This just in from the Covenant Network, reporting on a case that reached the highest commission in my denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, or GAPJC), involving the ordination of an openly gay woman who, in keeping with our tradition, declared a scruple (conscientious objection) to several parts of the … Continue reading “There is Hope…”
Category: hope
And away we go…
As my denomination, the PC(USA), heads into it’s 220th General Assembly, when ruling elders and teaching elders (a.k.a., elders and pastors) meet to hash through the issues that divide us…I mean…discern the will of God, many presbyterians (sadly, a minority) are reading up on all the overtures (read: proposed legislation) being proffered by liberals, conservatives, … Continue reading “And away we go…”
New Pastoral Call – Days 3 & 4
My first week as the new pastor has come to a close, my office is, sadly, still in shambles (though getting better), and I am in preparation mode for preaching my first sermon to a group of folks I have yet to really know. I want it to go well, not because I want the … Continue reading “New Pastoral Call – Days 3 & 4”
The Hunger Games
I just finished the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I am shaken by this story—it’s honesty about the realities of the human race, the circle of violence that seems to plague every generation, evidence of our fears and insecurities taken out on our neighbors. I don’t know how intentional Ms. … Continue reading “The Hunger Games”
A Church in Decline: Balancing the Need to Teach with the Need to Listen
I just read a blogpost by Carol Howard Merritt entitled “Generational Roadblocks: What sort of obstacles keeps a new generation of people away?” Carol is an amazingly prolific and prophetic writer about contemporary themes of church and young people (she mostly blogs for the Christian Century and Huffington Post). In this latest she outlines a … Continue reading “A Church in Decline: Balancing the Need to Teach with the Need to Listen”