A letter from a Presbyterian Teaching Elder, baptized and raised in the PC(USA), to all my Friends in Christ: I write out of a concern that the word ‘missional’ does not help us learn from the errors so evident in the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s general approach, which has been to
More“When you set out on this adventure, you will never be the same.” These are the grave but hopeful words spoken by Gandalf the Grey to a young hobbit named Bilbo; [1] and thus begins the epic tale of The Hobbit. In many ways, following Christ mirrors this classic tale of a
MoreMy time doing street ministry with folks experiencing homelessness has not changed the world. It hasn’t changed the oppressive social structures that keep people from adequate healthcare or nutrition. It hasn’t even done much to change the situations of the people with whom I work, people that I now consider my friends. What it
More
Ark of Escape or Community of Reconciliation? When I teach the Reformed Confessions to students at Union Presbyterian Seminary, I like to point out that one of the benefits of belonging to our communion is belonging to a tradition with a dynamic understanding of confessionalism. Unlike the Lutheran tradition, which
More
I was sitting around a table with a group of colleagues in young adult ministries about a year and a half ago. We had been tasked with coming up with a name for a new initiative to the PC(USA)’s 221st General Assembly, an initiative that would eventually be known as
MoreSermon delivered by Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 on the occasion of remembering the Charleston 9 and embracing the issue of race in the United States. The worship service was held in the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Originally published
More
Unbound Social