[6-27-02]

Witherspooner Derrick Kikuchi sent word yesterday that a delegation from First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto (CA) has just returned safely from a visit to Afghanistan. He adds, "It was an incredible experience and look forward to sharing stories and working together to help further our relationship with the wonderful people of that country."

[9-17-01]

The Rev. Dean Lindsey sent this note: 

Thank you for running my ruminations on our congregation's response to the violence of last week. As we begin to shake free of the initial shock, more attention is being given to what should happen next. I've done a small amount of research on the Afghan situation and thought that some of your readers might benefit from it. Do you think this piece would be a help?

In Christ,

Dean Lindsey

At the height of the Afghan resistance to Soviet occupation, Ronald Reagan declared that the mujahaddin were the "moral equivalent of our founding fathers." That is an interesting thought to ponder as the drum beat for war against Afghanistan is being sounded in various quarters. Many of us who lead congregations have urged caution in responding to the attacks in New York and Washington, and we have offered many prayers that our President will choose actions which lead ultimately to peace rather than the further escalation of violence and hatred. Such words and prayers do not simply reflect the musings of Christian pacifists. They also recognize the sobering reality of failed American actions in the recent past.

Indeed, the fingerprints of the C.I.A. are all over the rise of the demonic Taliban regime. Following the Soviet invasion, numerous indigenous groups rose up to challenge Russian expansionism. There were brave fighters who were motivated by the desire to free their homeland, and there were opportunists who saw the struggle with the Soviet Union as only one step in a larger battle. Unfortunately, the largest proportion of our military aid went to the few groups in that latter category, the most extremist Pan-Islamic elements which represented only a small segment of the Afghan people.

When a reporter asked a C.I.A. official why so much aid was being given to these extremist groups, he replied, "fanatics fight better" (quote from Kurt Lohbeck in Holy War, Unholy Victory, 1993). Unfortunately not even that was true: these groups often pursued a strategy of avoiding direct conflict with the Soviets; they saved their weapons and strength for conflicts to come with their fellow mujahaddin. Now, the very worst elements of the anti-Soviet resistance govern Afghanistan. It is a leadership that thrives on chaos, encourages strife and terror, and stirs hatred at every opportunity and which, arguably, would not exist if we had not supported them at one time.

GA actions ratified (or not) by  the presbyteries   

A number of the most important actions of the 219^th 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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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!

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

Got more blogs to recommend?