Theology. History. Culture.
As a Presbyterian passionately committed to the central insights of the Protestant Reformation, it feels a little awkward to say this: we should appreciate the recent statement on the church approved by the Vatican, and we should not embrace the highly publicized Protestant over-reactions to it.
Continue reading " Responding to Rome: Presbyterians Should Embrace Honest Ecumenism "
A few months ago I had the privilege of participating in an interview on “Trinitarian Spirituality” with a PC(USA) publication called “Hungryhearts.” Excerpts from that interview were published in the Spring edition of that magazine, and I just discovered that it’s available online. You can download a PDF copy of it here. The interview starts […]
I read with interest the latest cover story of Time Magazine on “Why We Should Teach the Bible in Public School.” On the whole, it’s a very sensible article and it argues that many public schools should offer courses on biblical literacy, on account of the Bible’s formative influence on western civilization and because […]
Continue reading " Teaching the Bible in Public School: A Modest Proposal "
I rarely take the time to watch TV news (with the exception of recording and watching the major stories of the ‘evening news’), but tonight was an exception. I had the privilege - well, at least the occasion - to watch John Stossel on ABC’s 20/20, with some family members who are visiting from […]
Continue reading " Base-Jumping and the Revolutionary War: Passion and the Taking of Risks "
The New York Times posted a story today about the struggling Chrysler corporation. In this case, an auto company’s lack of progress toward economic stability speaks a truth about spiritual growth (or lack thereof) as well. The analogy is too clear to require explanation, so I’ll just give you the quote from the […]
I know I appear to have been a slacker as of late, not having posted recently. The truth is, I have been a slacker. But I have also been posting a few things over on “The Outbox,” the missional resource blog of the Presbyterian Global Fellowship. Here are links to a few of […]
After attending the recent meetings of the PC(USA)’s “Form of Government Task Force,” I’ve been thinking about how to “place” the efforts to develop a new “missional polity” for mainline churches. That is, how to place it in the more comprehensive effort of working for the missional transformation of our congregations and ultimately the larger church structures and denomination as a whole.
Continue reading " Missional Polity: Will it really help the church? "
Of the several important decisions made by the PC(USA)’s 217th General Assembly (2006) that have yet to receive much attention, the formation of the “Form of Government Task Force” (F.O.G.) is at the top of the list. This new Task Force has been charged with proposing a re-written Form of Government (the “G” section in the PCUSA’s Book of Order) to the 218th General Assembly (2008).
Continue reading " In Search of a Missional Polity for Presbyterians "
If you haven’t already, make sure you check out the new blog site from
the Presbyterian Global Fellowship…a team of bloggers is posting
resources, ideas and exhortations. It’s updated daily, so there’s new content all the time. Click here to go there.
This is a guest post from Alec Flynt, a student at Princeton Seminary who is preparing for ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). As part of the ordination process, most presbyteries require participation in a program called “Clinical Pastoral Education.” This program varies from place to place, but it usually involves being […]