#pcusa history

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

What does it mean that you're a catholic presbyterian? What are your views on Church authority and predestination?

I like to imagine myself as a tree with Irish Catholic roots, a Presbyterian/Protestant trunk, and agnostic/ecumenical/interfaith-reaching branches.

I need all parts to be whole. All parts rely on Divine warmth, water, breath for life. All parts depend on a rich soil of scripture, story, and the wisdom of those who've come before me for nourishment and grounding.

___

The roots:

I was baptized and raised Roman Catholic. My family (and a large number of families in the area I grew up) has a proud history of Irish Catholicism in particular. My childhood church was Catholic, and I was passionate about participating in that community's life all through grade school.

Some of my earliest religion-related memories are of reading Saints' stories, establishing relationships with those who most spoke to me. Mother Mary has had my heart as far back as my memories go.

As I discovered my queerness in college and gradually realized the need to seek fully welcoming community, I did not leave behind those things I held most dear from Catholic spirituality.

Over the years, my connection to the Roman Catholic Church as an institution has fractured more and more; last May it splintered entirely. But I refuse to let Rome have a monopoly on Catholic faith, or on Mary and the Saints.

...Especially because Mary and the Saints were my greatest spiritual supports in college: with delighted wonder, I came to recognize how very queer my closest Saints were! They helped me embrace my queerness as a holy gift; I carried them with me into a little PC(USA) church that my then-girlfriend, now-wife found near our college campus.

The trunk:

The Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination holds me up in sturdy community: this is the denomination I'm currently "officially" part of — got my Masters of Divinity at a PCUSA seminary, got married in a PCUSA church, am on this denomination's ordination path.

This doesn't mean I think the PCUSA is the best religion or even the best form of mainline Protestantism. They all have their strengths and their flaws. But the PCUSA was the one that first came into my path, and I'm currently satisfied with my decision to commit myself to it — so long as it continues to make plenty of room for my Catholic roots and ecumenical branches.

The branches:

Though Louisville Seminary is a Presbyterian institution, when I attended from 2016-2019 at least 40% of my classmates and some of the staff there belonged to other denominations (or in a few cases, aren't Christian at all).

The opportunity to learn alongside folks from a variety of traditions was invaluable to my continued spiritual growth. I learned so much from them! I grew into my sense that all individuals and faith communities have something to teach us the Divine and about what it means to be human in relationship to Divinity and to Creation.

Then there's the agnostic part of the "branches":

Over the years I've also experienced more and more seasons where I'm just not sure that the Trinity, the Incarnation and Resurrection, and all that Christian-specific stuff is "real." But whether or not it is, I choose to remain committed to this path I'm on — with openness to fresh insights — because I do draw spiritual nourishment here. I do believe that the story of the Trinity and the Incarnation can guide us into living for Goodness, Justice, abundant life for all beings.

...Basically, I don't know whether it's all "true," but I do believe it holds powerful Truth; I remain committed to the Story.

(Also the bible has been my main special interest since i was like 6 so it's one of the main lenses through which i view the world so i'm stuck here for better or worse lfadfjalfjdalk;j! )

I believe it's imperative for Christians living in Christian supremacist cultures to practice humility above all else — to accept the fact that we don't have all the answers, that we're not the Most Right, that we don't enjoy unique favor with God. For me, identifying as agnostic reminds me that I don't know everything about God by any means, and may actually know very little at all. It reminds me to remain humble, open, and curious.

The fruit:

My hope is that this little tree that is me yields good fruit. I don't care if I have all the right answers, so long as I'm glorifying the Divine in some small way; easing suffering in some small way; bringing joy into this world in some small way. That's what matters to me.

________

I imagine the above implies my views on Church authority. If it doesn't, well, I'll just say I'm kind of an anarchist about church as much as anything else! The Church should never have come to wield as much power as it has. And whatever the "role" of the Church is in the Divine Story, I remember learning somewhere in seminary that the ultimate future of Church is to dissolve — that when we've experienced the full in-breaking of God's Kin-dom, there will be no more need for Church.

________

Not all Presbyterians hold to predestination — and for most I know who do, it's not really a central part of their faith life.

But sure, you could say I believe in predestination: I believe we are all predestined for participation in God's Kin-dom! :)

________

Further reading:

My tag of LGBTA patron Saints <3

My first podcast ep explores some of my spiritual journey

My queer and Catholic tag

Some other semi-related tags — good fruit tag; religious pluralism tag; evangelism tag; church hurt tag

My PCUSA tag, which includes a post with some old class notes about predestination

OH ALSO there's a podcast called "Called to Be Multiple" that interviews folks who draw from multiple faith sources. Cool stuff!

[randyhobson]

2023 Associated Church Press annual convention Best in Class entry

Links to pieces in the reel:

A word from the Stated Clerk - United Nations CSW 2023https://vimeo.com/809791883?share=copy

The Stated Clerk of the PCUSA reported out on his experience on the Commissioning on the Status of Women at the United Nations as part of his regularly scheduled address to the denomination, A Word From the Stated Clerk.

Bob Abrams: Celebrating the first 100 years https://vimeo.com/850025127?share=copy

We did an interview with a lifelong servant of the national offices of the Presbyterian Church USA in preparation for his 100th birthday to celebrate his impact and history with the Church.

Nelson Legacy: Part Two https://vimeo.com/836006567?share=copy

The Stated Clerk of the PCUSA announced that he was stepping down in April of 2023 and we produced a 3-part series on his legacy.

OGA In Focus: Managing General Assembly business and Per Capita promotions https://vimeo.com/showcase/10185900/video/829004729

This piece was created to raise awareness of the work of the staff of the Office of the General Assembly in a 20-part series called, ‘OGA In-Focus.’

[lindajenni]

aug 12

week in review - headlines

"behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me." psa 40:7

‘Almost everything is ready for the Third Temple,’ claims Israeli TV report about red heifers brought to Israel last year Israel’s TV Channel 12 news released an investigative report about the five red heifers that were brought to the Jewish state last September and the supposed “funneling” of government funds to construct the Third Temple.

Hebrew Media Claims Christians Brought Red Heifer to Israel to Establish Antichrist “The Antichrist, the ‘Satan’ one might say, needs to come here and defile the Temple,” notes Persico. “Then the war of Gog and Magog begins, in which two-thirds of the Jews die, and one-third of them convert to Christianity. The world doesn’t exactly last either.

Massive Solar Eruption Cuts Across Earth, the Moon, and Mars Simultaneously A significant solar eruption has recently struck Earth, the moon, and Mars simultaneously, marking an unprecedented event in history. The eruption occurred on August 2, 2023, and had far-reaching effects across the celestial bodies. The eruption originated from our Sun … .

Archaeologist Excited by Recent Finds in Ancient Shiloh, Biblical Site of Ark, Tabernacle The book of Judges in the Bible tells us Shiloh was a significant place in the history of the Israelites when they came into the Promised Land. He continued, “Jerusalem remains a pagan city for another three hundred years. The Ark is here. The Tabernacle is here, and this where you came to connect with God.”

The Next Generation Is Being Groomed For Destruction – Here’s Why They Are Vulnerable …the end game for progressive elites and globalists – Use young useful idiots as a weapon to forcibly introduce massive social upheaval, then lock them up in a slave camp and call it Utopia.

When George Soros Admitted Seeing Himself “As Some Kind Of God” It seems that Soros believes he was anointed by God. “I fancied myself as some kind of god …” he once wrote. “If truth be known, I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood, which I felt I had to control, otherwise they might get me in trouble.” When asked by Britain’s Independent newspaper to elaborate on that passage, Soros said, “It is a sort of disease when you consider yourself some kind of god, the creator of everything, but I feel comfortable about it now since I began to live it out.”

PCUSA pastor teaches on Psalm 139, says she ‘felt God’s presence,’ ‘no sin’ after 2 abortions A female pastor who is also a Planned Parenthood advisor delivered a sermon in which she said she felt “God’s presence” when she aborted two pregnancies and blasted Evangelicals for their “toxic theology” on the subject.

Assisted dying will be no longer only for the terminally ill, and that should bother us all … a lot Something tells me that dying with the help of a physician is going to get easier and easier. And that bothers the hell out of me, wrote James Lyons-Weiler. “Typically, assisted dying laws require that a patient is terminally ill and suffering unbearably. But here’s the catch: recent trends show a departure from these foundational criteria.

The Microchipping Agenda: Why are the Freemasons collecting the DNA of your Children? The Freemasons have long stood at the epicentre of numerous conspiracy theories, their secretive nature adding fuel to the fire of speculation. Now the introduction of the MYCHIP (MasoniCHIP) program, dressed up as a benevolent child protection tool, has provoked further debate. But could there be concealed objectives beyond the surface?

Dark Secrets Exposed: CIA is behind Deagel’s Shocking 2025 Depopulation Forecast & Official Excess Death Figures in the Millions prove it’s on Target & not just an Estimation In a world where reality often seems stranger than fiction, the machinations behind global events can be an enigma wrapped in mystery. One such intrigue revolves around Deagel.com, an obscure online entity known for its exhaustive data on military capabilities and eyebrow-raising depopulation forecasts for 2025.

UFOs once took control of Russian ICBMs, nearly caused WW3 – testimony Russian fighter jets once fired at possible extraterrestrial life forms after a pair of UFOs nearly caused World War III to break out, according to sworn testimony shared to Congress and obtained by Fox News.

Minnesota babies who survive abortions no longer entitled to lifesaving medical care Minnesota abortion reporting forms no longer must note ‘whether the abortion resulted in a born alive infant’ or ‘any medical actions taken to preserve the life of the born alive infant.’ Babies who survive abortions will no longer be counted under a new Minnesota pro-abortion law that is now in effect.

Graphic novel that claims the Bible is corrupted, ‘watered down’ found in North Texas school libraries Just days after over the discovery of sexually explicit books available to students in Texas schools, another book which depicts masturbation, pedophilia and anti-Christian ideology has been found in at least two school districts.

Archbishop Viganò: World Youth Day has confirmed Bergoglio’s plan to provoke a schism the statements of the newly-appointed Cardinals, all of which confirm the “Bergoglian revolution”; the presence of James Martin to propagandize the acceptance of LGBTQ ideology by young people; Bergoglio’s recent statement to a transgender person: “God loves us as we are; go ahead”

The Entire Globe Is Being Gripped By A Really Bad Case Of War Fever Most of us just want to live in peace, but leaders all over the world are preparing for more war. In fact, at this point it appears that the entire globe is being gripped by a really bad case of war fever.

[a-queer-seminarian]

“is anybody else out there gay?”

today I learned about Rev. David Sindt, who graduated from McCormick Seminary in 1965 but was unable to get a position at any Presbyterian churches because he was openly gay. For instance, in 1973 the Chicago Presbytery, “after ten months of deliberation, refused to accept him to serve in a ministry to gay people at Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church because he was gay. Lincoln Park Church did ask him, however, to develop a ministry with the gay community -- but as an outside consultant.”

In 1974, Sindt organized the Presbyterians for Lesbian & Gay Concerns (PLGC). When the Presbyterian General Assembly of 1978 made the decision to deny ordination to “self-acknowledged, practicing homosexuals,” Sindt and the PLGC opposed it vocally. Sindt himself lamented the loss of his ordained status: “I moved from ordained minister to second-class member ineligible for any recognized leadership.”

In 1980, Sindt was allowed a voice at the General Assembly, speaking for the PLGC, but did not have a vote.

A favorite memory shared at his memorial service after he died of AIDS in 1986 was when at the 1974 General Assembly he held up a simple handmade sign that read, “Is anybody else out there gay?”

I cannot shake that image from my mind -- how small and alone he must have felt among the church leaders who had denied and rejected his leadership but who could not quell his voice -- the courage with which he challenged others to speak up and stand in solidarity. His PLGC organization sprouted up soon after; and, soon after his death, More Light Presbyterians was formed and Lincoln Park Church, the church that would not hire him, joined its ranks.

Sindt has a square on the AIDS Memorial Quilt that features irises (the image above is of someone sewing irises onto the panel), because after losing his ordained status he started up an iris business and even became an authority “in the iris world...and won many awards.” Even when he was cast out by the church, Sindt found and nurtured life wherever he could.

- Source for this post: Called Out: The Voices & Gifts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Presbyterians (1995)

[queenlucythevaliant]

What are the differences between the branches of Christianity (Jesus club)? I honestly don't know, I just go to church.

Yoooo okay. What a fun question for Reformation Day. I don’t really know how much information you want, so I’m going to just infodump until I feel like stopping and hopefully that will be okay. I'm sure you'll already know a lot of this, but idk how to do any better without more information about your background. (Do you realize what a big question this is???)

Bias disclosure: I’m Presbyterian. Protestant. I’ve had some exposure to various other traditions and denominations (through friends and through reading and whatnot), but I’ve got plenty of substantial blind spots.

OKAY SO, super broad strokes, you’ve got three Christian traditions: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. Christianity originally spread across the Roman Empire, became its official religion with the Edict of Thessalonica, but eventually as the result of some political drama, the Great Schism of 1054 occurs when Rome and Constantinople excommunicate each other, basically. I’m a bit rusty on all the specifics, but that’s where you get the Catholic church (based in Rome) and the Orthodox church (based in Constantinople). Following this, the two traditions will develop in different directions.

The Catholic church is the dominant force in Western Europe for five hundred years and then the Pope wants to build a new basilica. He sends a guy named Johann (John) Tetzel to sell indulgences in Germany in order to raise the money (along with a bunch of other guys in other places), which ticks off Martin Luther for a whole bunch of reasons, chiefly: can you imagine haggling over the monetary worth of blood of the Christ? But that's a big digression and I bet you already know at least the basics. Hit me up if not. Luther writes the 95 Theses and famously posts them on the church door at Wittenberg, not originally intending to alienate the Catholic church but just to start a discussion and maybe try to reform it from within. However, the Catholic church doesn’t really take the Theses in the spirit they were intended and they want Luther to recant. He won’t do it and bam, the Reformation begins and Protestantism is born.

The Orthodox and Catholic churches are very hierarchical, but the Protestant church, by design, is not. As a result, it’s broken into a whole bunch of different denominations over the course of its 505-year history. Broadly, in order to classify a Protestant denomination, you should ask:

(a) What led to its formation historically? (Usually some kind of doctrinal dispute, but not always)

(b) What are their stances on the Sacraments? (Baptism and Communion)

(c) How is the church governed? (Denominational structure, Elders and Deacons, church membership, etc.)

(d) What are its theological distinctives? (Creeds and confessions, soteriology, Calvinist vs. Arminian are good places to start)

Complicating things a bit further, most Denominations (writ large) are actually several denominations on paper as the result of various schisms and splits over the years. So like for example, American Presbyterianism has PCUSA, EPC, PCA, and a whole bunch of other smaller guys. PCUSA is the oldest (originally called PCUS), but EPC broke with them in the 80s because PCUSA was becoming increasingly theologically liberal in its doctrine and using the fact that it owned all local church properties to force them to toe the line. PCA broke off from PCUSA in the 70s over a whole bunch of stuff including opposition to a denominational merger and increasingly liberal doctrine. All this to say, there can be a lot of subdivisions within a writ-large Denomination.

Here's a chart I threw together real quick to try and compare/contrast a little bit, as I realize that was probably the main thrust of the question. I couldn’t justify spending much time researching it, so if you catch an error please let me know. This is heavily off the top of my head with some pretty fast googling.

Hope that helps! Like I said above, others feel free to chime in. I like to think I know my church history and structure pretty well, but I'm far from being any kind of expert.

Edit: It was brought to my attention by @walkingthroughthisworld that even though I acknowledge right at the end that there are both Calvinist and Arminian Baptists, I otherwise focused just on the Arminian ones. (All the Baptists I know are Arminian 😂) Calvinist Baptists have Calvinist soteriology and a more Reformed view of Communion. The creeds I listed for Baptists are just the historic American creeds; different Baptist denominations will affirm additional creeds in accordance with their specific theology.

Also, I forgot to list it, but Presbyterians do very much use the Ecumenical Creeds as well!

[theexodvs]

"while the movements I mentioned have historically-documented origins in the sexual revolution."

Okay, I'm interested. Post sources?

Men's rights has roots in men's lib, which has roots in the sexual revolution: http://www.michaelmessner.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Gender-Society-1998-MESSNER-255-76.pdf

The pill, Roe, and shifting laws regarding pornography were among the catalysts for the sex-positive/sex-negative feminist schism: https://archive.org/details/xxxwomansrightto00mcel/page/84/mode/2up (chapter 4, you'll need an account with Archive.Org to read from this link).

According to this article, queer theology, as a subset of queer theory, was highly influenced by Foucault's History of Sexuality, an important document of the sexual revolution. It's also worth nothing that one of the strongholds of queer theology, the PCUSA, as it currently exists, was formed via a merger between two large Presbyterian bodies, the PCUS (most of whose evangelicals left to form the PCA in 1973, partially citing increasingly liberal sexual doctrine, according to p. 7 of this article), and the UPCUSA (most of whose evangelicals left to form the EPC in 1981, two years before the PCUSA formed, and six before the PCUSA called for the abolition of laws against fornication, something neither the PCA nor EPC has ever done). This is only the most well-documented example of the sexual revolution corroding the mainline churches, and you will never find an example of a denomination embracing queer theology without first watering down its teachings on the seventh commandment.

[megansarah11]

Women in Ministry..... And yes that is a thing....

Hello to all my followers out there...... it has been a while since I have really posted anything semi personal but I am about to give it a go.....   As you can see from the title I am going to be talking about women in ministry..... and yes that is a thing... just in case you didn’t know.... and as you can see from the tags and from my post prior to this one it is a project for school.... but it is more than that.... this is a topic that we should really all be thinking about.....  I have so many thoughts on this topic and I hope that I am able to do it some justice..... I will try my best below to put into words what I think about this and maybe quoting some of the bible while I am at it.....

First: I do not understand why it is even an issue in the first place..... And that may have a lot to do with the fact that women in ministry is just a norm for me....... I have had a female pastor for a majority of my life and it seemed just as normal as the male pastors that I have had.... they have all shaped me into the person that I am today and I appreciate them all for it.... 

Second: Then there is also the fact that every single time I have mentioned, either before or now, that I am in seminary, both men and women ask me if I want to be a pastor.... that is there go to ask, not oh I want to work with the children or something else... I get asked if I want to be a full blown minister of the word and sacrament(PCUSA term for pastor).... So again I still do not understand why this is even an issue...

A quote posed:“Our church follows the Bible’s teaching. You know, Paul says women can’t have that kind of authority in the church.” 

I am assuming this is in reference to 1st Corinthians 14:34 and in the NRSV it reads as follows: ‘women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says.’  And to this I would honestly say you cannot cherry pick one verse out of context.... we should and would need to look at the passage as a whole to understand it more and we would also need to learn the history of the letter and learn why it had to be written and then maybe we could understand why Paul said what he said here.....

I would like to take a moment to step away from Paul.... don’t worry well come back..... I would like to look at the Gospels for a second....  in at least two of the resurrection stories the women who were following Jesus went to the tomb and discovered his body was not there...... and Jesus then said to them to go and tell the others what I have said and what you have seen..... Jesus called the women to be the witness to the resurrection.... think that over..... like really think about that......

Now lets pivot back to Paul.... and let’s have a look at Romans 16 where Paul praises several women.... Phoebe, a deacon, Prisca who works with Paul, Mary who is a hard worker, Junia who has been in prison with him, Tryphaena and Tryphosa who are also workers for the Lord, Persis who has also been a hard worker for the Lord, the Mother of Rufus whom Paul also considers a mother to him, and Julia and the Sister of Nereus.  He mentions these nine women from these congregations and praises them and their works....  And also think about it out of 27 people mentioned.... and yes I just counted.... 9 of them are women.... that is about 33.33%... if I did my math right which I think I did... but that is a not so small percent of women mentioned..... Just think about that..... and I mean really think about that.....

I hope all that I said above makes some sense to you all my followers out here on tumblr..... I hope that maybe with this post I will feel more confident to share more personal posts and tell you all more about life here at seminary...... 

Until next time y’all

#Crush the patriarchy

[michellemuniz]

Hope in Korea

It was our first lunch in Seoul. We walked to a restaurant, headed to a room reserved for us, left our shoes at the door and sat down. Table was already filled with different plates with food. Right then, I started asking what I asked throughout the whole trip while pointing out at things: “what’s this?” and “what’s that?”. I certainly felt like an annoying little kid (I didn’t want to, though!), but I really wanted to learn what was on the table. Seeing my bowl with white rice always made me happy, since rice is a staple food at home, but most of the time in Korea I really wasn’t sure what was served in front of me. The saying “barriga llena, corazón contento” (“Filled tummy, happy heart”) that we constantly say in Puerto Rico was basically my thought after every meal. At the end of this trip, my heart was happy, and food was just one of the reasons why.

Last November, I was able to visit Korea as part of a Travel Study Seminar with the PCUSA Peacemaking Program. This was not your usual touristy trip, but an intentional opportunity to learn about issues present in the place you visit. The interjection between the country’s history and today’s conflicts is shared through local voices in church and/or partner organizations. After the trip, the invitation is to return home and share with your community what you’ve witnessed and learned. I had the opportunity to go to Colombia in 2015 and didn’t want to miss this as I knew it will challenge the participants to get a deeper perspective into the issues in Korea. This has been the furthest I’ve been from home. 

We had the opportunity to visit different places in Seoul, Jeju Island, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Cheorwon, Nogeun-Ri, among other. The irony between walking around very beautiful landscapes that were actually the scenario for massacres and cruel events was overwhelming. However, it was inspiring to witness so many powerful voices -in the midst of mourning and sorrow- advocating for peace in the Korean Peninsula. 

During my time in Korea, I was constantly reminded of cultural differences while realizing there are more similarities to home than I thought. In less deep but truly engaged activities, I also had some time for norebang.

Few weeks ago, I was asked if I could compare US presence in South Korea with their presence in Puerto Rico. I have to say I constantly found myself in conflict while listening about US Military influence and presence in South Korea, while also remembering over 60,000 Puerto Ricans fought in the Korean War. It felt like I was caught up in the middle of an issue and could identify with both parts.

It was hard visiting a place like Nogeun-ri, while listening to the sound of a small stream with a beautiful fall-colored scenery in the background, and reflect about the lives that were killed by the US Army during the Korean War. We walked through the 2-tunnel bridge as a survivor shared his story while showing bullet marks on the wall reminding all of us this historic event wasn’t that long ago. Next to the bridge, a Peace Park honoring the lives lost there and inviting people to learn, reflect in what this meant, and how it got public attention. A story that also shook me was one of a mother who was shot dead while nursing her baby. 

Back in Seoul, we learned more in depth about “comfort women”, who were sexually exploited by Japanese soldiers in Korea and other countries. Their stories were silenced for too long. Today, advocates not only lead an inspiring but challenging museum to tell these true stories, but also meet every single Wednesday for a demonstration in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul asking for their government to apologize. We were able to participate in one demonstration while we were there. They have been doing these Wednesdays demonstrations for 25 years. Every. Single. Wednesday.

(photo by Gregg Brekke, Presbyterian News Service) You can read more about our participation at the Wednesday demonstration, visit to DMZ and Nogeun-ri here.

We also spent few days in Jeju Island. This is a known location for celebrities to have their houses, but it holds a dark history of apprehension, tension and death. Learning about the 4.3 Uprising and Massacre, and all the events surrounding it in a period of years, was as sad and frustrating as it could be. History is there, and yet it still struggles to get acknowledged.

We visited the Gangyeong community, where a newly-constructed military base was built on their shore, for debatable reasons. While we went and learn about the advocacy work done there, we participated in a protest that took place at the gates of the base. It was unexpected to see the joy walking alongside tension. After walking and hosting a rally at the gates, we sang, danced (even those of us foreigners completely lost on the choreography but trying our best!), and celebrated as a community. 

Jeju island reminded me to the efforts in Vieques (municipality-island southeast of Puerto Rico) to remove the military base that served as a bombing-test field over 10 years ago. The conversation about independence, political views and the constant criminalization of advocates in Jeju seemed I was hearing about home and not about something happening across the world. During our visit, we met with resilient leaders about their experiences and struggles. I was inspired to see young leaders alongside experienced advocates involved in this.  

You can read more about our visit to Jeju here.

One Korea

Even thought it may sound like some kind of utopia on this side of the world, I was fortunate to hear the local perspective around the unification of the Koreas. Regardless of how far or near this may seem (now with US government having this conversation), there is a common hope for the Korean Peninsula to re-unite (which comes as a surprise to many who ask about my trip). It was interesting to hear how many Koreans felt about current US Government and how they are paying attention to the conversations of US with North Korea, at the same time they still fear because of how unpredictable decisions or logistics may be (I think I can relate to that too…). We constantly reflected in the near-yet-so-far desire for peace, especially as we sat down looking out to North Korean mountains from a hill near the DMZ area in Cheorwon, in South Korea.

This study seminar, brought a whole set of “firsts” for me. It was my first time ever in Asia, first time ever in a country where I didn’t speak the language fluently, and interestingly enough first time being an extremely small minority. I remember visiting a shopping mall with Shinhye and Hanbyeol, both PCUSA YAV Alumni’s, saying: “I think I’m the only Latina here”, and Hanbyeol responding: “You may be the only foreigner.”

The hope I witnessed -through the work of fearless leaders and advocates in their pursue for peace in the Korean Peninsula- was inspiring. I enjoyed learning about the connections between the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the local Church in Korea. It was amazing to see collaborations and partnerships all over, from church leaders all the way to grassroots organizations leaders. 

There were moments where I felt home (I could relate to Koreans so much), others where I was completely out of my comfort zone and felt completely naive about certain topics. There were moments were I was speechless and deeply heartbroken, alongside moments where I got to laugh, eat and dance with the community that was welcoming us. There was always an encouraging sense of community everywhere we went. Even though it may feel far away from true (for some), after listening to so many who are working for this, I do believe peace and reunification in Korea is possible. 

Additional links about our Travel Study Seminar Presbyterian Peacemaking 2018 Travel Study Seminar under way in Korea Korean Travel Study Seminar worships with Seoul congregations, visits partners [In Korean] Article about our participation at the Wednesday demonstration in Seoul

[breyeschow]

Tweeted

Hearing from @JKandema, Peacemaker and Vice President of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda. She is sharing a heart wrenching history and movement towards reconciliation. #pcusa https://bit.ly/3Ce848m

— Bruce Reyes-Chow ☮️ 🐝 🐑 (@breyeschow) Oct 6, 2022

[christianandnerdy]

Cuban Presbyterians #Repost @presbyhistory ・・・ In anticipation of the Stated Clerk’s recent trip to Cuba, Archivist Jenny Barr wrote about Manuel Rodriguez, who left the island for the United States in 1962. His unpublished memoirs are at the society.⠀ ⠀ #history #PCUSA #cuba #archives

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

hello :)

First off I’d like to apologize because I only recently discovered your blog at a time of great need, and have been reblogging so many posts lol so sorry if that’s annoying.

I’m in my early twenties, it’s almost my birthday, and I was born into a family with two affirming Catholic parents and three affirming siblings of various beliefs. I’ve pretty much always been comfortable with the fact that I am not heterosexual, and tend to have some beliefs that are not reallllllly accepted by mainstream American Christianity. Because of this, your blog has been incredibly comforting, informative, and thought provoking, so I thank you for that.

I was wondering if you had any resources for how different denominations thought of nature and wild spaces. I know there’s a lot of garden imagery within the Bible, such as in the Song of Songs, but I was always taught in my religious teaching that wild spaces, such as mountains and forests, were like realms of the devil or something. One verse that was pretty common in my local church is something about filling the deserts and leveling mountains to make a path for God (sorry if I’m remembering that incorrectly). Because I’ve only been to Catholic Churches, I was wondering if other groups and denominations had different views on nature rather than untamed = bad and taming the environment = good.

Thank you and have a nice day

Hey there, anon! Not annoying at all to reblog posts, that's what they're here for ^-^

My Catholic self is so happy to hear that your Catholic family is affirming of who you are!

I'm sadder to hear that you were taught much less affirming things about the created world. You are so right to have noticed that the Bible is chock-full of praise for creation! The twisting of Christianity to say otherwise has a long history with an intentional agenda of justifying settler colonialism and environmental devastation.

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I wish I had more time to look through specific denominations' points of view for you, but if I wait till I do have time I'll probably never get around to answering this, alas! I can provide this much, at least:

One term that some use when describing their support of environmental justice is "Creation Care" (or "earth care"), so that's a good key phrase to use when researching.

For example, here's the Episcopal Church's page on creation care; and the UMC's, and a Catholic site; and a PCUSA site; and the UCC's...

However, I'm not sure that views on the natural world always split neatly on denominational lines anyway. Moving beyond the denominational, I'll loosely describe some of the viewpoints in Christianity around Creation:

Thanks to Paul incorporating a lot of Greco-Roman ideology into his letters that made it into the Bible, and thanks to Christianity getting entangled in Roman Empire shit in like the 400s CE, some Christianity uplifts a strong dualism between the spiritual and the material. When you pit the spiritual and material against each other in this way, it tends to be bad news for the natural world.

The belief expressed throughout the rest of the Bible — so the Hebrew Bible + much of the Gospels — doesn't construct this binary between the spiritual and the physical. The created world is declared good by God in Genesis 1, and Creation is praised throughout the Psalms and other scripture. The place of human beings in the created world is explored in various parts of the Bible, with various conclusions being drawn — are we in charge? What's it mean to be in charge? Is the whole planet ours to do with as we please, or are are we meant to care for it?

A major example of Christians deciding that the planet is ours to do with as we will comes in the form of the settlers who colonized the Americas. Research manifest destiny for lots of info on the consequences of these views. The Americas, and this whole planet, are suffering greatly because of this way of interpreting the Bible. Thankfully, there are other ways.

The Catholic Church itself actually has a healthier way of understanding Creation in theory, even if the institution doesn't always make choices that practice what they preach. Here's a bit of what the Roman Catholic Catechism says about the natural world:

339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "And God saw that it was good." "By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws." Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.

340 God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.

341 The beauty of the universe: The order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.

There's a lot more — check out the Catechism's section on "the visible world" (you have to scroll to it) on this webpage.

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Ultimately, in the search for interpretations of Christianity that uplift the goodness of Creation, and our role not as masters but as stewards of it, I highly recommend digging into the works of Indigenous Christians. As white Christianity colludes with empire and wreaks having on the land, Indigenous Christians speak up for the goodness of God's creation.

A fabulous starting point is Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God by Kaitlin B. Curtice. It's a short memoir, very readable and powerful.

Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys by Richard Twiss is a little denser, but extremely informative. You can also find interviews and the like with Twiss online, if reading is less your thing.

My own Christian faith has also been deeply enriched by non-Christian Indigenous authors — especially Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose book Braiding Sweetgrass changed my life. I was so inspired by her description of human beings not as the masters of creation but as the "little siblings of Creation" that I wrote this poem about it.

Many Black and Latine theologians have also been integral to me in shaping my understanding of Creation and humanity's place in it. Another memoir I highly recommend is This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley, which talks about a variety of things, including a bit on the natural world. Take this passage, for example.

Finally, there are some gorgeous writings on Creation from Medieval Christians like Francis of Assisi and Hildegard von Bingen.

One last couple of book recs for a look at the holiness of creation: Barbara Brown Taylor's An Altar in the World and Sister Macrina Wiederkehr's A Tree Full of Angels.

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I hope this helps somewhat! If you haven't already, you might enjoy wandering through my #Creation tag too.

[maximuswolf]

How are successful communist parties founded? via /r/communism

How are successful communist parties founded?

How are successful communist parties founded or established?

By successful, I mean parties that either:

A) Grow large enough to field a significant electoral and national presence (I'm thinking of the CPUSA or IWW of the '30s--not a party, I know, but effective in its own right nevertheless)

B) Are strong enough, in some respect, to launch a revolution.

In the US, as in many parts of the world, there is no single membership-based organization with enough size, influence, or appeal to call itself an effective communist party. One way or another, it will be necessary in the US to either grow an organization into an effective party or to bring a new one into existence. Deciding which path to take depends a lot, I think, on the historical experiences of the parties of the past.

All of the communist histories that I've read, however, pick up their stories with the various communist parties already in existence and already commanding significantly greater public interest and influence than any existing communist party in the US.

No doubt local conditions will have a huge impact on which direction to take. All the same, if a successful communist party is to exist in the US, how should it come into existence? Gradually organizing more and more workers around an existing organization (PCUSA, PSL, DSA, SRA, IWW, et al)? Building a coalition of organizations that will merge at some future convention? Growing a socdem org like the DSA until it can field a large enough electoral slate that it challenges the existing parties, and uses that as a platform to grow into a full-fledged party? Starting a whole new org from the ground up? I'm totally lost here and each of these approaches seems to have an advantage and a disadvantage.

Submitted September 15, 2020 at 06:28PM by Lenin_Lover_420 via reddit https://ift.tt/3c0jyii

[specialchan]

How are successful communist parties founded? via /r/communism

How are successful communist parties founded?

How are successful communist parties founded or established?

By successful, I mean parties that either:

A) Grow large enough to field a significant electoral and national presence (I'm thinking of the CPUSA or IWW of the '30s--not a party, I know, but effective in its own right nevertheless)

B) Are strong enough, in some respect, to launch a revolution.

In the US, as in many parts of the world, there is no single membership-based organization with enough size, influence, or appeal to call itself an effective communist party. One way or another, it will be necessary in the US to either grow an organization into an effective party or to bring a new one into existence. Deciding which path to take depends a lot, I think, on the historical experiences of the parties of the past.

All of the communist histories that I've read, however, pick up their stories with the various communist parties already in existence and already commanding significantly greater public interest and influence than any existing communist party in the US.

No doubt local conditions will have a huge impact on which direction to take. All the same, if a successful communist party is to exist in the US, how should it come into existence?

Gradually organizing more and more workers around an existing organization (PCUSA, PSL, DSA, SRA, IWW, et al)?

Building a coalition of organizations that will merge at some future convention?

Growing a socdem org like the DSA until it can field a large enough electoral slate that it challenges the existing parties, and uses that as a platform to grow into a full-fledged party?

Basing support in labor unions and creating an industrial coalition that spawns its own party?

Starting a whole new org from the ground up?

I'm totally lost here and each of these approaches seems to have an advantage and a disadvantage.

​

Submitted September 15, 2020 at 06:28PM by Lenin_Lover_420 via reddit https://ift.tt/3c0jyii

[lhhoustonchurch18]

Becoming a Multicultural Church in Houston

What does God expect of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the 21stcentury? How would we live our confidence as gatherings of devotees inside an inexorably multicultural country and the world? What do we think and what is our opinion about open doors for intersection racial and social limits and hindrances? Does God want multi-cultural ministries? What will be our reactions to dug in prejudice in the coming days? What models will we pass on to our youngsters who will progress toward becoming pioneers for tomorrow? At that point what is the vision that will motivate and direct us as we settle on our decisions today? An awesome opportunity.

In the same way as other Christians, a developing number of Presbyterians accept that in this time, as in each time of mankind's history, we are being given an especially great chance to observer by our activities, not simply our words, to the accommodating affection for God for all people groups. God is sending to our doorstep the various worlds God made, outsiders who carry their blessings to God's place of petition.

While the vision of a multicultural church is as old as the congregation itself, yet it is a dream to be recharged in our day. Regardless of how inaccessible this fantasy may sound considering the way that most Protestant assemblies tend tube fundamentally homogeneous-we can't overlook that the congregation portrayed in the second part of the book of Acts was a multiracial, multilingual, and multicultural church. This was no mishap! The command of Pentecost. The alarming occasion of Pentecost still remains as an order for us today. For sure, we are called, both as people and as the assortment of Christ, to open our entryways, our psyches, and our hearts to people whom we see as outsiders.

Steady with the multicultural vision, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has moved our enrolment to create and bolster multicultural assemblages as a major aspect of a congregation development methodology to build racial and ethnic participation. This test tends to all homogeneous Presbyterian assemblies to leave on a multicultural adventure of chance and revelation, regardless of what social, racial, or ethnic gathering they may speak to. The energizing news is that, right now, more than 350 PCUSA assemblies distinguish themselves as multicultural. They change in size, history, and social cosmetics.

A portion of these gatherings started their journey as long as 30or more years back and have a lot to share from their encounters. Reports and stories from huge numbers of these assemblages guarantee us that the multicultural voyage is without a doubt an endowment of chance and that turning into a multicultural network epitomizes today our expectation for what's to come.

Know more about multi-cultural ministries Houston and visit Pentecostal churches in Houston. Go through https://lhhouston.church/ to know more.

[a-queer-seminarian]

Hey, i have some exciting news: i’ve been appointed to the board of directors for my denomination’s LGBTQA+ organization!

I’m headed to Nashville tomorrow for a short retreat where I’ll learn more about what my roles will be.

I’m nervous, but also excited. I see much potential in More Light Presbyterians’ future — not because it has an unblemished past (it doesn’t), but because the people currently at the helm have recognized the need to take greater action and to emphasize intersectionality.

Prayers or good vibes are deeply appreciated as I and the others all travel and meet one another! Meanwhile, some other thoughts / some More Light history are under the readmore.

More Light Presbyterians’ Mission Statement:

“Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society.”

The informal beginning of the More Light movement was in 1974, when David Bailey Sindt, at a meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly, held up a sign reading "Is anybody else out there gay?" (I’ve posted about this historical event before!)

Thus More Light Presbyterians has been around for decades, with the original priority being to get the PC(USA) to affirm the ordinations and marriages of gay (and later more specifically LGBTQA+) folk. That’s now been accomplished!! (See this post for one historical stop along the way)

However, there is clearly a lot of work yet to do. Not all PCUSA congregations are LGBTQA+ affirming; and those that are often struggle to live out their theoretical affirmations for a number of reasons (lack of resources, or education, etc.).

I’ve interacted with a lot of More Light congregations since joining the PC(USA) back in 2015, with mixed results: I have been burned by some More Light congregations, and nourished by others. My home congregation, where I still participate regularly and where my wife and I got married, is a More Light congregation. But when I was in seminary, a different More Light congregation scared me off from wanting to be a pastor through their actions — they admitted they didn’t want to take me on as an intern because of “the pronoun thing.” Then there are the number of More Light congregations I’ve dropped by for just a service or two, only to find no non-gendered bathrooms & greeters who misgendered me despite my pronoun pin.

The problem is that a lot of congregations became More Light a decade or more ago, before an emphasis on not only being “gay friendly” but fully LGBTQA+ welcoming had come about. I applied for this position in the hopes that I can help More Light mean true affirmation, sanctuary, celebration for all LGBTQA+ folks.

I want there to be more expected of any congregation that chooses to call themselves More Light, so that I can recommend any More Light church to LGBTQA+ friends without a qualm.

When I applied, I wasn’t sure whether this goal would be an uphill battle or not. After one Zoom meeting with the current More Light leadership, I’m very hopeful that it won’t be: the idea of requiring more from MLP members was brought up; and intersectionality and anti-racism were also emphasized.

So let’s see where things go. Wish us luck!

[forcommunities]

10/28/17 Trinity Presbyterian Church, with historic roots as @littlemanilastockton’s #FilipinoChristianFellowship, celebrated its 75th birthday of “being the light” (as Cheryl noted in her children’s message ;) for generations. Aunty Letty Perez gave a brief Church history (See @ForCommunities on YouTube) that included Trinity members housing & feeding #FilipinoFarmworkers during their 1939 asparagus strike. Former @pcusa Moderator Rev. @breyeschow led worship and spoke of how his home church taught him to “live, love, and laugh.” With photos of “all the saints,” on pillars in the sanctuary, Bruce reminded us to hold on to all that’s made this place special while taking on the risks/challenges of being the church in the world. 💗& gratitude to all - present today and with us in spirit - who’ve made 75 years possible. Cheers to the future! 💫 (at Trinity Presbyterian Church)