(WCC) A group of United Nations experts together say that countries have an important role to play in promoting religious tolerance and cultural diversity and that they can do this by promoting and protecting human rights, including freedom of religion or belief. “We welcome the decision of the UN to designate 22 August as the international day to commemorate the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief,” said the experts for the day which occurs on the same day this year as the World Council of Churches-led Thursdays in Black. “This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about religious intolerance, and violence and discrimination against anyone based on their religion or belief.” The experts urged States to step up their efforts to combat intolerance, discrimination and violence against people based on religion or belief, including against members of religious minorities and people who are not religious. Their comments come in a statement marking the … [Read more...]
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Commentary 24 hours ago
A God who loves us
God is love (1 John 4:16). The Bible says “God is love,” meaning love is God’s essence. God does not only “possess” love or “will” love, but rather God loves. Period. Even if we violate God’s will or disappoint, God still loves us. This is the God Jesus revealed to us. It is the loving and tolerant father of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. The Prodigal Son tells the story of a young son who asked his father to disburse the family inheritance. Upon receiving his share, he took… continue reading... -
Looking into the lectionary 1 day ago
11th Sunday after Pentecost — August 25, 2019
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Ordinary 21C Proper 16 Bent double. For 18 years. Unable to stand up straight. Relegated to looking down at the ground, at others’ feet. Eye contact denied. The dignity of seeing another face to face impossible. Jill Duffield’s lectionary reflections are sent to the Outlook’s email list every Monday. This woman who entered the synagogue that day and discovered, or was discovered by, Jesus, sits in worship throughout the ages. The elderly woman dismissed due to her age and creeping memory loss. The homeless… continue reading... -
Book Reviews 2 days ago
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others
Barbara Brown Taylor HarperOne, 256 pages Reviewed by Paul Rowland Jr. In her essay on metaphor in the “Oxford Companion to the Bible,” Elizabeth Achtemeier says, “Language about God must be figurative, because it attempts to describe in terms of this world one who is totally different from this world.” In “Holy Envy,” Barbara Brown Taylor suggests that both our understanding of the billions of people of other faiths and our own faith can be enriched by learning about, appreciating and even envying those other faiths. Since famously leaving church… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized82 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews86 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews76 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
Hands and Feet initiative gains traction and picks up speed July 2, 2019 Outlook Features2 comments What does it look like when more than 1,000 Presbyterians come to a city for the biannual General Assembly? How can they make a positive impact on the community where they hold the meeting? How can they “be the church” when gathering for a week?
These are the questions that drove the start of the “Hands and Feet” initiative at the 223rd General Assembly in 2018. Under the leadership of stated clerk J. Herbert Nelson, the assembly in St. Louis became a pilot program in rethinking and recreating the ethos of the gathering by partnering with local churches and organizations to make a positive im...
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom August 14, 2019 Book Reviews1 comment David W. Blight
Simon & Schuster, 912 pages
Reviewed by Donald W. Shriver
A great life deserves a great biographer. In Yale historian David Blight, Frederick Douglass has one.
Born into slavery in Maryland, Douglass’ life spanned the tumultuous years of 19th century America (1818-1892). At age 11, he began to listen carefully to the reading of the Bible aloud by Sophie Auld, wife of his owner Hugh Auld, who warned her of the dangers of that gift.
“There will be no keeping him,” said Hugh, once he hears of that ancient liberation of Hebrew slaves a...
“Late we come” — The Presbyterian Outlook and Southern Presbyterians on race August 7, 2019 Outlook Features1 comment Speaking at the March on Washington in August 1963, Eugene Carson Blake, stated clerk of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA), began with an apology to Martin Luther King Jr. and others gathered: “We come and late we come.”
Blake, who had recently been arrested in a demonstration to integrate a Baltimore amusement park, spoke the truth. With notable exceptions – African Americans, some other people of color and numbers of prophetic whites – Presbyterians did come late to the struggle for civil rights for all Americans. Nationally, most Presbyterians may have come tardily to the move...
UN day on violence victims stresses religious tolerance
Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others
Barbara Brown Taylor HarperOne, 256 pages Reviewed by Paul Rowland Jr. In her essay on metaphor in the “Oxford Companion to the Bible,” Elizabeth Achtemeier says, “Language about God must be figurative, because it attempts to describe in terms of this world one who is totally different from this world.” In “Holy Envy,” Barbara Brown Taylor suggests that both our understanding of the billions of people of other faiths and our own faith can be enriched by learning about, appreciating and even envying those other faiths. Since famously leaving church (after 20 years of parish ministry), Taylor taught world religion for two decades at a small, private college near Atlanta. She says that she’d promised her students “that studying other faiths would not make them lose their own.” Then she lost the faith with which she’d started. “Holy Envy” tells “the story of how that happened and what happened next.” She interweaves her story with those of her students. She invites her students … [Read more...]
STATED SUPPLY PASTOR
Palmdale Presbyterian Church, located in Melbourne, Florida is seeking a Stated Supply Pastor. The Church has a dedicated and experienced group of elders, deacons, and staff who can manage the business of the Church and needs an experienced pastor to act as the spiritual leader. The pastor should be able to lead a meaningful and engaging worship service, provide congregational care through visits and counseling, and participate in the life of the church through personal contact and fellowship activities. Please view the MIF #03946.AA2 for more information or contact Donald Cross at Palmdale Presbyterian Church, 684 N. Harbor City Blvd, Melbourne, FL or e-mail [email protected] … [Read more...]
Trump: Any Jew voting Democratic is uninformed or disloyal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Showing a fresh willingness to play politics along religious lines, President Trump said American Jews who vote for Democrats show “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.” Trump’s claim triggered a quick uproar from critics who said the Republican president was trading in anti-Semitic stereotypes. It came amid Trump’s ongoing feud with Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who are Muslim. Trump has closely aligned himself with Israel, including conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while the congresswomen are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Tlaib is a U.S.-born Palestinian American; Omar was born in Somalia. “Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone where they are defending these two people over the state of Israel?” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday (Aug. 20). “I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a … [Read more...]
Trump steadily fulfills goals on religious right wish list
NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump assumed the presidency, conservative religious leaders drew up “wish lists” of steps they hoped he’d take to oppose abortion and rein in the LGBTQ-rights movement. With a flurry of recent actions, Trump’s administration is now winning their praise for aggressively fulfilling many of their goals. Mat Staver, president of the legal advocacy organization Liberty Counsel, said Trump has fulfilled about 90% of the goals on a list that Staver and other conservative leaders compiled. “In the first two years of his administration, he’s achieved more than all of the presidents combined since Ronald Reagan,” Staver said. “He’s been the most pro-religious freedom and pro-life president in modern history.” One of the most dramatic steps — hailed by conservatives and decried by liberals — came this week when the Department of Health and Human Services implemented a new rule for the federal family planning program known as Title X. Planned Parenthood, long … [Read more...]
What boxed wine taught me about community
This week we asked our bloggers to consider their experience of alcohol and church. Here are their reflections. Boxed wine gets a bad rap. Perhaps you see those rectangular packages lined up on the shelves of your grocery store and envision young adults drinking too much. Or you may wonder why on earth someone would rather drink their wine out of a bag (which, as it turns out, holds the wine inside the box) instead of a bottle. I too used to not get the point of wine in a box. I live in Virginia, home to hundreds of wineries that together sell more than half a million cases of wine each year. Supporting local grape growers and winemakers seems like the right thing to do. But then I met my neighbors. And now, when I look at boxed wine, I see church. When I moved to Richmond, Virginia, more than three years ago to begin seminary, I was placed in an off-campus apartment complex with some other number of seminarians. An on-campus housing shortage sent us out into what some … [Read more...]
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