Unveiling forgiveness

When we are hurt or offended, we cover our tender hearts to protect against further "heart attack." Underneath the cover--denial, resentment, or rage--can come pain, memories, and flashbacks. If we are honest with ourselves, we reluctantly admit that in the late show that plays in our mind, we often watch reruns of hatred, resentment, bitterness, hostility, anger and fear. Worse yet, these images and thoughts do not always intrude forcefully. We too often invite and indulge them. Then we feel vandalized, ashamed, and violated because of the ugliness we permitted our minds dwell upon. How can we stop these experiences of un-forgiveness, bidden and unbidden?

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Bishop G.E. Patterson dies

Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, Bishop G. E. Patterson, passed away March 20 at 4:03 p.m. at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., as a result of heart failure. Patterson was surrounded by his wife, Mrs. Louise Patterson, and his family.

Patterson served as the leader of the fourth-largest Protestant religious denomination in the world with an estimated membership of 6.5 million members. He led the denomination since November 2000.

More information about funeral arrangements will be posted later.

Voices

An Open Letter : Going Where God Has Ordained Us To Be

There have recently appeared in the electronic version of Presbyterian Outlook a number of "open letters" responding to the New Wineskins Convocation. To date, six different open letters have criticized to some degree or another the finding by the New Wineskins Strategy Team that departure from the PC(USA) is a faithful option for those called by God to do so.

I suppose it should not be surprising that those most invested in the man-made construct known as a denomination, who place so much faith in its polity and bureaucracy, would be opposed to any diminution in the core membership of the group. Thus, four of the open letters were written by executive/general presbyters (one of whom is also one of the newest members of the denomination's Advisory Committee on the Constitution): Messrs Hooker, Wyatt, Evans, and Ms. McRight. Only one serving associate pastor, Ms. Jongewaard, and one elder, Mr. Newkirk have commented. With one exception, all of the letters have been polity-based and there has been no real response in any of the open letters to the Biblical and theological concerns that have led us to the point at which we now find ourselves.

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Hassall new PFR Wee Kirk consultant

Presbyterians for Renewal has named Harry S. Hassall interim National Wee Kirk funding consultant, effective April 1, Hassall will be working with designated fundraisers in the nine regional Wee Kirk conferences across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to mentor and encourage them in their ministry and to deepen and broaden financial support for these conference opportunities.

Hassall was for many years on the staff of Highland Park Church in Dallas, Texas. But he has a long background relating to the needs of small-membership churches. Beginning as member of a General Assembly-level planning team for small membership churches in the mid 70s, Hassall was responsible for birthing the Wee Kirk ministry, coordinating the first national Wee Kirk Conference in 1980 at Montreat.

Editorials

Musalaha

Here are your instructions. Take out two pens, one red and the other blue. Read through this edition of The Outlook, underlining everything you like with the blue pen and everything you don't like with the red. Then compare the blue-marked words with the red-marked, asking yourself, 1) "Why do I like or dislike this?" and 2) "Why do other Christians of sincere conviction like or dislike this?"

Before taking on that assignment, do finish reading this editorial.

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“Clash of civilizations” view of Islam, Christianity simplistic, expert says

by Hannah Elliott

AUSTIN, Texas -- The characterization of Muslim and Christian conflict as a "clash of civilizations" only prolongs problems and encourages dangerous forms of fundamentalism, one prominent scholar told listeners at an ethics conference Feb. 19.

Charles Kimball, who has visited the Middle East 40 times and worked closely with Congress, the White House and the State Department, spoke at Ethics Without Borders, an event in Austin, Texas, organized by the Texas Baptist-affiliated Christian Life Commission.

A professor of religion at Wake Forest University, Kimball called the clash of civilizations framework "an extremely unhelpful one" for people in the United States, most of whom know very little about Islam.

Voices

Cracking the code with Iran: Meeting Iran’s president

September's theater season in New York featured an odd pair of actors in roles that are both loved and loathed by audiences around the world. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and George Bush made speeches to the General Assembly of United Nations on the same day (Sept. 19), from diametrically opposing geopolitical viewpoints.

One portrays the other as a bully on the global playground, while the latter denounces the first as a rogue state, belonging to the "axis of evil." Were it not for consequences in the real world, the rhetoric alone would be both alarming and entertaining. But historical grievances outstanding and military maneuvers ongoing at the convergence of their respective zones, together with heightened fears of nuclear weapons proliferation, make these theatrics quite dangerous.

Voices

Palestine, Israel, and “the wall”: Can we talk?

This is not easy to discuss.

That point was illustrated to me very clearly a few weeks ago while having dinner with a friend in New York City. I had just returned from the West Bank and was recounting some of experiences of my trip. I did have a vague sense that the couple at the adjacent table, a bit close for my comfort, had become rather quiet. That sense was confirmed when the man next to me, apparently having reached his limit of being able to hold his tongue, plunged into our conversation without so much as a polite apology about the intrusion.

In a recent television interview, former president Jimmy Carter pointed out that "the deprivation of basic human rights among the Palestinians is really horrendous" and that "this is a fact that's known throughout the world ... (and) debated heavily and constantly in Israel," but "it is not debated at all in this country."

Difficult or not, we must be able to address it.

Voices

The Pharisee

Lent 5 ¢ Introduction

In recent years, thanks in part to scholarly research, and also to a new and more open dialogue with our Jewish brothers and sisters in faith, we know much more, and understand much more, about the Pharisees. A far more interesting and complex picture of first century Judaism has emerged as a result. We have learned that the earliest Gospel writers, deeply influenced by the increasing competition and resulting hostility between Judaism and their own infant new religion, tended to paint all Pharisees (and in John's gospel, even all Jews) with the same condemning brush. However there is no denying that, among Jesus' own people, and particularly within the religious power structure of that time, there was a growing, and increasingly threatening hostility to our Lord and his message. This week's meditation illuminates some of the grounds for that hostility.

(Matthew 12:22-23, Mark 3:23-27, Luke 11:14-20)

Voices

Does Jesus’ tomb mean the end of faith?

(RNS) For many years I've wondered about the following scenario: What if an archeologist turned up the bones of Jesus and had some decent proof? And what if they were found in such a way that it was hard to deny the claims?

That would really shake things up in the Christian world. After all, Christian faith is based on the belief that Jesus rose from the dead. The empty tomb is an essential component. As St. Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians, If Christ is not risen ... then your faith is in vain.

So, to be honest, the news of a new book, The Jesus Family Tomb, and a related Discovery Channel documentary produced by James Cameron, startled me. There are several such tantalizing elements, including an ossuary (bone box) marked Jesus, son of Joseph found besides others marked with familiar names from the family of Jesus.

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Services March 24 for Dr. Isabel Wood Rogers, beloved ‘Dr. Izzie’

Updated 3/20/07

Izzie Rogers.jpg

RICHMOND, VA. -- Dr. Isabel Wood Rogers, 82, Professor Emerita of Applied Christianity at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, died March 18 in Richmond.

Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at Ginter Park Church in Richmond with a reception to follow. Interment will be in her birthplace of Tallahassee, Fla. Survivors include a sister, Elizabeth Green McCord of Tallahassee, and two nephews.

Born in 1924, she held degrees from Florida State University (A.B.), the University of Virginia (M.A.), the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (M.R.E.), and Duke University (Ph.D.). Austin College, Westminster College, and Centre College all awarded her honorary degrees.

Dr. Rogers, known affectionately as "Dr. Izzie," taught at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education from 1961-1998. Upon her retirement, she was named Professor Emerita of Applied Christianity. Prior to her work at PSCE, she was the Presbyterian campus minister and chaplain and the director of campus religious activities at Georgia College in Milledgeville.

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Montreat Conference Center Welcomes New Director of Development Operations

(Montreat, NC) -- Montreat Conference Center is pleased to introduce Diane Pennington, the conference center's new Director of Development Operations. Professionally, Pennington brings a diversity of experience to the Montreat Conference Center Development office. Over the course of 15 years in corporate New York, she gained experience in management, operations, administration, and corporate communications and marketing.

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Staff appointments, social justice resolutions passed on final day of GAC meeting

LOUISVILLE -- Responding to a request from the Evangelical Church of Iran, the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has passed a resolution asking U.S. political leaders to initiate "direct diplomatic dialogue with leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, so that by all means, a military confrontation would be avoided" involving Iran.

It asks Presbyterian military chaplains to lead prayers for peace and the "well-being of all peoples in the region."

And it asks the council to remind Presbyterians of the denomination's policies on nuclear weapons "and the dangers of military confrontation."

Voices

Response to Ted Wardlaw’s 2/19/07 Book Review of Barbara Brown Taylor’s “Leaving Church.”

In response to Ted Wardlaw's well written review of Barbara Brown Taylor's last book "Leaving Church," in the February 19th Outlook, I..

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Leaner General Assembly Council shifts focus from details to big picture

LOUISVILLE -- "We are in a time of great change in our church."

That's how General Assembly Council member Steve Benz presented the challenge -- shorthand for everything from infighting in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to financial distress to the reality that nearly half of the denomination's congregations have fewer than 100 members.

And Tom Gillespie, a council member and retired president of Princeton Theological Seminary, preached on that reality during worship.

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Presbyterian Foundation reports “outstanding year” for funding mission

The Presbyterian Foundation reported March 13 that $78.5 million was made available for mission in 2006, an increase of $6.3 million from 2005. As a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Foundation is called to nurture the accumulated resources of Presbyterians to further the mission of the Church and grow the resources that support mission giving for the future.

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GAC executive committee hears reports on funding, staffing at beginning of Council meeting

LOUISVILLE -- Most Presbyterians don't sit around thinking about how the top levels of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are organized. But just understand this:

Â· The reorganization of the top levels of the denomination's national staff is continuing -- with a key appointment in communications and funds development recently being announced. That appointment, if confirmed by the General Assembly Council this week, will round out the top level of the PC(USA)'s administrative team.

Â· The council, meeting March 14-16 in Louisville, is also being reorganized, with the election of new leadership and a new committee structure. The size of the council also will change in the months to come, producing a council that's supposed to be more streamlined and more focused on the denomination's Mission Work Plan goals.

Â· Linda Valentine, who was named the council's executive director in June 2006, spoke of how she hopes the new alignments will allow the council to more effectively "talk about big issues, what the church needs and how we can respond." Valentine spoke of the need for "adaptive thinking, generative thinking, strategic thinking" in the PC(USA).

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COGA: Designated giving okay for us, too

LOUISVILLE --The Committee on the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) agreed today to allow its ministries to solicit designated funds from potential donors. Heretofore, the Office of the General Assembly has been funded singly by per capita funds, with the exception of special fund raising that has been done in recent years by the Presbyterian Historical Society.

Voices

“Justification by Grace Through Faith” is What the Reformation Confessions Actually Teach

I think each of us has at least one of what the French call our "betes noires," those little black beasts that drive us mad. One of mine is when I hear modern-day Presbyterians saying that faith is our response to salvation rather than saying that we are saved "by grace through faith." So while I enjoyed parts of Merwyn S. Johnson's, "The Marks of the True Church," Presbyterian Outlook, 3-5-07, I was disappointed to hear him repeat this overused--and in my view highly inaccurate--contemporary Presbyterian nostrum. He writes: "How can the Reformation marks of the true Church help us at the present time? Several things come to mind. First, the Reformation confessions have a whole different take on grace and salvation. Faith, they say, is the result of our salvation, not the cause of it." (underscore added.) He continues, "The chief end of the Christian life is to glorify and enjoy God forever, not to be saved for its own sake (Mark 8:34f)."

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Middle governing body leaders ask the tough questions

Are you ready to fire yourself? Presbytery and synod representatives, gathered in Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 14-16, seeking ways to salvage their governing bodies. In the process they were asked to risk losing their careers.

"Do we need synods? Do we need executive presbyters?" asked conference facilitator Gilbert R. Rendle. "These [questions] are dangerous because as we ask them, we have to ask whether we are ready to lose our jobs. I don't take such questions easily. Three times I've gone through a process that led to the determination that my job was not needed. I didn't like it then. I don't like it now."

Rendle spoke about more than a corporate restructuring. He pressed those gathered leaders like a revival preacher. "This is a spiritual issue, a Mosaic issue. Are we ready to go out into the wilderness, not knowing where we are going to end up?"

Voices

On creating a Christian movement for peace

On September 26th of last year, I was arrested in the Hart Senate Office building in Washington, D.C., while participating in an intentionally nonviolent, interfaith prayer service to end the war in Iraq. I was not alone; 71 other people of faith and conscience were arrested that day as well, among them four Presbyterian pastors.

Coming out of that experience, a small group of us began dreaming of a new kind of witness for peace. It would be clearly, unapologetically Christian. It would be deeply grounded in worship and in prayer. It would be bold about who Christ calls us to be as peacemakers. It would be an invitation to join a movement of Christians who believe that genuine security will come only when all of God's people commit themselves to build right relationships with one another around the world.

Voices

Professor Bruce M. Metzger: One student’s remembrance

In his Reminiscences of an Octogenarian (1997), Bruce M. Metzger of Princeton remarks that it has often been said, "The snare of autobiographers is that we see ourselves neither as others see us, nor as God sees us." Dr. Metzger taught many of the New Testament scholars currently at work around the world. But he prepared many more of his students as pastors. I recall how some of us saw and benefited from his ministry in that role

Voices

Unity as work and diversity as mutual forbearance

"I believe we are at another such time in our life together when the focused and timely work ... could help us seek a more excellent way, a way guided by the Spirit of Christ seeking mutual understanding and enabling us to speak the truth in love," - the Rev. Syngman Rhee, Moderator of the 212th General Assembly

How can a Presbyterian congregation embrace "emergence" while remaining true to its historical roots? The members of Mountain View Church in Loveland, Colo., struggled with this thorny question, as have many other Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations. It is answering it in both a creative and unified way.

Voices

The wild, fierce and beautiful Spirit: Transforming church and community

When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4: 31).

Rick Smyre wrote in a recent edition of Net Results: "All communities and churches will face, without exception, the need to transform themselves as the effectiveness of old ways crumble."* As we try to imagine new capacities for new realities, as we try to help people learn how to think differently, it will also be important to help people see God in new transforming ways. Our capacity to respond to new realities is either hampered or enhanced by the images of God we have inherited.

Voices

Holy Lent

(RNS) If I could wish you a Holy Lent, it would have two components: personal and communal.

At the personal level, it is time to focus on the basics: prayer, study and self-examination.

Prayer, or talking with God, can take many forms, from the formal to the spontaneous, from highly intentional to humble submission. The point isn't to do it right, but to give God the opening.

The Presbyterian Outlook

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