February 2012

Searching for a Proper Relationship between Church and Culture

1 Comment / Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith, Fellowship of Presbyterians, PCUSA, Theological Reflection / By /

All this week I have been attending the annual gathering of my “national covenant group” of Presbyterian pastors. Traveling from the four corners of the U.S.A., we come together to log in, share what is going on in our lives, enjoy recreative afternoons, and huddle in small groups. This year, the east coast contingent presented reviews of several excellent books on the subject of the relationship between church and culture. One particular book sparked some thoughts in relationship to the predicament faced by the PCUSA these days. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, by Andy Crouch, challenges the church to […]

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Sometimes All You Can Be Is a Glow-worm

2 Comments / New Zealand, PCUSA, Theological Reflection / By /

For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

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Is Giving Up an Option?

3 Comments / Fellowship of Presbyterians, New Zealand, PCUSA, The Missional Church / By /

When I went to New Zealand on vacation, my intention was to leave “work” behind, which these days includes thinking strategicially about the role of evangelicals within Presbyterian Church. So on one of our long-drive days around the North Island, I was startled to see a Presbyterian church on the main street through a particular town. I just hadn’t thought about it in advance, and therefore was surprised to find a kin on this Pacific island. Now on the lookout, I discovered several congregations, although most were union churches, often paired with the Methodists. When kayaking was ruled out one

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The PCUSA Is to ECO as Auckland Is to Wellington

3 Comments / 2012th General Assembly (Pittsburgh), Fellowship of Presbyterians, New Zealand, PCUSA / By /

Our two week holiday in New Zealand intentionally bypassed the city of Auckland. Even the locals say, “It’s just another big city.” With all due respect to the Kiwis reading this, the extent of our visit to the North Island’s biggest city was to make a bee-line for the marvelous Maritime Museum. On the way into town, international business, banking, commerce, and suburbs were a familiar sight to one whose own “neighborhood” is the megalopolis of the San Francisco Bay Area. And then there was Wellington at the southern end of the island. Granted, we had a personal tour of

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The Right Kind of Diversity

6 Comments / Fellowship of Presbyterians, PCUSA, Theological Reflection / By /

Last October, I reflected on the question “How Much Diversity Can a Church Handle?” I return to the topic, in response to a comment made in a Fellowship of Presbyterians document released last week. In the Evangelical Covenant Order (ECO) communiqué dated January 19 (during the Orlando conference), the value of life-giving diversity was lifted up: “Just as earthly ecosystems draw richness from the right kind of diversity, ECO is committed to unleashing the ministry gifts of women, men, young leaders, and every ethnicity. ECO’s name also draws from the Greek term oikos, meaning ‘household,’ used in the Bible to

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Forced Perspective

Leave a Comment / Fellowship of Presbyterians, PCUSA, Personal / By /

Nothing like a good vacation to clear the head and gain perspective. After two-plus weeks in New Zealand with our daughter, the sensation coming home is of trying to jump on a fast-moving train. An accumulated average of forty emails a day, plus the many news reports and blogs to catch up on, will help me discern what happened in the PCUSA while I was gone.  As I re-enter the normal Presbyterian life after two weeks of jubilee, I am grateful for the hard work, faithful standing, and Spirit-led movement of God’s people during this time. Perspective Number 1: New

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