Guest commentary by Kris Schondelmeyer Dear church that I love: On August 14, a grand jury report detailing the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church and underlying cover-up was released here in the state of Pennsylvania where I serve as a pastor. The “40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury Report”starts out: “We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this. We know some of you have heard some of it before. There have been other reports about child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. But never on this scale. For many of us, those earlier stories happened someplace else, someplace away. Now we know the truth: it happened everywhere.” This report has triggered emotions that for me are all too personal. I’ve read numerous Facebook posts from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) colleagues who’ve decried that the Catholic Church must change, and that Catholic leaders must tell the truth now. Some of these colleagues have even expressed a sense of gratitude … [Read more...]
A smooth landing: Union Presbyterian Seminary student remembers Katie Geneva Cannon
Guest commentary by Linda Kurtz I’m sure I don’t have all the right words to pay tribute to the life of a woman so innovative that she shepherded a whole new field of theology; so determined that she was the first woman to graduate with a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary and the first black woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church, among other firsts; so loved that the Watts Chapel of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, was full to bursting as we remembered her today. I was often rendered speechless in front of Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, particularly when I sat in her class as a student at Union Presbyterian Seminary. She was always by far the smartest person in the room and her life held a treasure trove of learnings she graciously shared with her students over the decades. I always wanted to know more of what she had to say. Now, facing Dr. Cannon's death, I find myself similarly speechless. How can I even begin to articulate … [Read more...]
Harbors and horizons
Guest commentary by Edward J. Thompson A good few yesterdays ago I grew up amidst fathomless harbors and fantastic castles. Today I live amidst wide horizons and waves of wheat. I will soon mark 25 years with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) since my move from The Church of Scotland in 1995. I think of my faith journey and life pilgrimage as one shaped by harbors and horizons. Harbors, if they are doing their job, offer shelter and prepare you for a journey that will take you to those wide majestic horizons. Horizons, if they are doing their job, extend an invitation. They beckon you to venture out and crossover to a new place. Jesus’ call –“Follow me” – is a call with no end date; it is as fresh as the morning sun and as comforting as the setting sun. It’s a call from harbor to horizon. My journey “across the pond” has been completed by so many before me. Although life altering, my journey could be likened more to a Sunday afternoon walk when compared with those who risked … [Read more...]
Finding an alternative to “incarnational ministry”
Guest commentary by Merwyn S. Johnson I seek to navigate through the rocky shoals of being Presbyterian and Christian today. By all accounts, we are engulfed in an epochal paradigm shift from one era of church-and-culture to another. Our challenge is to go from the old era to the new one without foundering. That will take an authentically new message of grace and truth, centered in Jesus Christ. The widespread language of “incarnational ministry,” however, confines us to the old paradigm. I started thinking more deeply about this after reading a review of Samuel Wells’ book “Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church” in the Outlook. For the record, I am not criticizing the book’s author or the book itself, which I affirm contains helpful tips for ministry. The title illustrates how important the catchphrase “incarnational ministry” has become in church literature, like “embodying forgiveness” before it (see L. Gregory Jones’ 1995 book). In my experience with D.Min. programs … [Read more...]
Granny on a mission: A ruling elder raises awareness of how immigrants are treated
Guest commentary and photos by Sharon Kutz-Mellem Zero tolerance. Human beings seeking asylum from dangerous situations in their own countries, yet denied due process in ours. Children as young as 11 months old ripped from their parent’s arms, separated and screaming in terror. Children in cages covered in shiny Mylar blankets sleeping on cement floors – in the United States of America – in 2018. By now, we have all seen these disturbing images. Thankfully, a federal court judge ordered the U.S. government to halt family separation of immigrants. But the damage had been done. One official with U.S. Customs and Border Protections said from May 6 to May 19 of this year, 658 children were separated from their parents due to the zero-tolerance policy.” However, we really don’t know the true tally. The numbers of children seem to change daily. Even with a court order to reunify the children, the deadlines have come and gone. Families are still separated. Some parents were … [Read more...]
Pilgrimage for justice
Guest commentary by David Garth On July 8 this summer we drove into the heart of Dixie: south from Charlottesville, Virginia, almost 800 miles until we reached Montgomery, Alabama. Ninety-five pilgrims signed up to tour civil rights museums and memorials on our way to the National Memorial to Peace and Justice, also known as The Lynching Memorial. We wanted to add a jar of soil from the site of a Charlottesville lynching to more than 300 jars at the memorial. The larger purpose of our trip was to seek reconciliation and healing after the alt-right, KKK and neo-Nazis invaded our city for a rally in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017. The aftermath of that event left three dead and shattered the self-image of Charlottesville as a quiet, progressive university town. Those of us who are white are embarrassed by the failure of law enforcement to maintain public safety and by the exposure of an angry divide between ourselves and our black neighbors. Through the … [Read more...]
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