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Response to Ed Koster’s Recent Article

Leave a Comment / GAPJC Decisions, Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA, Uncategorized / By /

I’m not sure why Ed Koster is still responding to PCUSA remedial cases that were completed over a year ago, but since he mentions one case I spent about three years on, I will comment on the points he makes in his recent Outlook article. The PCUSA faces a problem of discontinuity that is messy in its consequences: Any particular presbytery ordains for the whole church, based solely on the local governing body’s discretion. This scenario works if the presbytery reflects the doctrine represented in our Confessions, which have been agreed to by the body as our means of interpreting […]

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The Complications of Communication

Leave a Comment / PCUSA, Personal, Teaching, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day participating in an online discussion, trying to sort out what appeared to be a miscommunication through the halls of Facebook. A post appeared within a Facebook group, other members of the group reacted while others tried to ask helpful questions. The “conversation” escalated into paranoia at times, and without any more substantive information to feed it, speculation took over. I finally called the original poster (is that a word?) to clarify the genesis of the issue that had come to light, and by day’s end it appeared resolution was around the

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The Courage to Hold and Speak Our Convictions

Leave a Comment / Leadership and Spirituality, Marriage Definition, PCUSA, Spiritual Disciplines, Teaching, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

Yesterday, I pondered spiritual boldness and the need for Christians to pray for it in an increasingly pluralistic society. From a cultural point of view, uttering certain viewpoints is risky and costly, leading some Christ-followers to be circumspect if not silent about their faith. I found out yesterday that one of my former students, applying for a ministry internship, was challenged by the interviewer for having me as one of her references, “because [I am] against gay ordination.” The student, taken aback by that attitude in what was supposed to be an ecumenical environment, stood up for me. [For the

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Do We Want to Pray for Boldness?

Leave a Comment / Current Events, PCUSA, Teaching, The Missional Church / By /

Had an interesting experience last night. I, along with three others, was asked to give feedback to a seminary intern on a sermon he is going to deliver at our church in a couple of weeks. The text was Acts 4:23-31: 23After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them [which was ‘not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus’].  24When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the

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Why Do People Do What They Do?

Leave a Comment / Current Events, Essential Tenets of the Reformed Faith, It All Started in the Garden, Personal, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

A couple times a week I join a few fellow “gym rats” for coffee at the local Peet’s. This group of women frequents the fitness center and then gathers for a coffee klatch before heading home. They come from diverse backgrounds culturally and geographically and represent the gamut of religious views, from lapsed Christian to Sihk to Jewish to complete blank slate. Every once in awhile, one of them will turn to me for advice, knowing I am a pastor. Lately, however, there has been a communal handwringing over recent events. When the bombs went off in Boston, the questions

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What If God Were Watching?

Leave a Comment / Current Events, Leadership and Spirituality, Moral Authority, PCUSA, Personal, Spiritual Disciplines / By /

This past weekend I had the joy and privilege of speaking five times for a church’s family camp at Mount Hermon. The topic was “Hearing the Voice of Jesus,” and my objective was to demystify the mystical, if you will. If God is alive and active, then surely God continues to communicate with his people. Prayer, after all, is not monologue but dialogue. The question is, How does God “speak,” what is he saying, and how do we know it’s God? I relied heavily on two favorite books: The Voice of Jesus by Gordon T. Smith and Hearing God by

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The Deafening Silence of Disengagement

Leave a Comment / "The Bible" on History Channel, GAPJC Decisions, Leadership and Spirituality, PCUSA, Personal / By /

Friends of “Bringing the Word to Life,” I submitted the following letter to Presbyweb in response to a letter to the editor by Mike Garrett. I believe the fray is going to start up again, and commend to you as a catalyst a very thoughtful and well-written “prophetic word” by Jim Goodloe, found here. Dear Presbyweb, In response to Mike Garrett’s letter which observed the “deafening silence of disengagement,” I want to agree and to explain further. As one who has contributed to the debates in the last several years and lately by blog, I can acknowledge the truth of

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The Bible—Episode Five: The Rest of the Story

Leave a Comment / "The Bible" on History Channel, Lent, PCUSA, Teaching, Theological Reflection / By /

My purpose for reviewing History Channel’s five-part The Bible has centered on the ongoing need for Christians, and my Presbyterian tribe especially, to tell the full and accurate story of God’s dealing with human beings through history. The question in my mind has been whether this television series has helped or hurt our efforts, whether there is anything of use in a Christian education setting, and whether it has been a faith-builder or a doubt-caster. To the last question, I would have to say that the episodes have steadily pointed toward a God with power, purpose, and goodness. Miracles have

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The Bible—Episode Five: We Remember Jesus’ Death

Leave a Comment / "The Bible" on History Channel, Lent, Theological Reflection / By /

The fifth and last installment of The Bible aired last night, and in my experience it was a fitting end to Lent and Easter Sunday. The series strengthened as it progressed through the New Testament. Yes, there is plenty of condensation but not as much artistic license as we’re used to. The explanatory voiceovers are kept to a minimum, and the story is allowed to speak for itself. And a powerful story it is. Episode Five opens with the countdown to Passover. The High Priest Caiaphas wants to see Jesus, convicted by the synagogue court as a fraud and a

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Good Friday and the Shedding of Blood

4 Comments / Lent, PCUSA, Personal, Spiritual Disciplines / By /

Today I gave blood. I do this each year as an intentional expression of my Christian faith and gratitude for what Jesus did for me. I sat in a comfy chair in a clean, safe environment. The procedure did not hurt. The company was congenial. And when I had deposited my pint, I was bandaged, fed, and sent home to take it easy for a few hours. I give blood on Good Friday as a spiritual discipline and an opportunity for contemplation.  I was quite conscious of the fact that the conditions under which Jesus gave his blood for all

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