| |
Archives: March 2005 |
This page lists all our reports and commentary from
March, 2005
|
For items
added in April 2005 >>
For all
items from February, 2005 >>
Find all stories from
January 2005
For items archived from December,
2004, click here.
Our coverage of the 2004 General
Assembly is indexed on a special page.
For links to earlier archive pages,
click here. |
3/31/05 |
A prayer on the death of Terri Schiavo
Charles Henderson, a Presbyterian minister and “Your Guide to
Christianity – General” on About.com,
offers this prayer of gratitude for the gift of life, and a releasing of the
loved one into the hands of God.
God of compassion and
love,
you have breathed into us the breath of life
and have given us minds and bodies in which we live out
our days on earth.
For the gift of life, we are grateful.
We humbly acknowledge that there is a time to live,
and a time to die.
We commit this life* to you,
trusting in your gracious promises and
confident in the sure and certain hope of new
life in the world to come.
Into your hands we commit our beloved.
May your will be done!
In the good and gracious name of Christ,
we pray. Amen.
* the name of a loved one may be used here.
You can also read it on Henderson's web site >>
Other good resources from Dr. Henderson:
More on the dying of Terri
Schiavo >> |
Witherspoon co-sponsors “Peace Not Poverty”
witness
The executive
committee of the Witherspoon Society has committed to co-sponsor the
interfaith witness for “Peace Not Poverty,”
which will culminate in a declaration that will be read at the "Beyond
Iraq" interfaith service on April 4 at Riverside Church in New York City.
Two Witherspoon
members, the Rev. Phyllis Zoon and the Rev. Tom Philipp, will
represent us in
the opening procession.
More on the April 4th service and witness
at Riverside Church >>
Break the Silence Bus Tour
Following the
April 4th Beyond Iraq Service and Rally at Riverside Church in
New York City, the Building the Beloved Community Leaders are boarding a bus
and heading out to Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC to answer forcefully
the attacks on freedom and justice by religious voices from the right.
Come, add your
voice. Be there to greet the “Building Beloved Community” leaders on their
bus tour throughout the nation.
Speak out against the Iraq War and its
conduct. Speak out for economic, civil and social justice in our own land.
The first two
stops have been finalized.
Philadelphia, PA – Tuesday, April 5, 11:00
am - 12:30 pm at Project Home, 1515 Fairmount Ave.
Washington, DC – Tuesday, April 5, 5:00 pm –
7:00 pm at National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle.
Additionally,
all clergy and other religious leaders from all faith traditions are invited
to an organizing session for an ongoing progressive religious community
presence and voice in the nation's capitol. This will be held April 6, 9 am
- 11 am at National City Christian Church.
Details for
the rest of the bus tour will follow.
Please share
this invitation to all in the Philadelphia and Washington DC areas who might
want to attend. Thanks for your support.
If you can
represent Witherspoon as a local coordinator in Washington or Philadelphia,
please let us know.
Just send a note! |
Marriage promotion, reproductive injustice, and the war
against poor women of color With Republicans
busy attempting to take away Michael Schiavo's marital rights, and making
sure gays don't have any, it's easy to forget another of the party's
priorities is the Healthy Marriage Initiative, which links welfare benefits
to getting hitched. The legislation, as invasive as it is hypocritical, is
especially harmful to poor women and women of color who have been
domestically abused.
From Utne WebWatch
|
Covenant Network’s Turning Points documentary
honored by Religion Communicators Council The
Religion Communicators
Council has selected
Turning
Points: Stories of Life and Change in the Church to receive the 2005
DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Award as Best in Class for
Educational/Documentary Video. The hour-long documentary was produced by the
Covenant Network of Presbyterians in cooperation with Greenhouse Pictures in
New York.
Read the complete
press release >> |
A call to repentance
Presbyterians from left and right attend prayerful Coalition conference
Houston, Texas, saw a gathering on March 17-19 of some 75 Presbyterians
under the theme, "Repent & Believe: A Call to Prayer and Repentance."
Convened by the conservative affinity group, the Presbyterian Coalition, the
conference sought to provide an occasion for prayer and repentance, drawing
together people from both the right and left sides of the PC(USA).
Read the
Presbyterian News Service report.>> |
3/29/05 |
Presbytery
cuts ties with Messianic Jewish congregation
Relationship with Philadelphia’s Avodat Yisrael ends July 1
Philadelphia Presbytery voted
Tuesday to end its relationship with Congregation Avodat Yisrael, the
Messianic Jewish new-church development it began supporting in 2002.
On Tuesday, the Rev. Clifton
Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the General Assembly, said in a prepared
statement: “I am deeply grateful for the faithful work and witness of this
and every other presbytery across the Presbyterian Church (USA), as we all
seek to live out our call to share the good news of the gospel and to
respect the common roots we share with our Jewish neighbors.”
Read the PNS report >>
For background on the
Avodat Yisrael
congregation >> |
"Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances" join together to
fight Patriot Act
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and
President Bush are insisting that the U.S.A. Patriot Act must be renewed in
full by Congress, despite the ever-growing concern from Americans across the
political spectrum that the legislation unnecessarily undermines the
defining tenets of our nation: the rights guaranteed by the Constitution
itself. The Patriot Act, legislation passed hastily immediately following
the September 11th attacks, allows for undue government intrusion into the
private lives of average Americans.
This
week a broad array of organizations, from the American Conservative Union
and Americans for Tax Reform to the American Civil Liberties Union, joined
in coalition to fight the controversial provisions of the Patriot Act. The
mission of this partnership of progressives and conservatives, called
"Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances," is to "fix the Patriot Act to
enable the government to fight terror while preserving important checks and
balances on law enforcement." The group is urging Congress to carefully
review the Patriot Act, and to modify provisions giving the government
enhanced surveillance and monitoring powers without cause.
Read more about the
newly-launched "Patriots to Restore
Checks and Balances." >> |
Moderator and Stated Clerk send their latest letters to
the PC(USA)
Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase
writes with enthusiasm about the diversity and the dynamic leadership he has
found among Presbyterian young adults and college students in his visits
this year.
Stated
Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick reflects on a spring without preparations for
a General Assembly. (He doesn’t sigh visibly in his article, but you can
almost imagine ...) He sees good things happening: "evidence that we are
finding new ways to build community other than through legislative
assemblies"; plans for various regional gathering and the National Pastors’
Retreat that might not be possible otherwise.
|
A pastor writes to say
that Terri Schiavo’s situation is not like those on true life support
Responding to
our note about an article in the
Columbia Journalism Review, the Rev. Jim Tweedie that the two patients
mentioned in the article clearly could not have survived without life
support, while Terri Schiavo has needed only food and fluid. He says this
makes a difference that should be respected. |
If you really want something new ...
Folks can now advertise their commitment to abstinence thanks to a
clothing line that’s getting more attention.
Los Angeles-based Wait Wear sells t-shirts and, most interestingly,
underwear with various messages promoting abstinence until marriage.
One set of briefs reads “No Vows No Sex,” while a bikini brief has “Traffic
Control: Wait for Marriage” emblazoned on the crotch. One of the girl’s
t-shirts says, “Notice: No Trespassing on This Property. My Father Is
Watching.”
Read more
and see a picture >> |
3/28/05 |
There’s still time to get into the
conversation for peace This Wednesday, people all across the country
will meet online -- we're expecting hundreds of thousands. Working together,
we'll create a written Declaration for peace and justice and against the war
(a smart new online collaboration tool will make it possible for such a huge
group to work together easily). The goal is to articulate the progressive
vision we all share for America, and to launch a determined, on-going
nationwide effort to end the war and realize that positive dream.
Here's the link to sign up for the meeting:
http://www.PeaceNotPoverty.org
That declaration of values -- YOUR values -- will be read in a televised
"Beyond Iraq" interfaith service from historic Riverside Church in New York
on April 4th, the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1967 speech
against the Vietnam War. Then our friends from the Peace Not Poverty
campaign will take the message on the road with a nationwide bus tour to
connect with people of conscience across America.
In order to participate YOU MUST SIGN UP BY TUES, MARCH 29 AT NOON at
http://www.PeaceNotPoverty.org
We're proud to be supporting the work of this unique event's many
co-sponsors:
Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq, Clergy and Laity Network, Faith
Voices for the Common Good, Drive Democracy, Fellowship of Reconciliation,
United for Peace and Justice, National Council of Churches, FaithfulAmerica,
Fellowship of Reconciliation, Gold Star Families for Peace, Pax Christi USA,
The Tikkun Community, Unitarian Universalist Association, The Shalom Center,
World Sikh Council-America Region, Progressive Christians Uniting,
Protestants for the Common Good, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America,
Christians for Justice Action (United Church of Christ), Disciples Justice
Action Network, Witherspoon Society, Church of the Brethren, Peace
Witness Office, Rainbow PUSH Coalition Clergy and Laity Network, The WHALE
Center, The Bruderhof, Call to Action, The Witness Magazine, One Life
Institute, Peace and Security Project of Iowa, Episcopal Divinity School
More >> |
Thoughts
for the day after Easter:
"Sad week
gives way to joyful morning"
That’s the headline on Garrison Keillor’s Easter reflections in Sunday’s
Minneapolis Star Tribune. I first misread it as “joyful mourning,” which
I like better. Anyway, here’s a thoughtful look at the meaning of Easter
from the land where ten people died just a week ago on the Red Lake Indian
reservation, and the nation watched a family in Florida struggled with a
question which, as Keillor says, “everybody over 50 has considered long
ago.” I hope you’ll enjoy his essay as a little after-Easter meditation – a
gift from the land where global warming doesn’t look like such a bad deal. |
3/25/05 -- May
God's Spirit live in us and among us on this holy day. |
On the dying of Terri Schiavo |
Personal Reflections
on Theresa Schiavo's Life
The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith
Alliance, has written a personal expression of concern – for Terri Schiavo
and her family, and for the political climate in our nation today.
A few excerpts:
The life-and-death
issues brought into focus by Mrs. Schiavo’s sad condition involve medical
questions and legal considerations far too complex for me to address
without more information. I might add that, in my opinion, members of the
United States Congress would have been well advised to adopt a posture of
humility and compassion related to these issues as they impact Mrs.
Schiavo and her family. ...
Profound questions
disturb me. Are there no limits on the intrusive reach of this government?
Where will Washington go next? Do claims of both religious and political
authority give a government the right to invade the spheres of personal
autonomy and religious independence? How long will the American public
wait for such questions to be answered.
Dear friends, all of
us would do well to step back from the bedside of a woman caught somewhere
between death and life, divorce our political initiatives from this realm
of personal and familial pain, pray for the peace of Terri Schiavo and her
family, and ... decide what we are going to do about our democracy.
Read his letter in full >> |
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The case is
full of great ironies. A large part of Terri's hospice costs are paid by
Medicaid, a program that the administration and conservatives in Congress
would sharply reduce. Some of her other expenses have been covered by the
million-dollar proceeds of a malpractice suit - the kind of suit that
President Bush has fought to scale back."
- NPR commentator Daniel Schorr. [with
thanks to Stuart Robertson] |
Ten Native Americans die, and there is
silence [a little comment from your WebWeaver]
As residents of Minnesota, we may feel a little closer to
the killings and suicide in Red Lake, just a couple hundred miles north of
the Twin Cities. And we do wonder about a sense of proportion.
Ten people -- men, women, and teen-agers -- are dead, and a tightly
connected Native American community is deeply affected. And from the
White House, not a word. For one white woman, slowly dying in Florida
after years of unconsciousness, the White House and Congress have tried to
move heaven and earth -- or at least the state and federal courts, including
even the Supremes -- to extend the life of Terri Schiavo's body a bit
longer. Why?
Clyde Bellecourt, a Chippewa Indian who is the founder and
national director of the American Indian Movement here in the Twin Cities,
is quoted in a
Washington Post article as commenting: "From all over the world we
are getting letters of condolence, the Red Cross has come, but the so-called
Great White Father in Washington hasn't said or done a thing.
When people's children are murdered and others are in the hospital hanging
on to life, he should be the first one to offer his condolences. . . . If
this was a white community, I don't think he'd have any problem doing that."
|
Resources for end-of-life issues
As the impending end of Terri Schiavo's life moves many
people to think about similar situations that might one day face them, we
offer some listings of helpful resources
for dealing with end-of-life issues, living wills, and more.
|
More on the dying of Terri
Schiavo >> |
|
25 years after Romero assassination, liberation theology lives on
While the past 25 years have seen an apparent
decline in the impact of liberation theology in our churches and seminaries,
Celeste Kennel-Shank argues that it still makes a difference – in Christian
base communities in Central America, in the continuing witness against the
School of the Americas, in the churches’ awareness that “salvation is
connected to liberation in this world.”
Says Margaret Swedish, a Romero biographer and
director of the Washington-based Religious Task Force on Central America and
Mexico, says “What he presents us with is a model of how to be a community
of faith in a time of fear. ... His legacy is still powerful today,
especially in the U.S. with 9/11 and the war in Iraq. People are looking to
these martyrs to see how to witness in a time of violence.”
Read the whole article,
from Religion News Service >> |
Peace - NOT Poverty
The Witherspoon Society
has endorsed this upcoming act of witness for peace and justice.
And since then,
FaithfulAmerica has sent a message urging support for the Peace Not
Poverty witness. It provides a good survey of the activities planned, and
why they’re important. |
Faith leaders to call
for ‘Hunger No More’
Capital gathering in
June will include PC(USA)’s Kirkpatrick
An interfaith convocation on hunger organized by
Bread for the World
(BFW), a Christian anti-hunger group, will bring together a host of
prominent U.S. religious leaders, including the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick,
stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The gathering, “Hunger No More: An Interfaith Convocation,”
is scheduled for June 6 at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
The event, part of a larger conference in the capital, will
address hunger in the United States and around the world. Participants will
urge President Bush and members of Congress to join Christians, Jews,
Muslims and people of other faiths in a new national commitment to ending
hunger.
“As Christians, and as all people of faith, we are called to
care for hungry people,” Kirkpatrick said. “This issue is one on which we
can all agree. So, we are using our collective voice at this historic event
to call our government to stand for ‘the least among us.’ I am proud to
represent the PC(USA) at this event.”
Read the full report
from Presbyterian News Service >> |
Proclaiming Easter Presbyterian Outlook has posted
two very helpful sermons on the meaning of Easter:
The Significance of the Resurrection
by Cynthia L. Rigby
Easter Faith, Easter Church
by George W. Stroup
Also --
"A Prayer at the
Empty Tomb" is a short poem shared with us by Witherspooner Bill
LeMosy. It awakens reflection on conversion and compassion, justice
and wisdom, faith and transformation. |
3/24/05 |
Witherspoon
co-sponsors “Peace Not Poverty” witness
The executive
committee of the Witherspoon Society has committed to co-sponsor the
interfaith witness for
“Peace Not Poverty,” which will culminate in a declaration that will be
read at the "Beyond Iraq" interfaith service on April 4 in Riverside Church
in New York City.
You can
play a role in drafting the statement.
On March 30, a
one-million-person community of conscience will gather online to create a
declaration against the Iraq War. This "write-in" is the second of four
events planned by progressive religious leaders and organizations to launch
a movement to build what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the
Beloved Community.
More >>
Questions or
comments?
Please send a
note! |
Remembering
Romero
The "Salvador Option" —to use
death squads to target Iraqi regime enemies—is still being considered at the
Pentagon. Twenty-five years ago today, the original Salvador option
assassinated Archbishop Oscar Romero. Mark Engler, an analyst with
Foreign Policy In Focus, looks that that dark time and warns that
choosing state-sponsored terror as U.S. policy in Iraq will only exacerbate
the incipient civil war and kill more innocent civilians.
From TomPaine.com
Read the
essay >>
... and our
short posting from yesterday |
3/23/05 |
More on "the
Schiavo case" We recently received a note urging us to
provide some serious moral and theological reflection on the tragic case of
Terri Schiavo.
Read the note >>
Here are more reflections, first from Witherspoon
Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle, then a press release from
Americans United, and
finally an analysis of media coverage, by the
Columbia Journalism Review.
And of course,
We welcome your comments!
Just send a note to
be shared here. |
Tomorrow, March 24, marks the 25th anniversary of the
assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero.
As the
archbishop of San Salvador, Romero regularly spoke out against the growing
violence and violations of human rights perpetrated by the armed forces and
paramilitary death squads in his country. On March 23, 1980, he directly
addressed the country's soldiers in his weekly homily, pleading, "In the
name of God, in the name of these suffering people whose cries rise to
heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you: Stop the
repression."
The next day,
he was shot dead by a sniper while celebrating Mass.
We invite
you to remember his death, celebrate his life, and meditate on God’s call to
us to be partisans for peace in our own time and place.
You might
begin by looking at a short piece posted in the San Romero Yahoo
Discussion Group by Carlos X. Colorado, moderator,
sanromero@yahoogroups.com.
It’s called
Ten Reasons Why Archbishop Romero Is Important, 25 Years after His Death
The first four
reasons (to get you started) are
1. He told the
marginalized, "you are important"
2. He was a
Christian martyr
3. He was a
prophet
4. His
"conversion" makes him a compelling hero
Read the whole essay >> |
Towards a Just and Durable Peace:
Presbyterian Bruce Gillette speaks to the
United Nations on Israelis and Palestinians
On March 9,
2005, the Rev. Bruce Gillette, moderator for the Assembly Committee on
Peacemaking of the
216th General Assembly
(2004), spoke to a special meeting of the United Nations in Geneva about the
creative actions for peace and justice for all in the Middle East that were
taken by the assembly. One week after the assembly met, the International
Court of Justice (the principal judicial organ of the United Nations since
1946) issued an
advisory opinion
that "the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying
Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East
Jerusalem, and its associated régime, are contrary to international law."
The UN held a special meeting on the question of Palestine on March 8-9,
2005 in its Geneva offices for the purpose of exploring the implications of
the ICJ opinion and peacemaking efforts in the Middle East by various groups
in society through the support of international law. The Presbyterian Church
(USA) was the only religious organization to be invited to make a
presentation at this meeting.
 |
Read the full
text of Gillette’s statement, which offers a careful tracing of the
background of the PC(USA) action at the 216th General Assembly,
the process and criteria by which divestment decisions are shaped and
weighed, and much more. |
|
On being a nation
of Pharisees Jesuit warns
that America has become a nation of Pharisees -- and Presbyterian Berry
Craig takes off from there.
In this provocative little essay (and that word can mean
it's one that will make you think -- or make you mad) journalist and
professor Berry Craig, responds to a recent article by Jesuit John Dear,
saying that "we have become a culture of Pharisees."
We encourage you to
take a look at
Dear's essay, along with Craig's. |
Responding to the shootings at Red Lake (MN) High School
We grieve with those whose lives have been touched by the
shootings at Red Lake High School and by gun violence across the country.
Five years ago, Carolyn Winfrey Gillette wrote new words to a hymn that seem
particularly appropriate today. It's called "A Prayer for the
Children," and it is available on
the web page of
the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
Thanks to Bruce Gillette |
Student activists (yes,
they’re out there!) are
going hungry to help janitors
Twenty-five Georgetown
University students are carrying on a hunger strike to support demands for
living wages security for the university's 450 contract employees, mostly
custodial, food service and security workers.
Read the report in the
Washington Post ... or on
TruthOut.org |
3/21/05 |
Today Witherspoon members have been sending lots of notes
-- their own reports, reflections, or suggestions of other sources.
Keep up the good work! And if you're not a Witherspoon member, we
welcome your contributions too!
Just send a
note. |
The
case of Terri Schiavo Witherspoon
member Dean Lindsey asks for reflection on the tragic and conflict-laden
case of Terri Schiavo -- and he offers some opening thoughts.
A political take on the situation:
It's a "midnight coup" in
Washington
The L. A. Times comments on the intervention of
Congress and the President as a "midnight coup," short-circuiting the
role of states and their courts, thus merely imposing a right-wing
interpretation of morality on the nation.
We welcome your comments!
Just send a note
to be shared here.
|
Two years of war marked by vigils and protests
Witherspooner Jean Rodenbough sends her
reflections on the protest rally she joined in Fayetteville, NC, outside
Fort Bragg.
The
Chicago Tribune reported on the demonstrations with a focus on the
action outside Fort Bragg, but covering the broader picture as well.
TruthOut
presents a long collection of web reports from participants in actions
around the country. |
A former Israeli soldier calls for divestment as a way to
peace Witherspooners Darrell and Sue Yeaney have
shared with us
an
article published in The Nation. Calling it "a powerful witness
to the truth by an former member of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), [and]
a witness that few Americans see, hear or know," they encourage people to
share it with friends and acquaintances.
After recounting his experiences in the Israeli army
(including the torture of Palestinian detainees), he says:
After years of failed political efforts by the Israeli
and international human rights community aimed at ending the occupation,
it is clear that new approaches must be implemented. It is time for
American civic institutions to support a multi-tiered campaign of
strategic, selective sanctions against Israel until the occupation ends.
Since the Israeli government is flagrantly disobeying the ICJ decision,
international law mandates the use of sanctions to force Israel to comply
with UN resolutions and human rights treaties.
The first step for American institutions is to engage in
selective divestment--withdrawal of their investments from companies that
are, directly or indirectly, funding the occupation.
|
Faith and science – not enemies!
Witherspooner Chris Iosso urges that ministers and others
might want to sign on to a public
letter calling for clear thinking (theological and otherwise) about the
relation between faith and science. |
3/18/05 |
Guatemalans protest against CAFTA
Karla Koll, a Presbyterian mission
co-worker in Guatemala, sends an on-the-scene report of demonstrations
against the legislature's approval of the Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA). At least one demonstrator has been killed, apparently
by police. |
What we
can learn from the Orthodox churches Jean
Rodenbough, a retired Presbyterian minister, reflect s on a two-week visit
to Belarus and Russia by ten representatives of Salem Presbytery. Her time
with churches in the Russian Orthodox tradition exposed her, she says, "to
an alternative for our studied intellectual approach to faith." In the
Orthodox sense of the Mystery of the divine she finds what could be a
refreshing corrective for our current problems and tensions. |
PCUSA and divestment from Israel
supported by Jewish organization
A representative of Jewish Voice for Peace
tells Chicago Presbyterians why her group appreciates and supports the
PC(USA)’s considering possibilities for selective divestment from companies
that are providing equipment and other support for Israel’s occupation of
Palestinian territory.
Thanks to PresbyWeb for this connection. |
Resources for Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday
 |
A State of
Emergency: Meditation for Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate Christ's
entry in the city of Jerusalem. On that occasion Jesus felt that the
people faced a state of emergency, but did not realize the seriousness of
their situation. The same may be true today ... |
The Rev. Charles Henderson, Presbyterian
minister and “Your Guide to Christianity” on
About.com, reflects on Christ's warning
to a world at war.
 |
A New Freedom Seder Many Presbyterian
churches combine the Jewish celebration of the Passover seder with their
celebrations of Maundy Thursday.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow has published a new version of the
well-known Freedom Seder. As he introduces it: “Now it is we who renew the
Seder, rebirthing the Telling of freedom itself as the Telling rebirths
us. New Pharaohs have arisen. It is time for a new birth of freedom, time
for a NEW FREEDOM SEDER.” |
|
New organization of U.S. churches
set for June launch
Ecumenical group first to
include Catholic bishops
A long-discussed organization
of a wide range of U.S. churches and church bodies will be launched in June.
The new group, Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT-USA), will
officially inaugurate its work on June 1. It will include the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, Evangelicals for Social Action, the
humanitarian organization World Vision, as well as evangelical and main-line
Protestant denominations. |
Bankruptcy – a real problem
We recently called attention to a critique of
the bill now in Congress to make it more difficult of people to declare
bankruptcy, particularly as falling most heavily on people of limited means.
Witherspooner Gordon Shull of Wooster, OH, sends this comment:
Re. the bankruptcy bill: friends of the poor need to acknowledge that the
abuse of bankruptcy options is a serious problem. Creditors have a right
to be paid. I know creditors who have been grievously damaged by
unscrupulous or careless "bankrupters."
The fact that the new bill would fall heavily on the needy is one more
reason to correct our health insurance scandal, and to provide
government-as-employer-of-last-resort for the unemployed. If we solved
these problems we could deal with bankruptcy on its own merits. But it is
awkward and unhelpful to try to help the poor and needy via bankruptcy
legislation.
-Gordon Shull, Wooster, OH
|
3/16/05 |
Bankruptcy bill said to hit
poorest Americans hardest If you’ve been
following the Senate debate and action on the so-called “bankruptcy reform
bill,” you’re probably aware that it will have a great impact on many people
of limited means, who have used bankruptcy as a way to get a fresh start –
often when they have been overcome by illness and medical bills, or by
unemployment.
This article provides more details on the impact of the
bill, which passed the Senate last week, and will very likely be approved by
the House and then signed by the President.
Read it on
TruthOut.org
or on
CommonDreams Read a comment
on this item >> |
Top court rejects
appeal involving Muslim's head scarf
Freedom of religious
observance seems to be restricted by the ruling.
The AP story >> |
Sex and Shame: from Ancient Israel to Today
Wilson
College, in Chambersburg, PA, is holding a one-day forum on this provocative
subject on Monday, March 28, with Dr. Alice Ogden Bellis of Howard
University’s School of Divinity as the featured speaker, and a number of
interesting workshops are planned.
To
Pre-Register or for more information visit
http://www.wilson.edu/events/orrforum
Or contact David True, Chair of Philosophy and Religion: (717)
264-4141
dtrue@wilson.edu |
Rocky Mountain College will host a Jesus Seminar on the Road (JSOR) in
Billings, Montana, April 8 and 9.
The workshop
is entitled; "Jesus Before and After the Myth." Robert Funk, the founder of
the Jesus Seminar will be there, and will be joined by Joe Bessler-Northcutt
of Phillips Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
For more information and instructions on how to register >>
For the
frugal: If you sign up by Friday, you will save money.
Thanks to Witherspooner John Shuck |
New DVD series tells stories
of Palestinian Christians in West Bank
Marthame and
Elizabeth Sanders announce the completion of their series
Marthame and
Elizabeth Sanders lived in the mostly Christian Palestinian village of
Zababdeh from August, 2000, through December, 2003. Volunteers with the
Presbyterian Church (USA), their ministry was one of ecumenical support to
the Church in the land of its birth. Salt
of the Earth documents the lives of nine Palestinian Christians
living in the northern West Bank. This film grew out of a desire among their
Palestinian neighbors to share their stories, and a desire among Christians
in the West to hear them. The Sanders describe the project as "a labor of
love, a response to the graciousness, warmth, hospitality, and welcome we
received from our Palestinian neighbors and colleagues." |
10 Things
You Never Hear in Church ... including ...
1. Hey! It's
my turn to sit in the front pew!
5. I
volunteer to be the permanent teacher for the Junior High Sunday School
class.
Don't miss the other eight >> |
3/14/05 |
Network News for Winter 2005 is in the mail ...
and it's right here in PDF format |
Announcing a major Witherspoon event:
A
national conference on Global Mission and Justice,
Sept. 9 - 11, Stony
Point, NY.
"Dancing with God: Global Mission on the Edge."
We've added more information, and a
registration form for the event. |
Louisville gathering
celebrates success of the Taco Bell boycott
Noelle
Damico, coordinator of the Taco Bell Boycott, reports that "yesterday many,
many folks gathered to celebrate the just resolution of the Taco Bell
boycott at the Presbyterian Church's headquarters in Louisville." She
provides links to two articles from the Louisville Courier Journal
which "will give you a sense of the joy and commitment that marked the day!" |
Peace Not Poverty -- bearing witness for the “Beloved
Community”
On March 30,
a one-million-person community of conscience will gather online to create a
declaration against the Iraq War. This "write-in" is the second of four
events planned by progressive religious leaders and organizations to launch
a movement to build what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the
Beloved Community. Details
>> |
3/11/05 |
Church
leaders term Bush budget ‘unjust’ Kirkpatrick among those calling
for opposition to ’06 spending plan
The leaders of five mainline Protestant denominations, speaking together
at a press conference in Washington on March 8, called President Bush’s 2006
federal budget "unjust."
Kirkpatrick was represented by the Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory, director
of the PC(USA)’s Washington Office. She read a statement Kirkpatrick had
prepared. |
Domestic Programs Slated for
Large Cuts in 2006 Budget The Presbyterian
Washington Report, prepared by the PCUSA Washington Office, provides more
details about the severe and broad cuts in domestic programs that would be
imposed by the Administration’s budget proposal. Programs impacted would
include those that help alleviate
hunger through Food Stamps and school lunch programs, provide high quality
public education to all children, assist families in affording safe child
care, help families find safe, affordable housing, and offer unemployment
benefits. |
PCUSA news
releases stimulate issue-oriented discussion and action in a congregation
The Rev. Linda Pflugfelder
shares this suggestive idea in a note dated 3/10/05:
I want to comment on a
PCUSA news release I received this morning entitled "Under the Radar"
concerning the numbers of people in the pews who are not aware of 216th
General Assembly’s controversial actions with respect to the
Israel/Palestine conflict.
We have experienced a
wonderful thing happening in our church because of these PCUSA news releases
I receive because I forward them on to those few people in the congregation
that I think will be interested.
When I received one a while
back about the ecumenical letter that went to President Bush concerning the
conflict in the Middle East, I forwarded it to about 8 people I thought
would be interested in it, asking if they wanted to get together and talk
about what we could do to help promote peace. I thought maybe we'd write a
letter. What happened was phenomenal!
We met and they decided to
form a "peacemaking" group in our congregation that would be responsible for
finding ways to educate the congregation about issues of peace and justice.
This group of 8 has met
weekly to plan a four-week Adult Ed class on the Israel/Palestine situation.
They have done research, contacted people who can speak from different
perspectives and found material to lead this discussion with our
congregation. I am only with them as a resource. When this series is done,
they plan to continue to meet together to find other ways to educate the
congregation about peace and justice issues.
This is just one way to get
important issues "on the radar screen." (And it is not left up to the
pastors to get it there.)
Peace,
Rev. Linda Pflugfelder
You can always get
the latest reports from
Presbyterian News Service |
Sharing the Waters
of Life
June 9-12, 2005
Presbyterians for Restoring Creation
5th National Eco-Justice Conference
Silver Bay YMCA Center, Silver Bay, NY
"Sharing
the Waters of Life" will gather people from throughout the U.S. to:
 |
Explore
biblical and theological foundations for responsible human living in God's
creation |
 |
Learn of
water challenges in relationship to economic and ecological justice,
globally and locally-in your own watershed as well as in the Lake George,
Adirondack, and Hudson River watersheds. |
 |
Share
strategies, skills, and opportunities for on-going education and action. |
 |
Advocate
as a gathered community for just public policies. Adopt new five-year
goals and action plan for PRC. |
 |
Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation,
as well as global accomplishments for environmental justice of the past
decade, through music, dance, arts and worship. |
MORE >> |
Church Folks for a Better America adds
progressive faith-based voices to the "moral values" debate
Princeton Seminary professor George Hunsinger
started this group, to which we have referred in the past. Now
in
The Nation magazine he shares this thoughts on Iraq, torture, and
the challenges facing progressive religious leaders.
Read our earlier
reference >> |
3/8/05 --
a good-news bulletin |
It’s over, and the
workers won!
Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Taco Bell reach groundbreaking agreement
CIW to end Taco Bell boycott; Taco Bell to pay
penny-per-pound surcharge demanded by workers, will work with CIW to raise
farm labor standards in supply chain, across industry as a whole
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
letter has just been sent to middle governing bodies, telling of the
settlement ending Taco Bell boycott
... and
a note from Noelle
Damico, boycott coordinator for PC(USA) |
3/7/05 |
Rev. Don
Beisswenger speaks to his presbytery about the spiritual significance of
his 6 month prison term for nonviolent protest against the School of the
Americas
Don Beisswenger was arrested for his participation in the
November 2003 demonstration again the School of the Americas at Fort Benning,
Georgia. He was sent to the Federal Prison in Manchester, Kentucky,
where he served a six-month sentence. He completed his sentence and
was released on October 1, 2004.
In speaking to his Presbytery, Don reflects on the meaning
of his action, the continuing violence -- especially now in Colombia --
rooted in the work of SOA. He concludes:
Prison is not foreign to our faith. In Hebrews
we are called to “remember those in prison as though in prison with them,
and as those who are ill treated for you also are of the body.”
So I thank you as you remembered me with
prayer and letters. I knew a deep sense of community with the people of God,
and peace, even amidst the difficult time.
|
Erin Swenson receives Lazarus Award, speaks about her own
new life in becoming female
Rev. Erin Swenson received 2005 Lazarus Project Award at
the Lazarus Banquet in Pasadena, CA, on February 26, 2005.
Susan Halcomb Craig, pastor of United University Church in Los Angeles,
introduced her saying: ".. after 23 years of ordained service in the
Presbyterian Church, Erin became the first known mainstream Protestant
minister to transition from male to female while retaining her ordained
status in the denomination. Erin is accomplished as theologian and
psychotherapist; as Ph.D. author and educator; as More Light Presbyterians’
Co-Moderator and counselor; as father/mother and devoted family member, wise
woman and friend."
Erin, in her keynote address, spoke about the occasional
importance of a comma (as in that popular book Eats, Shoots and Leaves).
A lectionary reading for later this summer will include Isaiah 56:1, 6-8.
It’s a powerful, prophetic passage which demands doing justice, but skips
over (with a comma) the inclusion of foreigners, "eunuchs" and those who
don’t have children among God’s people.
More >> |
Confession is good for the soul
... even in journalism
We have
recently posted
news of an argument of sorts between Parker T. Williamson, editor of
the Layman, and Dr.
Mark Achtemeier,
a conservative member of the Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity.
Achetemeier demanded that Williamson retract some of the things he said
about Achtemeier's classroom teaching. Williamson has refused to
retract, correct, or apologize for what he wrote.
We have also
linked to a much-discussed talk by
journalist Bill Moyers, in which he quoted a statement and attributed
it to former Secretary of the Interior James Watt. Turns out Watt
apparently never said that, and Moyers apologized.
In passing, we
noted the contrast between the two journalists. Now a former
journalist, Berry Craig, offers a few more comments on the ethics of
journalism, the importance checking facts, and the equal important of
acknowledging our mistrakes.
|
This May and June,
three different national Presbyterian
conferences are taking place in Snowbird, Utah. Witherspoon encourages
you to consider taking part in one of these if you can. |
More discussion on
"Steps toward peace in Israel and
Palestine" a report by Arch
Taylor on a conference sponsored by the Office of the General Assembly,
February 10-12, 2005
We recently posted Arch Taylor’s summary of a discussion on Israel and
Palestine, which focused on concerns expressed about the possibility of
divestment of some PS(USA) investments in companies providing support for
the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
We received one brief
note from Will Spotts, objecting to
some of Taylor’s statements, along with comments by Sarah Lisherness of the
Presbyterian Peace Program, as showing lack of respect for Jewish statements
and attitudes.
A longer comment came
from Robert Hardage of New York, taking issue with Taylor’s
characterization of the group Rabbis for Human Rights, and some of his
descriptions of the State of Israel in general.
Dr. Taylor has
responded to that note, and
Mr. Hardage has offered
further elaboration of his views. |
3/5/05 |
A reminder:
Taco Bell rally in
Louisville, March 12th |
A Canadian looks wryly at US policies – missile defense projects and all
Witherspooner Darrell Yeaney of Iowa City, IA, sends word of an open letter
from former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, after the US Ambassador to Canada asked "why Canada would
in effect give up its sovereignty" by not going along with the US missile
defense project.
He begins with a wee bit of sarcasm:
Dear Condi, I'm glad you've decided to get over
your fit of pique and venture north to visit your closest neighbour. It's a
chance to learn a thing or two. Maybe more.
I know it seems improbable to your divinely guided master in the White House
that mere mortals might disagree with participating in a missile-defence
system that has failed in its last three tests, even though the tests
themselves were carefully rigged to show results.
But he moves far deeper to point out truly
important differences between the attitudes of Canadians and their neighbors
to the south. Among other things:
I invite you to expand the narrow perspective
that seems to inform your opinions of Canada by ranging far wider in your
reach of contacts and discussions. You would find that what is rising in
Canada is not so much anti-Americanism, as claimed by your and our
right-wing commentators, but fundamental disagreements with certain policies
of your government. You would see that rather than just reacting to events
by drawing on old conventional wisdoms, many Canadians are trying to think
our way through to some ideas that can be helpful in building a more secure
world.
These Canadians believe that security can be achieved through well-modulated
efforts to protect the rights of people, not just nation-states.
To encourage and advance international co-operation on managing the risk of
climate change, they believe that we need agreements like Kyoto.
Read the full letter >> |
Unseen and bloody realities of the Iraq war
Another
helpful Witherspooner, Jean Rodenbough, of Madison, NC, calls our attention
to something few of us saw on Inauguration Day – or any time since.
Sister Joan
Chittister wrote in the National Catholic Reporter on Jan. 28, while
she was in Dublin, about seeing vivid photos in the Dublin paper, which were
apparently circulating rapidly all over Europe. They depicted the shooting
of a car-load of Iraqi civilians in Tal Afar, when their car did not slow
down for an American check point. (Sounds sadly close to today’s news of the
shooting of Giuliana Sgrena, an Italian journalist just released from weeks
of being held hostage by Iraqis in .)
The series
of photos of the incident includes one of a little girl screaming beside her
family car, the blood of her parents splattered on her dress.
Jean adds:
“I cannot even now remember that photo without getting choked up. Yet it has
not appeared in US papers, at least around here, nor did the Greensboro
paper publish a letter I wrote about it (whether it was because it didn't
fit any of their criteria, or because they didn't want to touch this
subject, I dunno).”
You can
look at
Joan Chittister's article or go directly to
look at the photos. Jean asks, “Is there something that can be done to
publicize this? That 3rd picture stands on a par with the Vietnamese girl
running naked down the street during the Vietnam War. I am just appalled
that this news story never reached US media. According to Chittister's
article, it spread like wildfire across Europe.”
 | A quick
Google search turned up hundreds of links, but your WebWeaver in scanning
the first 100 found only one report of this incident in a US newspaper –
the
Long Island paper Newsday. |
|
Bankruptcy Reform bill would
make it harder for Americans to get relief from high medical bills by
declaring bankruptcy
This word comes to us
from FamiliesUSA
– slightly edited here
One urgent issue in Congress today is S.256,
the Bankruptcy Reform bill, which
would make it harder for average Americans in financial distress to receive
help through the bankruptcy process. This bill is especially harmful because
nearly half of all bankruptcies in America are caused by medical bills.
To ease the
harmful effects of this bill for those who must declare bankruptcy for
medical reasons, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) will introduce several
amendments to the bill next week. These may include limiting how much
hospitals can charge those individuals, Medicare prescription drug
negotiation authority for the federal government, drug reimportation, and
other measures to deal with the rising costs of health care.
To take action now
--
Call your
Senators to oppose
making it harder for Americans with high medical bills to declare
bankruptcy. Instead, urge them to support efforts to lower hospital and
prescription drug bills. To find your Senator's phone number, call the
U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
For more information,
read E.J. Dionne's column in The Washington Post,
"A Bill Bankrupt of Pity" (free registration required). |
3/2/05 |
Steps toward
peace in Israel and Palestine
Arch Taylor offers a detailed report on a conference
sponsored by the Office of the General Assembly, February 10-12, 2005, to
help Presbyterians from all over the Church gain understanding of the
historical background of the Israel/Palestine conflict, the GA policy, the
process leading up to the official action related to the possibility of
divestment, and to assist the implementation of the action. |
A hymn for World Day of Prayer, 2005
O God of Light, May Our Light Shine
The
World Day of Prayer
2005’s
theme is “Let
our Light Shine.”
The new hymn, “O
God of Light, May Our Light Shine,”
was written by Carolyn Gillette for the ecumenical celebration of the World
Day of Prayer hosted by the Hockessin United Methodist Church in Delaware.
We thought you might like to see it and maybe share it with others.
from Carolyn and Bruce Gillette
|
We are a "pharisee nation," argues Jesuit priest John Dear
John Dear says that "we have become a culture of Pharisees.
Instead of practicing an authentic spirituality of compassion, nonviolence,
love and peace, we as a collective people have become self-righteous,
arrogant, powerful, murderous hypocrites who dominate and kill others in the
name of God."
He urges that Christians become not like the pharisees,
but rather "try all over again to follow the dangerous, nonviolent,
troublemaking Jesus." |
NCC Interfaith Relations
Office provides guidelines for U.S.
churches continuing tsunami response work
The media blitz is over, but the pain of
thousands of tsunami survivors goes on. The Rev. Shanta Premawardhana, the
National Council of Churches' Director of Interfaith Relations, has prepared
a set of guidelines for U.S. churches that want to continue to be engaged
with Asians in rebuilding their communities.
Meanwhile, the devastated
province of Aceh in North Sumatra
is apparently facing the threat of new tightening of control by the
Indonesian government, now that many of the foreign agencies are leaving. |
More on theology in an age of terror
Peter Hodgson
responds to the criticism from
Paul R. White, noting
the danger in arguing from scripture, and his own sense of the judgment of
scripture against “human vanity, illusion,
aggression, and self-justification.”
The debate grows out of
Hodgson's two-part exercise in doing Christian theology in an age of terror.
Part I offers
"A Theological
Critique of the War on Terror." And Part II explores "Theological Virtues in an Age of Terror:
Truth, Courage, Justice, Love, Hope." |
A great web
resource on issues of hunger, poverty, and development
The Institute for Food and
Development Policy – better known as Food First
– is a member-supported, nonprofit peoples' think tank and
education-for-action center. Their work highlights root causes and
value-based solutions to hunger and poverty around the world, with a
commitment to establishing food as a fundamental human right.
Their web site has over
a thousand articles on social justice, development, aid, trade, sustainable
agriculture, and social movements – and lots more! |
3/1/05 |
Supreme Court bars
death penalty for juvenile killers
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday
that the Constitution forbids the execution of killers who were under 18
when they committed their crimes, ending a practice used in 19 states. The
5-4 decision throws out the death sentences of about 70 juvenile murderers
and bars states from seeking to execute minors for future crimes. The
executions, the court said, were unconstitutionally cruel. It was the second
major defeat at the high court in three years for supporters of the death
penalty. |
For items
added in April 2005 >>
For all items from February, 2005 >>
Find all stories from
January 2005
For items archived from December,
2004, click here.
Our coverage of the 2004 General
Assembly is indexed on a special page.
For links to earlier archive pages,
click here. |
| |
|
GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly are now being sent to the presbyteries for their
action, to confirm or reject them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book
of Order.
We're providing resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest are:
 |
Amendment 10-A,
which would remove the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers. |
 |
Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. |
 |
Amendment
10-1, which would adopt the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. |
|
|
If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice going ... and
growing!
Please consider making a special
contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve
this service.
Click here to send a
gift online, using your credit card, through PayPal.
Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
Darcy Hawk
4007 Gibsonia Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044-8312 |
|
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! |
|
|