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Former Witherspoon president Gene
TeSelle, who continues to serve on the Executive Committee as Liaison
with Presbyterian Organizations, offered this comment on Monday,
September 25.
In 1973, at another time of "restructure"
in the Presbyterian Church, the Witherspoon Society was founded to
"work for renewal of our church's life and focus, so that it may
continue to be biblically and confessionally faithful in the
world."
During that first year attention was given to
Rhodesia, South Africa, revenue sharing, the United Farm Workers,
multinational corporations, and the role of the church in an
industrial society. In the face of "restructure," the
Society highlighted concerns that had been expressed by the General
Assembly but were now endangered, including "combatting racism,
youth, justice and human development, world peace, family life, and
women."
Concern was expressed that the message and work of
"reconciliation" was being reduced to personal growth and
church reorganization. And there was chagrin that the governing
council of the church (at that time in New York) had met with
representatives of the Lay Committee and of Presbyterians for Biblical
Concerns, a predecessor of Presbyterians or Renewal, but not with
representatives of any other organizations.
How much of this sounds familiar?
Click here for a
more complete comment from Gene TeSelle.
And for the PNS report on the GAC action, click
here.
 Claremont
(California) Presbyterian Church sends letter to GAC regarding
ranking of programs.
Two other Witherspoon Executive Committee members
commented on the GAC action before our meeting ended on Saturday
afternoon, September 23.
Kent Winters-Hazelton said simply, "If we were to
cut out of our Bibles those passages that deal with peacemaking and
theological education, with ministries in the city and bearing witness
to our government in Washington, with self-development of people and
relations with other faiths ... then we would be left with nothing but a
rather "holey" Bible.
Brian Christoffersen added the "in the Great
Commission we are all called -- men and women, people of all conditions
-- to make disciples of all of the creation. In this mission we are
called to spread the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ. Can we say that the
recent action by the GAC represents the whole Gospel as expressed in the
life and teaching of Christ, and of what we are to do in the fullness of
our faith in him? Jesus' command to his disciples to go into the world
was two-fold: The first command was for the conversion of society toward
the healing and reconciliation of all people and the whole cosmos to God
and to each other. The second command was for the building of faith
through personal experiences and fellowship in a community of faith. The
historic role of the PC(USA) has been a great example of the coequal
calls of our Lord, that as disciples we must be both healers and
believers in this world. When we set priorities which degrade the values
of healing among all people and the earth, which limit our ability as a
denomination to work for justice and be peacemakers, we are moving away
from the whole Gospel as taught by Jesus and our foremothers and
forefathers in the church."
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| Members of GAC express concerns about the
ranking of church's mission work. Click
here. |
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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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
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Click here to send a
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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