The report going to the General Assembly cuts to the quick. It affirms the denomination’s determination to be faithful to the teachings of Scripture and the Reformed tradition, but it admits that the effort to define what constitutes such faithfulness “has created significant debates among us.” It laments, “These debates (have) both clouded understanding of our mission and inhibited cooperative participation in it.”
Today’s my birthday. Forty years young, spiritually speaking.
If ever I were totally convinced and totally unconvinced, it’s right here and right now: on the matter of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) speaking out regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We’re winning. Christians in the Great State of Texas have taken the majority of seats on the state’s Board of Education, and they are re-writing the curriculum for social studies courses (final vote in May).
I accepted the call to pastoral ministry with humbled thrill. But when reality set in, I found myself dreading the thought of having to officiate at funerals. For the past four years writing, editing, and publishing have separated me from regular congregational leadership duties, and I find myself missing most the pastoral practice of officiating at funerals.
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.
“How can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Amos’ question (3:3-KJV) seems rhetorical, the answer self-evident. But his question begs another: to what degree must the two agree?
In a Newsweek issue focusing on the outpouring of post-earthquake support for Haiti, Editor Jon Meacham resisted the pull toward collective self-congratulation.
This edition of the Outlook was heading to the printer when news broke of a devastating 7.0 earthquake hitting Haiti, already the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
Switzerland votes to disallow the construction of minarets (see p. 16).
The time has come to turn the page from a black-and-blue magazine serving a black-and-blue church to become a high-def, full color, twenty-teens magazine informing and empowering a high-def, full color, twenty-teens church.
What a decade it’s been! Just as December 7 became a defining date for the 20th century, so, too, September 11 stands as the defining date for the new century, at least so far.
Merry Christmas from all your friends at The Presbyterian Outlook!
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.
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.
Piety – bad word: places greater emphasis upon religious experiences than on Biblical theology; evokes images ranging from holy rollers to self-righteous Pharisees.
When guest preaching or lecturing, I generally begin with well wishes from The Presbyterian Outlook.
In a cynical age, hope is seditious.
Hallelujah. The General Assembly Mission Council is going to meet its budget without cutting staff (see p. 7). Now that we’re not in a state of crisis, let’s talk turkey about our giving. Let’s think theologically about our financial management. Let’s handle our money like the Presbyterian and Reformed – P&R – believers we claim to be.
Telling the truth is a hard thing to do. The preliminary report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage (S.C.) tells the truth with stunning, spectacular clarity.
I couldn’t say it better, so I share with you the commentary of our Church Wellness columnist, Tom Ehrich, as he addresses these troubled times …
Holy Spirit revival breaks out on campus. Students descend upon the chapel for worship services that last for days. Classes are suspended for a fortnight to make room for this spontaneous divine visitation.
“Time to change the subject, Pastor. “
So what about the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Washington Office (WO)? What’s ahead for the program heralded by some as a bright light on Capitol Hill and excoriated by others as a black hole?
We now interrupt the Presbyterians’ celebration of John Calvin’s 500th birthday to listen into our Baptist neighbors’ celebration of their 400th birthday.
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