The conversation about what we need to learn from Charlottesville continues to unfold, as people around the nation look hard at what happened and what it reveals about the country. People of faith are asking what they are called to do and to say. There’s discussion of how to respond to hate; about the deep roots of white supremacy in American history and contemporary life; about how to move beyond words to action. Here’s a sampling of some of the commentary, from Presbyterians and elsewhere. As more is written, this list may evolve. 8/17: Union Presbyterian Theological Seminary – President Brian Blount says "violence has brought us here." 8/17: John Grisham - Silence is not an option, says the author, a Charlottesville resident for 24 years. 8/17: National Catholic Reporter - More than 400 Christian ethicists have signed a statement saying that racism and white supremacy are a "Christian problem."  The signers include Presbyterians -- among them, former … [Read more...]

Guest commentary by Frank Spencer, president of the Board of Pensions, on lower costs for medical coverage available to seminarians.  Registration with the new pricing for eligible inquirers and candidates for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be open from Aug. 15-Sept. 30, 2017. The Board of Pensions is dramatically reducing pricing for seminarian healthcare coverage effective September 1, 2017. Individual coverage is now available at a 44 percent reduction in the current cost, and still includes the full range of healthcare services and prescription drug benefits. As I visited our seminaries over the past year, the cost of healthcare coverage often came up. Students were appreciative of the denomination’s intent to provide coverage, but the cost was, quite frankly, out of reach for most of them. At the Board, we began working on a more meaningful subsidy without compromising coverage. The Board offers two different medical options in the BlueCard … [Read more...]