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Archives for November 2008

This page lists our postings from all of November

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:

bullet“Create a relationship with U.S.-based human rights organizations.”
bullet“Repair your relationship with human rights bodies at the United Nations.”
bullet“Do something that unequivocally demonstrates that the United States will no longer act as if it is above international law.”
bullet“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’ issues

Kim 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 ...

bulletan American in Australia
bulletAlice Walker
bulletGarrison 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

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Today, pray for candidates and those who work with them.

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Tomorrow, pray for our nation and our brothers and sisters as we vote.

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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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