After the Virginia Tech Shootings: Pastor reflects
A reporter asked me this morning prior to worship: "What will be the first words that you speak to your congregation on..
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Montreat Church: Presbytery votes to divide into two congregations
MONTREAT -- In a historic meeting April 24, the Presbytery of Western North Carolina voted 185 to 69 to divide the Montreat Presbyterian Church into "those who want to go" and "those who want to stay" in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The Montreat church will be divided into two congregations. Those wishing to remain in the denomination will retain the present name. Those wishing to leave will be dismissed as a congregation to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Wading through more than four hours of political quagmire with amended and substitute motions, the entire Revised Recommended Decision before Presbytery was adopted.
Anger gone nuclear
Anger is to humanity what nuclear energy is to electricity. Powerful and creative. Volatile and dangerous.
God created anger, and for good reason. Anger stirs social workers to rescue abused children from violent parents. Anger provokes prophets to expose exploiting power brokers. Anger compels the courageous to break chains of injustice. Anger confronts religious hypocrites and drives moneychangers out of temples.
Then again, evil hijacks anger for destructive purposes. It batters spouses and children. It unleashes the privileged against the powerless--and vice versa. It propagates hatred. It murders innocents. It morphs into resentment, escalates into bitterness, depresses into isolation, and explodes into carnage.
We have witnessed what happens when anger goes nuclear. 9-11. Columbine. Ted Bundy. The recent shooting rampage at Virginia Tech provided its own commentary in the form of a video made by the shooter. It showcased rage's demonic darkness.
Few of us will ever descend into the pit of wickedness as did that student, but every one of us experiences anger.
Step up and help: Presbyterians donate gifts, time, prayers to troops in Iraq
It often starts with one person -- one Presbyterian who thinks, "There must be something I can do."
At McDowell Church in McDowell, Va., a tiny congregation of about 50 members, that someone was retired artist and photographer Diane Stein. She wanted to find a way to support the men and women serving with the American military in Iraq.
For Stein, the war has definitely hit home: earlier, her granddaughter lost her fiancé in the conflict. Two hours before he was killed, the fiancé emailed to say, "'Don't worry about me, baby, I'll be home.' ... But he never came home," Stein said. "These are our family members, our people."
So Stein started looking on the Internet for ways she could help support the troops, and came across the Web site www.anysoldier.com , which lists contact information for troops serving in the war and supplies they need.
Princeton professor receives 2007 Murray-Tutu book prize
The Andrew Murray - Desmond Tutu Prize for the Best Christian and Theological Book by a South African in any official language of South Africa, will be awarded for the first time in 2007. The recipient is J. Wentzel van Huyssteen for his book, Alone in the World? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in the United States.
Elizabeth Kiss installed as president of Agnes Scott
Elizabeth Kiss was installed as the eighth president of Agnes Scott College on April 20 at the school in Decatur, Ga.
In her installation address, she affirmed the value of women's education in a time when women hold majority in the nation's coeducational institutions. "Decatur Female Seminary was established in the context of a south still reeling from the economic and social crisis of the Civil War," Kiss said, referring to the college's original name. "Col. George Washington Scott, the Rev. Frank Gaines and the other founders were determined to elevate their community and convinced that the education of young women was key to this task.
Palestinian Bible Society building bombed in Gaza
GAZA CITY, Palestine (ABP) -- In the latest violence among warring Palestinian factions, a bomb severely damaged the Palestinian Bible Society building April 15 in Gaza City.
What Presbyterians NEED to read
For the past few months, I have been conducting a very unscientific survey among PWPAs (Persons With a Presbyterian Affiliation). I think I've talked with around a hundred folks. I asked: "What does it mean to be a Presbyterian today?" The most frequent response is a glazing over of the eyes, a couple of mumbles, followed by, "Gee, I wish I knew." I often have followed this up by asking, "Then why do you stay?" The most frequent response? "I don't know. (Sigh) I just don't know."
Lately, I've been asking a third question of people who seem receptive: "How would you describe being a Christian these days?" Puzzled looks and slow, rueful headshakes are very common. "You got me. I don't know how to describe that. (Pause.) Y'know, I don't think about it all that much."
Admittedly it is an unscientific sample, but thinking back over the years it rings way too true. Folks like this are not simply missing a denominational identity, they are missing a core Christian identity as well. For these folks, "faith" is a series of very blurry, abstract concepts that have nothing to do with "real life." Church is strictly an "if convenient" proposition that has to do with social contacts and "feeling good" more than anything else.
The best sellers
Christian book top sellers for late 2006 and early 2007 from the following publishers:
- Abingdon Press/United Methodist Publishing
- Augsburg Publishing/ Fortress Press
- Ave Marie Press
- Bethany House Publishing
- InterVarsity Press
- Paraclete Press
- Zondervan
Letters to New Pastors
by Michael Jinkins. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2006. ISBN 0802827519. Pb., 186 pp. $15.
For almost five years we were privileged to be in a program developed by the Office of Theology and Worship entitled "Excellence from the Start." The design of the program was to put new pastors in groups of seven or eight under the leadership of experienced pastor/mentors. Groups met twice a year for theological reflection on ministry in light of assigned readings.
Beyond the burning bus: The Civil Rights Revolution in a Southern Town
by Phil Noble. Montgomery: NewSouth, 2003. ISBN 158838120X. Hb., 168 pp. $24.95
Growing up in north Alabama, I vividly remember riding in the back seat of my father's Mercury and hearing him and a friend of his, an insurance salesman from Cullman, talk with some pride about the fact that Cullman, Ala., did not have any African-American residents. My father's friend said he called on one elderly woman regularly in Cullman who had a small arsenal in a bedroom in the back of her house which was ready to be used by several men in that small town to intimidate any African-American who thought to try moving into the city limits. The conversation between my father and this man was filled with the kind of racial epithets that I routinely heard in my childhood. This was 1978.
The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version
(fully revised and updated), by the Society of Biblical Literature, Harold W. Attridge, general editor. HarperCollins, 2006. ISBN 006078685X. Hb., 2272 pp. $44.95.
In these days of hitormiss Hollywood sequels, one picks up a "revised and updated" work in fear and trembling. The new edition may fail to rise to the level of the original. Something of the essential character of the original may be removed or replaced in an effort to make the new edition somehow "better."
Such fears are unfounded here.
I was a seminary student when the first edition of The HarperCollins Study Bible came out in 1993, and have found it to be an indispensable tool both in the classroom and in the church. As a student, I realized that it reflected well the insights and interpretive methods of the biblical scholars whose works were among my seminary readings (much as the Oxford Annotated RSV did for previous generations). As a pastor, I have found it to be a useful way to bring the fruit of current biblical scholarship into Bible studies without having to lug around numerous volumes of commentary. The pages of my original edition are underlined, dogeared, torn, worn, and crumpled; alas, one section has even fallen out. I hope my copy of this new edition will be similarly worn in a few years--except for loose section!
Church Wellness: An introduction
I am delighted to be joining you for a weekly look at "Church Wellness."
In this column, we will consider the best practices for doing the basics of nurturing healthy churches. I have no axes to grind, no denominational or doctrinal "shoulds" to pursue. My only aim is to help your congregations be as healthy as they can be. That means focusing on the key factors affecting church health:
· Membership development
· Leadership development
· Communications strategy
· Spiritual development
· Young Adults ministry
· Listening church
· Metrics
Eight Eckerd College students receive NOAA Hollings scholarships
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded scholarships in the 2007 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program to eight Eckerd College students: Caroline Antolik, Jason Dorfman, Emma Hiolski, Kristen Jabanoski, Graham Johnston, Kassandra Smith, Caroline Storer, and Brittany Wright.
Since its inception in 2005, 17 Eckerd students have been named Hollings Scholars -- more than any other college or university in the United States.
Roger Harp Memorial Fund established
LOUISVILLE -- In recognition of his deep commitment to the pastoral care of ministers, a fund has been established in memory of..
Presbytery voting on changes to BOO Chapter XIV remains close
Voting by presbyteries remains close on proposed amendments to change Chapter XIV of the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- an indication that what some consider to be a flexible streamlining of the rules, others are finding problematic.
Overall, the Chapter 14 revisions being proposed are intended to reword and simplify the document (the revised version is about one-fourth shorter than the current chapter) and to give presbyteries more flexibility in calling pastors.
But clearly Presbyterians have differing views on the wisdom of the proposal.
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe says Catholic bishops are on ‘dangerous path’
Harare, 4 May (ENI)-- Zimbabwe President President Robert Mugabe has warned Roman Catholic bishops who published a pastoral letter criticising his government over the country's mounting economic and economic crises, saying that they have chosen 'a dangerous path'.
Mugabe said the bishops had become political. He described the letter written by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference and read to congregations across the country on Palm Sunday (1 April) as 'political nonsense'.
Why believe in women’s ordination?
I could hardly believe my ears when a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor blurted a few years ago, "We need to rethink the whole topic of women's ordination." I was stunned because those words were coming from a woman.
"Why of all things do we need that?" I reacted. "Women's ordination is an established policy in the denomination."
"But too many people support it for the wrong reasons," she responded. She then explained how many of her colleagues had sensed a deep calling to Christian vocation, including the proclamation of the Word. But they also knew that the Bible singles them out to keep silent in church. Recognizing the disparity between God's call to them and God's Word to all, they simply chose to dismiss the Word -- at least those specific, exclusionary texts -- as pre-modern expressions of male chauvinism and patriarchy.
FOG task force will submit two versions of polity revisions
LOUISVILLE -- A task force charged with revising the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Form of Government (FOG) has backed away from its proposed rewrite of the PC(USA) Constitution's theological underpinnings (chapters 1-4 of The Book of Order).
The task force was authorized by last summer's 217th General Assembly to revise the FOG to make it more flexible for presbyteries and congregations. Some members of the task force had drafted a new section to replace the first four chapters.
But instead of recommending this new section entitled "The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity," the nine-member Form of Government Task Force tentatively decided at its April 12-14 meeting here to submit both "Foundations" and the existing first four Book of Order chapters to the 2008 assembly and let commissioners decide which they prefer.
Rhashell Hunter: New start for women’s, racial-ethnic ministries
If every other area is getting new leaders, why not the racial-ethnic ministries or the women's ministries of the General Assembly? They both are welcoming one and the same new leader. Rhashell Hunter is the newly-arrived director for Racial-Ethnic and Women's Ministries for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s General Assembly Council.
On Easter Sunday, Hunter preached her final sermon as pastor of the Community Church in Flint, Mich., a congregation of about 130 members, where she had served for nine years.
She grew up in the manse; father Charles H. Hunter is a Presbyterian pastor. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in fine arts, theatre, journalism, and teacher education. While pursuing a theatre career in New York City, she volunteered in an inner city soup kitchen. Soon she sensed a pastoral call and went to McCormick Theological Seminary, where she earned an M.Div. Later she returned there and earned a D.Min. with a focus in preaching.
Women prominent in Easter drama
c. 2007 Religion News Service
When Rhonda Kelley reads the Easter drama in her Bible, the professor of women's ministry feels God's affirmation of her as a woman.
"Jesus really valued women and always reached out to women," said Kelley, who teaches at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is co-editor of The Woman's Study Bible.
Women figure prominently in the Gospel lessons that culminate in Jesus' resurrection. In roles unusual for that period, they travel with Jesus and then are witnesses to his crucifixion and burial. And women, including Mary Magdalene, are the first to learn that his tomb is empty.
Isabel Wood Rogers: educator, church leader, author (1924-2007)
c. 2007 Religion News Service
Isabel Wood Rogers died March 18 at Westminster Canterbury, Richmond, at the age of 82, after a battle with cancer. "Dr. Izzie" as she was often called, left us a rich heritage.
She was born in Tallahassee, grew up and then took degrees at Florida State University, the University of Virginia (political science), the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Richmond, Va.) and Duke University where she earned a Ph.D. in theology and ethics and was Phi Beta Kappa. After serving as Presbyterian chaplain and director of religious activities at Georgia College and State University she settled down as professor of applied Christianity at PSCE, now Union-PSCE in Richmond, for 37 years from 1961 to 1998.
She left us a heritage of insightful written works, focusing on her interests.
Izzie wrote a brief study entitled, In a Word: The Power of Language in which she explores the "shaping power" of language, such as words the biblical authors used to describe God as a "decreeing, punishing, conquering" and also "delivering, "divine." She warned against idolatry of race, class, age, and even of ourselves as we use language that creates God in our own image.
The “Bad Girl of Christianity” rides again
c. 2007 Religion News Service
Anne Lamott is the kind of Christian who makes a lot of other Christians nervous.
I think it's because she's honest.
She's honest about her sins, her foibles and her faith, and she makes no excuses for any of them.
She's wide open about her less-than-perfect faith walk, about being a single mother, a recovering addict, a bleeding-heart liberal, neurotic, insecure, and wickedly funny. Lamott has chronicled her wacky and (sometimes) wild adventures in faith in books such as Traveling Mercies, Plan B, and most recently the wonderful Grace (Eventually).
She makes a lot of people who also call themselves Christians nervous -- and sometimes even angry -- because Lamott should, they think, either keep her imperfections to herself or stop calling herself a Christian.
If the devil wears Prada, what do Christians wear?
The novel The Devil Wears Prada is a serious study of the power of labels to define a person's worth. Author Lauren Weisberger was formerly assistant to the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour. Thus, the novel is based on Lauren's earlier career with its addiction to fashion. The addictive ingredient is the glow, lure, and status of the designer label: Versace, Chanel, Christian Dior, Gucci, Manolo, and most supremely, Prada. The measure of a person is the label. Why the devil herself (the magazine editor in the movie version) wears Prada!
Lent and Re-Lent
The Lenten season has come and gone again. Let's face it. It was a tough decision--what we agreed with ourselves to relinquish for Lent.
Chocolate always seems to muddle the question. How to keep going and stay sweetly resolved for forty days while wandering a dessert wilderness. Why not tomatoes? After all, they're seedy. And it is so much easier to stay away from such flagrant bursts of flesh. To soften the blow of denial, one pastor shared recently, "Don't even ask what happened the Lent I tried giving up caffeine."
Whatever happened, we're back onto salsa and desserts with a relish, weighing in heavy on the thought that time of reflection on passion and hymns of refrain are over for another year. The good news is Christ has risen indeed!
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