40 years ago — June 26, 1978 With the United Presbyterians having held the national headlines on the issue of homosexuality in their recent San Diego General Assembly, there was some interest in what Presbyterians, U.S., might do about the same question. True, there was no major report coming before the Shreveport meeting to force a position, but there were eleven overtures from as many presbyteries, seeking some kind of clear statement. It was apparent that it could not be avoided. The issue appeared on Thursday afternoon with the report on Justice and Human Development … . The standing committee proposed that the overtures, with their varied topics, be answered by referring them to the Council on Theology and Culture which has been working on a report on this subject for submission to the 1979 Assembly. Second, it called for a reaffirmation of the 1977 statement: “That the 117th General Assembly express love and pastoral concern for homosexual persons and the need for the church … [Read more...]

30 years ago — June 1988 Thirty years ago, the 200th General Assembly met in St. Louis. The June issues of the Outlook were full of the news of the time. The National Black Presbyterian Caucus announced the presentation of the Edlar G. Hawkins Award for “extraordinary service in helping to achieve full and equal participation by black Presbyterians” to four people: H. Eugene Fairlough, pastor of Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church in Richmond, California; Robert Coleman, Synod of the Trinity; Jesse C. Swanigan, consultant for McDonell-Douglas Aircraft in St. Louis; and Otis Turner of the denomination’s racial/ethnic ministry unit. The Outlook announced a new editor, Robert Bullock Jr., pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Allen, Texas, to replace retiring editor George Hunt (honored by the assembly for his service to the church). The assembly elected C. Kenneth Hall, pastor of Hill United Presbyterian Church in Butler, Pennsylvania, as moderator and re-elected James E. Andrews for … [Read more...]

20 years ago — April 27, 1998 “She was remembered by her students as a teacher ‘who always looked out for us.’ At around 12:42 p.m. on March 24, Shannon Wright of Jonesboro, Arkansas, threw herself in front of 12-year-old Emma Pittman to shield the young girl’s body from a sniper’s bullet.” Two male students, a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old lay in ambush for students and teachers at Westside Middle School after luring them into the schoolyard with a phony fire alarm. In the aftermath of the carnage, a news commentator asked Americans to wake up to the “fact that we live in a culture that glorifies violence.” A great deal of that violence is directed to females. “Of the five dead and 10 wounded, all but one were female. … Rachel weeps for her children (see Matthew 2:18). In schoolyards in Jonesboro, Arkansas; Paducah, Kentucky; Pearl, Mississippi – 11 bloodstained playgrounds since 1993 – Rachel weeps for the young boys who have turned their rage into revenge.” She weeps for her … [Read more...]

80 years ago — April 6, 1938 “The annexation of Austria aggravates the church problem for Hitler. When he came to power in Germany in 1933, the churches were divided and weak; in Austria … the church is strong, united and anti-Nazi. … Probably in anticipation of the Austrian coup, Hitler, has sought to create the impression … that he was discounting his war on the churches. Hundreds of clergyman have been released from concentration camps since Christmas.” So is this a change of heart for Hitler or just a clever means to an end? In Germany the first attacks on religion were felt by the Catholic Church. By censuring the religious press, he controlled what people knew about issues. Then the Nazis attacked the Protestant churches. “The problem here is to break the hold not of the church, but of its ideology. The Nazi god is a jealous god. For a Protestant to say, ‘We must obey God rather than man,’ is blasphemy in his sight. … Thousands of clerical and lay leaders have been sent to … [Read more...]

70 years ago — March 8, 1948 The executive committee of the Virginia Council of Churches recognizes that substantial advances have been made in recent years in the area of race relations … . It is believed that love for one’s neighbor and respect for every individual, made in the image of God, as inspired by the Christian gospel, as well as the principles of American democracy, require us to continue such efforts to eliminate discriminations and to remedy injustices that remain in various areas of human endeavor. …. As Christians, we recognize our failure to inculcate into our corporate life, as citizens and churchmen, the full implications of our Christian faith regarding brotherhood. We sincerely ask God’s forgiveness for this failure, and pledge ourselves to work always toward the fulfillment of these principles. From “A program of interracial cooperation.” This paper, a product of interracial cooperation, was adopted by the executive committee of the Virginia Council of … [Read more...]

60 years ago — March 24, 1958 Here’s what readers were saying about one particular article back in 1958: To the Outlook: One of the articles that makes your paper especially valuable is the one by Martin Luther King Jr. (Outlook, Feb. 10). No publication is broadminded if it limits itself to contributions by members of its own denomination. Mr. King suggested a program of statesmanship when he stood against the viciousness of mob rule, the evils of segregation, the inequalities of an economic system which discriminates against the masses in favor of privilege. … Give us more articles of this kind so that the social conscience of your readers may become prepared to resist the maladjustments of our day. — George B. Mangold, Los Angeles … [Read more...]