

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Christmas came — and (80 years ago)

January 3, 2020 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

80 years ago – December 20, 1939 There are some days that stand out from the others like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. But Christmas stands out among all these. In “a day when Christmas has been commercialized, tinseled with empty and gaudy pleasures, cheapened with excesses and turned over to unclean rioting, it is well for us to pause and ask ourselves what Christmas really means. … Christmas came and with it the worth of the child was recognized as never before. Bret Harte has a story of how Christmas came to Roaring Camp. Roaring Camp was a mining camp in the lawless west, with a sinister and unenviable notoriety. But a baby was born into the camp. The camp was subtly changed under the influence of that little child whose helplessness appealed to all that was” noble in people. They “became tender and thoughtful.” It’s an allegory about Christmas. “The world itself was Roaring Camp two thousand years ago. … Then a little child was born in Bethlehem. … Harte’s lovely story is a … [Read more...]

Ashina Krishna

January 3, 2020 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

“Being able to set up a shared space is a positive outcome for people who have likely faced difficult circumstances in the context of places that they’re coming from and it becomes a way to invite other people into the community.” – Urban conservationist Ashina Krishna, on vacant churches in Buffalo, New York, being converted to mosques or temples (in Atlas Obscura) … [Read more...]

Making a Scene in the Pulpit: Vivid Preaching for Visual Listeners

January 2, 2020 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Alyce M. McKenzie Westminster John Knox Press, 226 pages Reviewed by Layton E. Williams Alyce M. McKenzie begins her new book, “Making a Scene in the Pulpit,” by pointing out the profound impact of preaching that makes use of powerful imagery and story. I know what she means. So much of my faith in childhood and young adulthood was shaped by the vivid sermons of my church’s senior pastor, who was an excellent storyteller. In fact, when people ask about when I first felt called to ministry, I tell them about a sermon my pastor preached on the transformation of each disciple after they encountered the resurrected Christ. The pictures he painted were so compelling that I wanted to climb inside of them and live such a life of dedicated faith. Though McKenzie heartily acknowledges the power of vivid story and narrative preaching – especially as defined by the New Homiletic movement that dominated American preaching for the last quarter of the 20th century – she also agrees with … [Read more...]

Tagged With: preaching

Passionate for Justice: Ida B. Wells as Prophet for Our Times

December 31, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Catherine Meeks and Nibs Stroupe Church Publishing Incorporated, 160 pages Reviewed by Cynthia A. Jarvis If you read “Passionate for Justice,” you will find yourself included in the growing number of people who, like the authors, are passionate about Ida B. Wells. Wells was born into slavery in Mississippi. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was passed when she was 13, the last significant piece of civil rights legislation enacted by Congress until Congress outlawed the segregation of public accommodations in 1957. In 1883, when Wells was 21, the Supreme Court ruled the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional. One year later (and 71 years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery), Ida B. Wells refused to vacate her seat in the women’s car of a train leaving Memphis for a seat in the car reserved for black passengers. After biting the hand of the conductor when he tried to remove her, she continued to resist. It took three men to get her off the train. Her … [Read more...]

What’s right about Hebron Presbyterian Church?

December 30, 2019 by The Presbyterian Outlook Leave a Comment

Hebron Presbyterian Church — Staunton, Virginia Hebron Presbyterian Church started a new committee: the GROW team. Our focus is not necessarily to grow the church in numbers, but to get current members more involved in the life and ministries of the church. A favorite ministry: TOY (thinking of you) meals. On the first Saturday of each month, we meet to prepare a meal for those we know are homebound and other Hebron friends. Members of the church deliver the meals and spend time visiting with the recipients. The kitchen crew enjoys fellowship time together while preparing meals and our meal delivery team spends quality time with members of our church and community who cannot join us for worship. We average 25 meals a month. The GROW team has been a true blessing to the life and worship at Hebron! – Theresa Hull Moore Share your 150-word story of “what’s right” with the Outlook by emailing it to [email protected] … [Read more...]