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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Editorial note — Reflecting on the recent trip to Selma, Ala., described below, two closely interwoven themes became apparent: First, despite the..
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.*
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.
If the Presbyterian Church is to be reshaped and reconstituted for God's purposes in our time, our covenant with God, based on God's grace, must be remembered, sought and renewed.
Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is at the heart of the Christian life and the life of the church. However, a faith that is devoid of serious content or that is not robust, that cannot be communicated in the language and thought patterns of the people who hear the gospel preached, will not be a faith that endures
In a recent book review there was a distinction drawn between being ideological and being existential. The reviewer, Adam Schatz, was commenting on a biography of the jazz musician, Miles Davis. His point was that Miles Davis was more existential than ideological in his approach to racial issues.
I am a Presbyterian who cherishes our heritage. The Reformed understanding of our faith and of Scripture is for me a rich source of nourishment spiritually, emotionally and communally. So what I propose below comes as the conclusion of a long lament on my part.
If the Presbyterian church is going to thrive in the 21st century, what we desperately need are fewer members.
Without a doubt, the term "member" has a solid basis in the Scriptures. The apostle Paul invites Christians to view themselves as members of Christ’s body, with each member performing a different function, yet all working together for a common goal.
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