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Archives for November 2008 |
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This page lists our postings from all of November
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For an index to all our reports
from the 218th General Assembly
For an index to all our reports from
the
Witherspoon
conference on global mission and justice >>
For posts from all of
December, 2009
November, 2009
October, 2009
September, 2009
August, 2009
July, 2009
June. 2009
May, 2009
April, 2009
March, 2009
February, 2009
January, 2009
December, 2008
November, 2008
October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008
June, 2008
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008
January, 2008
For links to earlier archive pages,
click here. |
|
11/25/08 |
| Thanksgiving
for things not visible to the human eye
The Rev. Gradye Parsons,
General Assembly stated clerk, opens his Thanksgiving message to the church:
Maybe we should skip
Thanksgiving this year.
After all, it has been a
rough fall. Our investment crops have been devastated. Our long election
campaign has left us an angry divide. We still have sons and daughters in
harm’s way. The number of people who are homeless, sick, and hungry grows
daily.
Perhaps a look back at the
roots and the two sets of personalities that make up our Thanksgiving
tradition would be helpful at this point.
The rest of
his message >> |
| Thousands gather at Fort Benning,
Georgia, saying: Yes We Can Close the School of
Assassins!
This brief report on the SOA vigil is
assembled from more complete reports on the
SOA Watch website.
We know that the
United States government won't shut down the School of the Americas
(SOA/WHINSEC) on its own. It will take people power and grassroots
organizing to create a climate and culture that will make the
existence of institutions like the SOA/WHINSEC impossible.
This weekend, as
thousands are gathered at the gates of Fort Benning, we are changing
the climate and we are creating a culture of justice, peace and
understanding. We have the power to hold the Obama administration to
its promises of a new direction in U.S.-Latin America relations and
we are calling for the closing of the SOA/WHINSEC as a first step in
the right direction.
More >> |
| GAC office of racial
ethnic and women’s ministries reorganized
Hunter
says focus is on strengthening ties to congregations
Presbyterian News service
reports that the Rev. Rhashell Hunter, director of the General Assembly
Council’s Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/Presbyterian Women has
announced a redesign of the office to focus on racial ethnic and women’s
leadership development.
Five new positions have
been created as a result of the redesign, and five existing positions
have been eliminated.
More >>
| Note: The Witherspoon Board has
discussed this development briefly, and sees many reasons
for concern. We are seeking more information and will
offer comments as soon as we are able to.
If you have comments to share, please send
them to us, and we'll share them here if you permit.
Just
send a note. |
|
About the financial crisis:
Subprime loans are
not always a bad thing
The current financial
crisis apparently stems largely from the vast amount of subprime
lending and subprime borrowers over the past few years.
In a recent
Newsweek article,
Daniel Gross argues that “Many ethical subprime lenders still manage
to make plenty of money.” But note that funny little word “ethical”
in there.
Gene TeSelle, out of
his own involvement with affordable housing efforts in Nashville,
TN, over the past few years, supports the Newsweek article.
His comments >>
More of our
comments on the economic crisis >> |
| On same-gender
marriage: Consider “The Loving Decision”
Although same-sex marriage was rejected again by
California voters, Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen sees great hope
in the Loving vs. Virginia decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967, which
unanimously affirmed that "Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of
man." This decision (with its wonderful title) essentially denied states the
right to outlaw “miscegenation,” or inter-racial marriage.
The passage of same-sex marriage bans in three states on
Nov. 4 is certainly a set-back, she says, but, she says, “The world only
spins forward.” And we are moving inevitably to the time when that movement
will take us to the recognition that marriage is a good and a right for all
people.
Her article
>> |
| Marriage ... has never been set in stone
David Booth, who is an associate professor of
religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, offers a quick
survey of some of the varieties of forms of “marriage” over the
centuries.
More >> |
| A conservative agrees we need to debate the
amending of G-6.0106b: Where I agree with
progressives who won't compromise
Rev. John Erthein, of Westminster Presbyterian
Church, Erie, PA, writes:
Thank you for posting an interesting series of
articles about voting on the proposed "Amendment B." As a
conservative who supports keeping the current ordination standards,
I still have to agree with those progressives who believe there has
to be an up or down vote on the matter. I just do not understand the
thinking that places institutional unity above a search for the
truth. If in fact the progressive arguments about sexuality and
ordination are correct, then of course it is a monstrous denial of
justice and even God's will to defer the matter.
More >> |
|
11/21/08 |
| Are you aching to become a member
of Witherspoon, or maybe just to send a little extra gift to help us
in our witness for peace and justice? Well, take heart!
Our forms are working again -- we hope!
I hope I finally have our two main web-based forms
working again -- one for those who want
to join the Witherspoon Society,
and the other for those who care enough about what we're doing that
they would like to give a
little extra support.
And if you have problems, please
send a note
to let me know!
We hope we'll be hearing from you!
Doug
King, your WebWeaver |
|
Matthew 25:
A
True Story from President-Elect Barack Obama’s Life (20 years ago)
We just received
this from the Rev. Bruce Gillette, with the note that many
preachers might find it helpful. He begins:
November 23rd’s
lectionary lesson for Christ the King Sunday is
Matthew 25:31-46.
There is a true story from the life of President-elect
Barak Obama that is a good illustration of spontaneous acts of
mercy that Jesus praises in his final public teaching before his
arrest.
The past election
includes far too many personal attacks and rumors that were
false. It would be good to share this true story to help
Americans get to know our new president. More importantly it is
a reminder of how Christ calls us to care for the strangers that
we encounter in our lives.
For
the full story >>
|
|
11/20/08 |
| John Knox Presbytery enrolls Scott Anderson as
candidate On Tuesday, November 18, John Knox
Presbytery voted 77 to 23 (or maybe 71 to 23 – accounts vary) that
Scott Anderson’s “affirmation of conscience” as an out gay man, does
not violate any essential tenet of the Reformed faith. The
Presbytery then voted to enroll Anderson as a candidate for
ordination.
When two ministers called on Anderson to speak
about his “sexual practice,” another presbyter objected that this
line of questioning was inappropriate, and the matter was not
pursued.
A personal note: Your WebWeaver thinks
“affirmation of conscience” is a much better term than “scruple”
(sounding a bit medieval) or “departure” (sounding a bit like what
is so often delayed at airports).
The full
text of Anderson’s Affirmation of Conscience, in PDF format >>
Presbyterian Outlook provides a good report on the meeting >>
Here's the
Presbyterian News Service report >> |
| A letter to Obama calls for human rights action
Human rights leader and professor urges Obama:
“.... you must act quickly and decisively if you are to get human
rights back on track.”
Julie Mertus is a Foreign Policy In Focus
contributor, a professor at American University, and the author of
the award-winning book Bait and Switch: Human Rights and U.S.
Foreign Policy (2nd ed. 2008). She is also a member of Towson
(MD) Presbyterian Church.
She urges in president-elect to take four concrete
steps to restore the standing of the U.S. as a supporter of human
rights:
 | “Create a relationship with U.S.-based human
rights organizations.” |
 | “Repair your relationship with human rights
bodies at the United Nations.” |
 | “Do something that unequivocally demonstrates
that the United States will no longer act as if it is above
international law.” |
 | “In your first week in office, get out your
pen and begin signing some long overdue international human
rights treaties.” |
For the full text of her letter >>
Thanks to Witherspoon member Mary Louise Ellenberger,
of Glen Arm, Maryland, for this suggestion. |
| On the call for "No action" on
G-6.0106b Let’s not hold justice hostage for
“consensus”
Another correspondent, Brian Wells, responds to
Barbara Wheeler’s call for “No action” on the amendment of Book of
Order G-6.0106b, which demands “purity and chastity” as essential
conditions for ordination. The continuing call for consensus in the
church, he says, will mean a continuing delay in the justice and
inclusion which is part of God’s call to the church – and will not
achieve the long-sought unity and health of the church.
More >> |
|
11/19/08 |
| A thanksgiving hymn:
“Whatever You Do”
Carolyn Gillette was inspired
by Matthew 25:31-46, this year's lectionary text for this coming
Christ the King Sunday. Many churches have special offerings for the
poor around Thanksgiving that make this hymn very appropriate. |
|
11/17/08 |
|
Pondering a Forbidden Possibility
Gene TeSelle takes on a subject that's being
discussed frequently, but that many of us would prefer to ignore:
The many expressions of hatred toward president-elect Barack Obama
and those who support him, based largely on racial resentments and
fears.
TeSelle views these threats as part of a wider effort
to "delegitimize" Obama as the newly elected leader of the U.S.
We encourage you to read his essay, consider how well
it does or doesn't match your own impressions of our society today,
and offer thoughts about ways communities of faith might respond to
this climate of fear and threat.
|
|
We
celebrate the life of Jane Parker Huber --
hymn-writer, leader in many parts of the Presbyterian Church, and a
“Valiant Woman” -- who died peacefully on November 15
Click here for her obituary >> |
Immokalee Workers pay tribute to
Presbyterian News Service reporter Evan Silverstein
This note comes to us from the Rev. Noelle
Damico, staff for the Campaign for Fair Food of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)
Dear friends:“In life, in
death, in life beyond death, we belong to God.” These words
resounded within my heart last week as I attended the memorial
service for Evan Silverstein, reporter for Presbyterian News
Service. Evan died suddenly from a massive heart attack at the age
of 42 on November 9th.
An AP-award winning journalist, Evan covered an
incredible range of subjects and stories including our efforts
together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in the Campaign for
Fair Food. Evan was an esteemed colleague and a dear friend to so
many of us. For those of you who did not know Evan, he infused his
relationships and his journalism with dedication, humor, kindness
and integrity.
The CIW had the highest respect for Evan. Lucas
Benitez, co-founder of the CIW, wrote “We are also much affected by
the death of Evan, who was one of the best reporters and allies we
have had in the Presbyterian Church.” They join us in mourning his
loss.
The PC(USA) has set up a memorial fund in honor of
Evan’s life and the significant contribution he has made to the
church. Because of Evan’s deep confidence in the work that the
church is doing with the farmworkers, the funds have been designated
to go to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
You can read more about Evan, a gifted and
generous man, as well as make a contribution to honor his memory by
visiting
http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08848.htm .
In peace,
Noelle
The Rev. Noelle Damico
Campaign for Fair Food
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
noelle.damico@pcusa.org
NY Office: 631-751-7076
Mobile: 631-371-9877
www.pcusa.org/fairfood |
|
11/15/08 |
|
Welcoming the new
administration ...
Are we entering a new
era of “culture wars”?
By Gene TeSelle
We seem to be headed into
a new era of "culture wars," fueled by competing moral
visions, such that those who disagree are placed beyond the bounds
of legitimacy.
Many people seem to
agree with Stephen Carter that religion is the only thing that "gets
no respect." When religious conservatives act in intemperate ways,
their behavior is regarded as an understandable reaction to a
relentlessly "secular" government.
Such actions are
defended with the argument that religion is an "absolute commitment"
— as though this makes it exempt from the rules of political
behavior, and even confers the privilege of defining those rules and
trying to seize the reins of government through the Moral Majority
or the dictates of the Catholic bishops.
America's Roman Catholic bishops prepared to challenge the new
administration. In their national meeting in Baltimore this past
week, they agreed they would accept no compromise for the sake of
national unity until there is legal protection for the unborn.
"This is not a matter of political compromise or a matter of finding
some way of common ground," said Bishop Daniel Conlon of
Steubenville, Ohio. "It's a matter of absolutes."
How do we get beyond
"'tis/'taint" arguments of this sort? Kent Greenawalt, law professor
at Columbia, has carefully developed a reasonable approach.
Religious convictions, he acknowledges, can be an important
motivator in political life, including campaigns and legislative
debates. But they best contribute to public discussion when they are
translated into "publicly accessible reasons," that is, "secular" or
at least "shared" convictions, not sectarian ones. Beyond that, they
are likely to be divisive and counterproductive.
The complete essay
>> |
| Right-wing Republicans love Buick Guys -- and
vice versa Berry Craig, a history teacher and
free-lance writer in Mayfield, Kentucky, ponders the puzzling fact
that many guys who drive rusty old Buick proudly sport McCain/Palin
stickers on their clunkers.
I’ve never understood Buick Guys. Kentucky –
not one of the wealthiest states – is full of them. While Barack
Obama won in a landslide nationally, the Bluegrass State went
big for McCain, as it did twice for Bush.
Meanwhile, Buick Guys in Kentucky and
elsewhere continue to vote for candidates who aim to make the
rich richer and keep Buick Guys driving heaps.
Read his essay >> |
| “No action” is not a matter of an “issue,” but of
“creations of God just like everyone else” The
Rev. Ray Bagnuolo adds his reasons for saying “No” to “No action”
He begins:
The recent recommendation of some notable
allies in the struggle for LGBT/Q folk has been to "do nothing"
in considering the ratification of 08-B. For many of us, many
... the idea of leaving G-6.0106b intact in our constitution
points to the misunderstanding common to most institutions. The
"misunderstanding" is that the PC(USA) is dealing with the issue
of ordination standards for LGBT/Q folk. We are not an issue,
thank you very much. We are not dealing with an issue – we are
living, breathing, Spirit-filled creations of God just like
everyone else. We cannot be objectified as "an issue" in an
attempt to distance this ratification from the real lives of our
sisters and brothers who are LGBT/Q and how the church's
constitution impacts those lives.
The full essay >> |
| PNS reporter Evan Silverstein dead at 42
Died at home, apparently of natural causes
Jerry L. Van Marter of Presbyterian News Service
reports:
November 10, 2008 —
Evan Silverstein, a veteran reporter who served the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) for 10 years as senior reporter for the Presbyterian
News Service, died Nov. 9 in his Louisville home, apparently of
natural causes. He was 42.
Joining the
Presbyterian News Service staff in the fall of 1998, Silverstein
quickly established himself as an award-winning journalist, scoring
several Associated Church Press awards for coverage of such PC(USA)
stories as disaster relief, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers,
myriad judicial cases and human interest stories about interesting
and inspiring Presbyterians. He was a fixture in the General
Assembly Communications Center and traveled extensively overseas for
the PC(USA). And though he was Jewish, Silverstein displayed a far
better understanding of and appreciation for the mission and
ministry of the PC(USA) than many Presbyterians.
The rest of the
story >> |
|
War: Do we hafta??
Arch Taylor reviews
Beyond War: The Human Potential for Peace,
by Douglas P. Fry
The recorded history of humankind is replete
with stories of war and bloodshed. Consequently, most people
resignedly assume that making war must be a natural
characteristic of human nature, or at least of the masculine
half. The phrase, “man the warrior” has become shorthand to
express this generally accepted view.
Douglas P. Fry challenges that conclusion, drawing
on the evidence provided by careful research into the evolutionary
development of humankind.
Read the full
review >> |
|
11/12/08 |
|
“No action” won’t help move us
forward Remarks generated by the Wheeler
and Loudon articles in The Presbyterian
Outlook
Dale Johnson, who was an elder
commissioner to the 2008 General Assembly and a member
of the Church Orders and Ministry Committee which
considered the overtures dealing with ordination,
responds to two recent articles in Presbyterian
Outlook calling for “no action” on Amendment 08-B.
From his own involvement in the work of
the committee that sent 08-B to the presbyteries,
Johnson urges that the decisions of the committee – and
the Assembly as a whole – be taken seriously, for they
believed that their other actions
to eliminate old
Authoritative Interpretations and
to leave ordination
decisions to the discernment of presbyteries and
sessions should be completed by the
amendment of the existing
G-6.0106b. Further, he believes that while
any continuing
conversation about the issue will be fraught with
difficulties, nevertheless the voting and the
conversation should not be mutually exclusive.
Read Johnson's
essay >> |
| Religious community holds "National Day of
Witness" against torture Leaders urge
president-elect Obama to make executive order banning torture one of
his first official acts
On Wednesday, November 12, the National Religious
Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) held a "National Day of Witness for
a Presidential Executive Order to Ban Torture". Participants in the
day's events seek to persuade President-elect Barack Obama to sign
an Executive Order banning torture as one of his first official
actions in office and to urge Members of Congress to establish a
Select Committee to investigate the use of torture since 9/11.
More >> |
|
11/11/08 |
|
Another response to Barbara Wheeler’s call for “No Action” on 08-B
“Our
LGBT friends certainly deserve a little better.”
This essay has come to us from the Rev. Chris Joiner,
pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tenn. He prepared
it, he writes, “in response to a series of conversations moving
around the presbytery on the question of ‘voting not to vote.’ ”
I
have great respect for Barbara Wheeler and for the work she did on
the PUP Task Force. Indeed, the work that she did, and led them in
doing, is still I think the best chance we have as a denomination
for moving forward together.
It
is because of the work of that task force, and because of the many
statements she makes in this recent article, that I cannot agree
with her on the upcoming vote.
More >>
Barbara Wheeler's call for "no action" >>
Other responses to her call >> |
Tomorrow -- Nov.
12
Campaign against torture gears up to lobby Obama
An extensive network of religious leaders, including
David Gushee, a Baptist teacher of ethics at Mercer University, will
begin a lobbying campaign to get President-elect Barack Obama to
issue an executive order banning torture as one of his first acts
Wednesday.
The Bush administration’s approval of
interrogation techniques such as water boarding inspired the
National Religious Campaign Against Torture, which organized a
national conference on torture in Atlanta Sept. 11 and is pushing it
as an issue among evangelicals.
Wednesday, Nov. 12, the campaign, which says it
has the support of 240 religious groups from various faiths, will
begin visiting congressmen in Washington to push for the ban and for
a congressional investigation into the use of torture by Americans
on fighters and others captured in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and
the war on terror.
For the rest of the brief report in the Atlanta Journal
Constitution >>
For details on the NRCAT website >> |
| More from the Covenant Network conference
Seeing gay and lesbian relationships through a new lens
Stacy Johnson’s second address to Covenant
Network conference
Building on his first presentation on covenant,
William Stacy Johnson spoke again on Saturday morning on the topic,
“‘You Will By My People’ – But When and Where? Marriage As Living
Example.”
When conservatives discuss sexual morality, he
said, they often focus on rules – as in, “Are you obeying the
rules,” said theologian William Stacy Johnson. And liberals often
start by asking, “Is this relationship sincere?”
But Johnson suggests that the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) has nothing to gain by continuing the same debates over
homosexuality that have polarized the denomination for decades. A
better question, he suggested, would be to ask: “What does my
relationship with another demonstrate about the gospel?” Johnson is
arguing, in other words, for a change in approach.
“I think it is time for us to quit fighting over
gay sexuality using the old rules, the old paradigms, the old
lenses” Instead, he said, Presbyterians should stop debating gay
ordination as a political issue, and see the people behind the issue
– often committed couples, some of them raising children.
The full report from Presbyterian Outlook >>
More of
our reports on the Covenant Network conference >> |
Interfaith
Worker Justice urges pressure on new Administration for workers’
issuesKim Bobo, the Executive Director of
Interfaith Worker Justice, has sent a memo to supporters expressing
hopes raised by the recent election.
She writes:
Nonetheless, the challenges facing our new
president and his team are enormous. Employment figures that
came out last week show that employers cut 240,000 jobs in
October. More than ten million Americans are looking for jobs
and can't find them, giving us an unemployment rate of 6.5
percent, the highest in 14 years. Working families are scared
knowing they have few reserves and supports in times of economic
crisis.
But given the working families platform
outlined by the president-elect and Interfaith Worker Justice's
mission to involve the religious community in these critical
issues, the election offers opportunities for Interfaith Worker
Justice to move forward an agenda that can help workers now and
put in place structures that can support workers in coming
decades.
More details and suggestions for action >> |
| The Fiction of Boundaries
Boundaries are a big deal these days -- be they national, racial,
religious, economic, or whatever. But Trina Zelle, former
Co-Moderator of the Witherspoon Society, recently preached a sermon
for the Presbytery of Grand Canyon in which she explored Jesus'
radical teaching about family as including everyone. That
means, she says, that "welcoming the stranger," while it's a good
thing, must always be following by accepting that "stranger" as
fully a part of our family.
To
read her sermon >> |
|
Legality of Same-Sex Marriage Ban Challenged
Ashley Surdin reports in The Washington Post: "The future of same-sex marriage in the
Golden State will rest, once again, in the hands of its highest court. But this
time, its fate will hinge on a different question: Can a state constitutional
ban on same-sex marriage go before voters? Or must it go before the legislature
first?" The full
story >>
More on "Prop 8" and
same-sex marriage >> |
|
11/10/08 |
|
More election
reflections We've received thoughtful
and delightful comments on the presidential election from ...
 | an American in Australia |
 | Alice Walker |
 | Garrison Keillor |
Join in with your own thoughts
--
please
send a note,
to be shared here.
And for more of our posts about
the election >> |
|
Marriage equality turned back in California
People for the American Way and PFLAG have issued statements
expressing their regret at the passage of "Prop 8" in California,
and their resolution to continue to work for marriage equality and
dignity for all persons. More
>> |
|
11/9/08 |
Covenant Network conference seeks both action and conversation on
08-B
by Doug King, Witherspoon WebWeaver
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians gathered over
300 people in Minneapolis on November 6 - 8, 2008, to reflect on the
theme of “Covenant: God is faithful still.” Much of the three-day
conference focused on the opportunity and challenge presented
by the action of the 218th General Assembly last June.
That Assembly, responding to an overture from the Presbytery of
Boston, proposed an amendment of the church’s Book of Order, section
G-6.0106b, which requires “fidelity and chastity” of any
Presbyterian seeking to be ordained as a minister or elder in the
church.
The Covenant Network was founded in 1997 to work for the full
inclusion (and ordination) of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). But as the Rev. Dr. Tim
Hart-Andersen acknowledged in one plenary discussion of strategy for
supporting the proposed Amendment 08-B, the leaders of the group are
not entirely agreed on how to respond to this opportunity for
change.
More on the
conference >> |
|
Elder Barbara Wheeler says PC(USA) should take no action in
dealing with G-6.0106b Dr. Barbara G. Wheeler,
who is president of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City,
served on the Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the
Church, and is a member of the Board of the Covenant Network,
recently published an article in The Presbyterian Outlook,
expressing her support for the amendment of G-6.0106b that was sent
to the presbyteries by the 218th General Assembly. But
she urges that for this year, the presbyteries should simply take no
action on the amendment.
More >>
Comments
on Dr. Wheeler's call for "no action" |
|
November 21-23, 2008!
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship joining many others to close School
of the Americas
This note comes to us from Marilyn White, on
behalf of the PPF:
Dear Friends,
In 15 days, from November 21-23, 2008, torture
survivors, community organizers, and social justice activists from
across the Americas will converge at the gates of Fort Benning,
Georgia, to start building the world that we hope for and to move
U.S. foreign policy into a new direction.
Change is coming and we are going to close the
School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC)!
Regional events in the lead-up to the November
vigil are taking place on November 9 at the gates of the U.S.
Southern Command in Florida, from November 15-16 at Fort Huachuca in
Arizona, on November 20 at Drummond in Alabama and on November 20 in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Join us for the lead-up events and from Nov. 21-23
at the gates of Ft. Benning!
For more
information from SOA Watch >> |
|
Two responses to
the recent election One writer (an American
Presbyterian minister now serving in Scotland) reports on the relief
and joy felt by people there.
And another Presbyterian minister laments that
"Saul Alinsky has been elected president." |
|
11/5/08 |
After the election ...
What is our calling?by Doug King, your
WebWeaver
[11-5-08]
Last night, just after CNN projected Barack Obama
as the winner of the election, the apartment next to ours erupted in
whoops and shouts and general delight as the African American family
there celebrated. It was good to hear. And to see people like
Colin Powell and Jesse Jackson weep with joy, even as millions of
the rest of us have too, tells me something really big has happened.
No big surprise there, I know. But then the
question is – as Obama reminded the joyous crowd last night – what
do we do now? The American people, with the brilliant help of one of
our own sons, have opened the door into a new future. Hopes that
many of us have held for decades now begin to look like
possibilities.
Early in his election-night speech, Obama
expressed thanks to his campaign staff, then added: “...
above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to –
it belongs to you.”
He went on to describe how he sees his (and the
nation’s) tasks:
“I know you didn't do this just to win an election
and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you
understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we
celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring
are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the
worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight,
we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq
and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There
are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall
asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their
doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to
harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats
to meet and alliances to repair.
“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be
steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but
America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we
will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.”
For the full text of the speech >>
Those who yearn for justice and for peace must now
shift gears from the easy satisfaction of resenting injustice and
war. We need to put our nice ideas into proposals and programs and
practices that will move us from yearnings to actions.
Obama offered one step toward that process of
transforming our society, when he did what he has done since his
campaign began: using “we” language instead of “I” language. Some
may see that as nothing but a nice rhetorical device, and it may
amount to nothing more unless millions of Americans begin to make it
a reality. And certainly our faith, and the way of life taught by
Jesus, should help us to do just that.
This means we must stand against the prevailing
ethic of a market economy. We can do this by confronting the
challenges of the economic crisis by helping one another, rather
than competing as isolated battlers, each of us against everyone
else.
We can do this by finding ways to work through our
differences, rather than striving to defeat those with whom we
disagree. (Not easy for us Presbyterians, I know.) This does not
mean giving in to those who demand control of a situation, of a
church, of a nation. But it means seeking ways to talk, to find
common ground, to nurture new ways of living together. And if those
efforts fail, it means standing firm in defense of those whose
rights, and very lives, are being debased by those who seek control.
So here is a challenge for our Presbyterian
Church: to find new ways to care for one another, to respect one
another, and to embody that care and respect as we structure our
lives in church and community and nation.
If you have thoughts on the
election of Barack Obama,
or on the ideas expressed here
and by Obama himself,
please
send a note,
to be shared here.
Also ...
Responding to the Election Returns
Gene TeSelle offers a very helpful perspective on the
changes that we are witnessing, looking both at our history as a
nation, and at some of the challenges and possibilities that lie
ahead. |
| 11/4/08
--- Election Day |
| One Presbyterian pastor takes a clear stand.
The Rev. Dr. Bobbie McGarey, Interim Pastor of
First Presbyterian Church in Lawton, Oklahoma, tells how she began
her sermon on Sunday, November 2. She says she felt "it was
important I think to say what I believed about the coming days."
So she said:
"Even though I know we are here to worship God I
feel compelled to share with you where I stand.
"I think it only fair to tell you my hopes and
choice for the future. I have supported without hesitancy and
continue to support all the efforts that have been made thus far
this year. I do know the task ahead is great if indeed we are to
gain the victory before us. Even though the pundits say it may not
be possible this year.
"I know that we may have a very real difference of
opinion. I know that differences exist within the congregation about
this.
"I cannot do anything else but pin all my hopes
and with all my heart declare to you. That if Ohio State University
can beat Michigan we still have a chance of going to the Rose Bowl."
She reports: "It was great the looks on the folks' faces. It
was completely silent while I read this slowly -- and then huge
laughter."
|
| The message from the Religious
Right is still the same: Be afraid!
Be very afraid!!
According to Robert Gagnon, Obama will wage war on
Christianity!!!
Robert Gagnon, Associate Professor at Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary and author of The Bible and Homosexual
Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, has just issued (as of
November 3) an essay warning us all of “Obama’s Coming War on
Historic Christianity over Homosexual Practice and Abortion.”
He begins:
If Obama is elected President this Tuesday he
will make it a priority of his administration to pass
legislation that will make war against Christians and persons of
other religious convictions who believe that homosexual practice
and abortion are immoral acts. Persecution will take many forms,
as indicated by actions that have already taken place in parts
of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe:
--- Compulsory indoctrination of our
children in schools (kindergarten up), as also of ourselves in
the workplace, that abortion and especially homosexual practice
are moral and civil "rights" ...
--- Job discrimination, termination, and
the imposition of fines on people who express contrary views
toward homosexual practice ...
--- Forced subsidization of abortion and
homosexual unions through taxes.
--- Forced offering of goods and
services that directly advance and promote homosexual practice
and abortion, irrespective of the degree to which the conscience
of the provider may be violated. This includes, but is not
limited to, adoption services and foster parenting, health care
providers and counselors, justices of the peace, those who
provide wedding services, the legal profession, print shops, and
indeed all businesses with employees.
And there’s more. Lots, lots more.
It’s sad.
Read it all,
if you care to >> |
| 11/3/08 |
|
Good advice from the
Presbyterian Peacemaking Program Update -- for Election Day Eve
VOTE
If you have not done so already,
exercise your stewardship of your citizenship and vote on November
4.
PRAY
 |
Today, pray for candidates
and those who work with them. |
 |
Tomorrow, pray for our
nation and our brothers and sisters as we vote. |
 |
This week, pray for those
who are elected and those who are not; pray for our nation as we
look forward to whatever change and transition may result from
the election. |
REMEMBER --
Voting is an act of faith |
| Campaign cast relieved to see the finish line
Saritha Prabhu of the Nashville Tennesseean
gets inside the heads of some of the plays in the presidential rase,
to tell us what they’re really thinking today.
It’s pretty funny. And bipartisan.
Three samples:
Sarah Palin: "I can't wait for all this to be
over. Do you know how hard it is to stand and dis Barack Obama all
day while wearing 5-inch killer heels? These heels have given me
sciatica, and I'll soon be billing Alaskan taxpayers for my medical
treatment.”
Barack Obama: "Wow, what a ride it's been, and I'm
almost to the finish line. Got to be careful as president, though.
No leeway to screw up, none whatsoever, or else people will say,
'See? That's what happens when you elect a black president.' Hmmm,
what I'd give now for a good cigarette.”
Piper Palin, Malia and Sasha Obama: "Why are
grown-ups crazy?''
The rest of the story >>
Thanks to Gene TeSelle |
| Need more about the election?
Are you suffering from
Elective Compulsive Disorder? Can’t get enough of the campaign?
Planning to watch all night Tuesday night? Do you need more more
more??
Well, here's one more item that may help.
~~~~~~~
How Running a Campaign Is Like Building a Megachurch
The model for the modern political campaign is the
evangelical megachurch.Slate magazine
offers a provocative slant on the way this campaign has been
running.
The author (whose name is Bishop, no less) begins:
This isn't a partisan observation. Both George
Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama adopted the basic organizing
techniques that many ministers have been using since the 1970s
to grow their churches to stupendous size. And why not? They
work.
The megachurch was built on an idea born in
India by an American missionary. Donald McGavran spent half a
century overseas, and he used much of that time to discover the
way churches could convert large numbers of people to
Christianity. McGavran observed that converts didn't come to the
church one by one. They came in groups. And those groups were
socially coherent—castes, villages, or families. The key to
church growth wasn't in bringing individuals to Christianity but
in converting groups, peoples. And these groups would come if
they were appealed to as a "homogenous unit."
The essay concludes:
Politicians have been packaging image from the
beginning: McKinley sitting on the front porch, Truman speaking
from the back of a train, Madison Avenue selling a new Nixon. In
the end, however, the message was the same: "Vote for me."
Campaigns today are doing something different. They attempt to
manage behavior by creating a social environment that encourages
people to vote for themselves. The most important message a
campaign has to convey is one of flattery, that the candidate is
"just like us."
Self-government, however, is the opposite of
self-love. Democracy is about meeting and coming to terms with
people who look, talk, believe, and think differently from us.
Government might work better if that democratic exercise began
for voters during the campaign rather than the day after
inauguration.
The full article >>
We'd welcome your comments about
this perspective.
(Or any further thoughts about the campaign and the election.)
Just
send a note,
and we'll share it here. |
| And if you missed John McCain's and quasi-Sarah
Palin's brilliant performance on Saturday Night Live,
here it is. |
|
For an index to all our reports
from the 218th General Assembly
For an index to all our reports from
the
Witherspoon
conference on global mission and justice >>
For posts from all of
December, 2009
November, 2009
October, 2009
September, 2009
August, 2009
July, 2009
June. 2009
May, 2009
April, 2009
March, 2009
February, 2009
January, 2009
December, 2008
November, 2008
October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008
June, 2008
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008
January, 2008
For links to earlier archive pages,
click here. |
| |
|
Some blogs worth visiting |
| |
|
PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
| |
|
Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
| |
|
John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
| |
|
John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
| |
|
Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
| |
|
Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch
Seminar!
GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE ALL IN
THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF INJUSTICE |
| |
|
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