|
| |
|
The impact of 9-11
|
| September 11 and religion
A failure of the churches? Or a victory
for complacency?
[9-9-02]
A lengthy and provocative essay on
Beliefnet,
based largely on a recent study by Barna Research (which is based
in an evangelical background but is increasingly critical of the
realities of conservative church life). Among the main points:
While people flocked to churches right after the
event, they quickly returned to their normal patterns of
disengagement from "church." They apparently found more
comfort in family, counseling, alcohol and pills. Their confidence
in moral absolutes declined in the months after 9/11, in spite of
all the President's good-vs.-evil rhetoric.
Barna, an evangelical Christian, summed it up
thus: "Churches succeeded at putting on a friendly face but
failed at motivating the vast majority of spiritual explorers to
connect with Christ in a more intimate manner. The September 11
tragedy was another amazing opportunity to be the healing and
transforming presence of God in people's lives, but that, too, has
now come and gone, with little to show for it."
At the same time, the 9/11 crisis presented a
boost to conservative Christians, for whom the good-evil dichotomy
took on new power. Franklin Graham has given voice to a strong
anti-Islamic attitude which is appealing to many, as the first
wave of sympathy for Muslims, supported by the President, begins
to fade into growing hostility.
September 11th has had an impact on
individuals as well, leading many to a deeper appreciation of life
itself, of friends and family, and of such classical virtues as
"love, gratitude, hope, kindness, leadership, teamwork, and
spirituality."
The essay notes a couple interesting
paradoxes:
 |
The attacks of 9/11, rooted in Islam, have given rise to new
effort in the Islamic communities in the United States to shape
their own distinctive forms of their faith. |
| And the tensions
produced by the attacks, coupled with the increasingly aggressive
actions of the Israeli government, have produced new levels of
anti-Semitism.
|
| Peter
Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice
Ministries, echoes Barna's analysis that much of the
"failure" of American religious communities to have a moral
impact after 9/11 rests on the refusal of lay people to accept the
challenges presented by the crisis. |
| Pollster
George Barna drawing criticism from conservative Christians [9-18-02]
A recent LA
Times story tells of the resistance and criticism now coming at
Geroge Barna from the evangelical churches that he has seen as his
primary constituency.
Why the negative reactions? Out of frustration with
the churches' irrelevance, he's turning from merely reporting the
results to analysis and prescription. He is saying the need today is for
"skilled professionals who love Christ and model his
ways through their thoughts, words and behavior in enviable and
biblically consistent ways." That is, the churches need better
leadership, and people acting out their faith in the society in ways
that models the Christian life. |
|
What's your thinking
about the Barna polls and their relevance for churches
today?
Please send a note! |
|
| |
|
Visit
our lively
new website! |
|
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:
|
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! |
|
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. |
|
Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
|
| |
|
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! |
| |
|
