As we celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this day, it is imperative to remember not only his triumphs for humankind, but also his trials and tribulations that taunted him along the journey. As a scholar of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Leadership Institute and a former Harrisburg School Board Member and City Councilmember, it is wrong for us to rejoice in a leader’s success without celebrating the loss and setbacks they endured to become resilient. We cannot continue to rejoice in the victory while neglecting the emotional and physical sacrifice that not only King had
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It was very disheartening for me to learn that so-called Christians keep and even carry guns in the USA. In reading about people taking guns to shop in stores, to work, school, and church, one has to wonder why? Fear is a very powerful force but something more insidious has caused ‘the gun epidemic.’ An epidemic is a disease and this disease is very contagious. When ‘a gun evangelist’ preaches that God has ordained every American’s right to own a gun, he is preaching a false gospel. What has ensued from this false doctrine being proclaimed is ‘the worship of guns’. God commands everyone to “put away idols and worship only Him.”(Acts 17:30)
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Where does the Reformation impulse go today? Back in June, at the unexpected urging of two Korean-American presbyteries, the 2014 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of John Knox’s birth by remembering aspects of the life of Scotland’s Reformation leader. The Committee dealing with the matter, however, turned
More“Magical thinking” on climate change is less Christian than climate science. What psychologists call “magical thinking” is common among children and adults alike, and it does more damage than one might think. In the case of climate change denial, the magical result fantasized is both a wish fulfillment and a rejection of reality, even when
MoreAs I write, the Presbyterian Church (USA) finds itself in a strange place, at an important juncture. Even as our denomination has affirmed our call to care for creation, we continue to profit significantly from fossil fuel companies. In November 2012, Cool Planet Working Group, one of the small groups in First Presbyterian Church Palo
MoreNew Hopes and Realities in Cuban-American Relations: A Nuevo Momento
A Summary of GA222 Action Item 12-07 “In fulfillment of the assignment of the 221st General Assembly (2014), in cooperation with the Cuban Partners Network, and after consultation with representatives of the Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada en Cuba, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy brings the following affirmations and recommendations to the 222nd General Assembly
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