Theological Reflection

Wrestling and Parting Ways

When one writes a daily blog, one participates in an aerobic rhythm of listening and speaking, pondering and reflecting, thinking and writing. This essay takes me at least an hour, sometimes two a day. That time is spent struggling with a Scripture, understanding its original context, and then bringing it to life for today. My main question is, Does this Word have anything to say to me as a Presbyterian clergywoman or to the Presbyterian elder somewhere struggling with the way things are in our denomination?  Sometimes a blog is sparked by an event that begs for a biblical response. […]

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Courage Amidst Opposition (Nehemiah 1-6)

The weekend retreat gathered forty-five women, many of them new in the faith, to a lovely site on the Pacific Ocean. The speaker’s topic was “Courage,” which would seem to have obvious application for women today; but the choice of Nehemiah 1 through 6 as the text was fascinating to me. God moved quite strongly among and in the women, and for that we were all very grateful! While listening to our speaker, the geek in me “traveled” to the former time and place and what the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall meant to God’s people, to their opponents, and, yes,

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What Would Jesus Do with the PCUSA?

This of course is the harder question to answer: what would Jesus do with the PCUSA, and how would he advise congregations about their relationship with the denomination? To be honest, we have to start out by saying, “We really don’t know,” because there were no denominations in the first century. And what Jesus had in his mind’s eye for the church was a united body (John 17). We lost that distinction centuries ago, even before the Protestant Reformation. In recent posts I have commented on a few cornerstone assumptions going into this discussion: 1. No one denomination can claim

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A Reconciliation of Loyalties

Dilemmas abound in the PCUSA, at all levels of the church’s life. The more conservative church member feels the tension of holding the historic, orthodox faith while participating in an organization perceived to be drifting away from that faith. Congregations feel themselves at theological odds with the emerging denomination and yet have closely identified with its historic roots. The representatives of the PCUSA (office-holders and Louisville staff, for instance) recognize, to some degree, the angst among members and yet believe in the institution and seek to preserve its corporate integrity for the good of all. Every Presbyterian, to one degree

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Reflecting on My Ordination

Today, November 1, is the 24th anniversary of my ordination and installation. All Saints’ Day has carried special meaning for me during these years as a result. Alongside my own call to the pastoral ministry, each year I am made aware of the many who have gone before me in Christian ministry, among them Athanasius, Augustine of Hippo, Madame Guyon, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Evelyn Underhill, William Law, C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and E. Stanley Jones. I have my own Hebrews 11 kind of roster of faithful servants cheering me on to this day; these are the ones who have

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Reformation as Discipline

As Reformation Sunday approaches, thoughts turn to the question, “What sort of reformation is necessary for the PCUSA to get back on solid footing with God in order to fulfill its mission?” The great 16th century Protestant reformers addressed this question with renewed focus upon the unadorned and uncorrupted gospel of Jesus Christ: “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God” (Luther, Thesis number 62). Aware of God’s awesome power and holiness, Luther, for instance, trembled in his own repentance and called the Church to its own. The particular presenting

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The Pastor-Teacher’s Task

Yesterday, I made a case for reclaiming teaching ministry in the PCUSA. Our focus is on current church members who need equipping, and on not-yet-disciples who need basic information about the faith. But what do people need to know? What sort of learning experience, from our vantage point, should we be providing? Members of the congregation may have some idea of what they want to learn, but their input is only one data point when deciding what to teach. There is a body of information from which to choose, passed on from generation to generation, and now in our hands.

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Did Jesus Die for the Sins of Humanity, Or Not?

On Saturday, a teaching elder sought transfer into the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina. During his COM interview, he had declared that he did not believe that Jesus died for our sins. Upon questioning in presbytery, he revealed his belief that God could have (should have?) found some better way to save the world than by arranging the murder of his Son. He refused three times to answer the question, “Do you believe that Jesus died on the Cross for our sins?” Though I am sure this is not the first time a theologically questionable statement or silence has occurred in

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How Much Diversity Can a Church Handle?

A comment was made in the PCUSA Middle Governing Bodies Commission meeting last Saturday that stirred some thought and reaction. Expressing opposition to the creation of non-geographic presbyteries, one commissioner tweeted on #mgbcomm, “Diversity isn’t a problem, it’s an asset.” Just today, another comment from within my presbytery was passed along: Don’t expect support for forming a new “like-minded” presbytery. We need diverse voices around the table, and we can’t abide by conservatives going off into their own little corner where there won’t be any disagreement. Huh? Time to review some basics: 1.  The word diairesis is translated “diversity” only

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The Law of “Doing” and “Being”

My weekly discussions around the Sermon on the Mount continue to stimulate application within the PCUSA context. This week’s topic was “The Fulfillment of the Law” (Matthew 5:17-20). Jesus taught: 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.19So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do

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