As the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) debated once again in Denver what direction to take in the ongoing debate over ordination of non-celibate homosexuals, minister commissioner Fitz Neal stepped to the microphone with a reminder:
In other words, let’s wait. Not now."Justice delayed may be justice denied. But at the same time, decisions rushed are often decisions regretted."
We flatter ourselves. No, it is true. Even the staunchest Calvinist among us sometimes thinks that we are in a mess so great that we will never get out of it. Name the issue and you will find voices that say, Woe is ours as Presbyterians in the U.S.A.!
Every generation faces this reality. While some issues truly are landmarks, issues of importance confront each of us in our own way. So it is also true that the issues that divide us today matter to us and to those that come after us. But let us not flatter ourselves too much. Our ancestors confronted this reality, and so will our descendants.
"Wast Thou ordained, dear Father,/ To lose thy youth in peace,
and to achieve/ The silver livery of advisèd age/ And in thy reverence
and thy chair days . . . ." (II Henry VI. V.2. 45-8)
Because 94% of the land in Iowa is devoted to agriculture, the philosophy faculties of the various universities in that state regularly and predictably complain about so much attention paid to farm animals. Truth to tell, most Iowans do indeed put the horse before Descartes.
Can Muslims and Christians seriously engage with each other in these troubled times in creative, nonviolent ways? I am a witness to a community of 30 Christian and Muslim scholars who in early April, just beyond the sound of rockets and big guns, gave a resounding "yes" in answer to that question. We met and talked about our sacred Scriptures and how we view and interpret them. This was the second occasion for such an international gathering.
In three successive editorial series, which began late last year, titled The Real Presence, The Time Between the Times, and Renewing the Covenant, your editor has offered reflections on the state of the church, where we've been, where we are, where the Lord might be leading us. Such an effort is daunting and, perhaps, presumptuous, but has been undertaken in good faith to promote discussion about the most basic elements of faith, the church, life, the world.
Because we must eat in order to live, a considerable part of our life is spent at table. Apparently, our first parents, Adam and Eve, were vegetarians (Gen. 1:30) until they took a big bite of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:17). In any case, food customs are deeply embedded in every culture today, and food preferences identify many ethnic groups.
For the last 17 years it has been my privilege to work closely with, and indeed to be partially "on loan," first to the diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, part of the Church of England, now to a diocese of the American Episcopal Church. At a recent diocesan yearly convention that I attended, there was an extended debate on (what else?) the Trinity, inclusive language, the authority of Scripture and the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals. I really couldn’t believe it — the sense of deja-vu was so strong I could taste it.
Christian education is not just about telling the stories of the Bible or delving into the meaning of a particular passage. It is not just about helping children to know they are included in the body of Christ or adults to understand the theology of the church. I believe it is also about helping each of us, whether eight or 80, to find our spiritual grounding.
This ongoing exploration of what covenant renewal would look like in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the early years of the 21st century has followed many threads of our corporate existence, demonstrating how things have changed in the last 50 years or so, and lifting up some possibilities for collectively, intentionally and prayerfully re-envisioning our life together and the shape of our mission.
In times of crisis as well as tranquility, public dissent is the conscientious conservator of democratic freedoms. As Rear Admiral Gene LaRocque, retired Navy, recently said, "Where there is no dissent, there is no democracy."
He was speaking in dissent and opposition to the "Bush Doctrine" of "exceptionalism" which has flouted the judicious wisdom of historic international principles for waging war, including the classical Christian bases of a just war.
Here is the simple thing that I did. I opened an envelope that contained a hospital bill. It was 19 pages long, an exact tabulation of every syringe, every test, every pill, every process that had occurred. It was the concrete, specific inventory of everything that had happened to my mother. It was the ritual of her last days, a medicinal rosary, one bead after another of failed instruments and procedures. Each one, listed here, rested now in my hand nine years after her death.
I have recently read and susequently re-read Robert Bullock's carefully crafted series on the current state of the denomination and those elements that have had an effect on our present malaise. Following this process I have also read articles in Presbyterians Today and The Layman, all dealing with elements of the same concern.
Change is a human constant. In recent weeks the idea of covenant renewal in the Presbyterian Church has been discussed extensively, toward the end of suggesting an overall framework in which 21st-century American Presbyterian Christians in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) might reclaim the past and recommit to a new vision of the church and its work, that we might move beyond the paralysis which has descended upon us in recent decades.
The spring beauty of Easter is here again! On Resurrection Sunday churches everywhere will be overwhelmed with throngs. This is the day when even the faintest faith will flicker again. Some are more preoccupied with the pagan symbols of the goddess of spring — rabbits, eggs, flowers, brightly colored clothes — but they still are attracted to the one Easter object, the sign of the cross.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where there’s fire, hose it down! Then again, if the smoke is coming from a fireplace, let it burn. And if the smoke is coming from a refinery, it may be incinerating toxins (good!) or it may be releasing them (evacuate!). Then again, what appears to be fire may actually be steam, which could be good (a power plant) or bad (a radiator).
Where there’s smoke, who knows what to do?
In recent weeks, there has been ongoing discussion in this space in support of a conscious effort by Presbyterians to renew the covenant of grace which has been given in the blood of Jesus Christ, which is the foundation for the church to which we belong, and through which Christ's witness to the world is made. If there is no such effort, the future looks pretty bleak.
Inherent in our suffering is a transforming power that can either humanize or demonize us. As we listen to another’s suffering, we can encourage and empower each other, for in dying we learn to live. Isn’t this journey from crucifixion to resurrection, from despair to hope, an eternal path sought by pilgrims everywhere? The tragedy of 9/11 announces louder than ever that we are living in an interconnected world of sufferers.
What might it mean to consider a season of war in light of the authority of Christ? Fundamentally, for Christians to regard Jesus’ authority means that we spell it with a capital "A." Jesus is the Authoritative One who stands alon, above all our other notions of authority. Self-interest, community affiliation, ethnic identity and patriotism are all put in context, reinterpreted and often critiqued by our larger commitment to Christ.
With time running out for a peaceful solution to the threatened conflict in Iraq as this column is written, it is important that Presbyterian officers (and pastors) take their responsibility as peacemakers with utmost seriousness. When Jesus teaches us that the peacemakers are blessed, the Greek expression used in Matthew 5:9 (eirenopoioi) makes it clear that we are called to more than peace praying, peace talking, peace thinking or peace hoping: we are commanded to peace doing. Peacemaking demands real work, active effort and engagement in processes that will really change things.*
Editorial note — Reflecting on the recent trip to Selma, Ala., described below, two closely interwoven themes became apparent: First, despite the..
A few years ago on a neighborhood stroll, I chanced upon a friend who was walking her dog. Knowing that she was active in her church and devoted to it, I asked her what she was giving up for Lent
Her answer was quick and tinged with her usual humor. Said she: "I am not giving up anything. I am giving up giving up, however."
I quickly agreed that giving up giving up was a good idea.
A speech given on March 20 during a "day after" protest.
Today is a sad day — a day that will long be remembered as a day of infamy.
Like many of you, I'm sure, I don't know whether to scream or weep.
The most famous, the most influential, and, arguably, the most effective Presbyterian minister in America died Feb. 27. And the response of the American people was overwhelming.
The death of Fred Rogers, better known as Mr. Rogers, was front-page news in the New York Times and a prominent story on most network newscasts. Even this past Sunday’s New York Times arts section, almost two weeks after the fact, included a wonderful article headlined "What Mr. Rogers Could Have Taught Michael Jackson."
In recent weeks we have been discussing the renewal of our covenant with God and with another, that is, God's covenant of grace, in which God promises to be our God and we promise to be God's faithful people — and are enabled to be such solely by the grace of God.
The congregation of God's people is the heart of Christ's church on Earth. If the Presbyterian Church is to be to renewed by God's grace in the "time between the times," then the members of each congregation need to renew their covenant, individually and corporately, with the Lord, and to reframe life together in ways that exhibit the body of Christ in all of its fullness.
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