This digest is a compilation of the social witness-related items that came before the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly in 2012.
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Calling Christians and churches to continue, if not expand, their support for the Boy Scouts of America should it lift the ban on gay scouts. Two ministers argue that their experiences and oaths as Eagle Scouts are entirely consistent with—and
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Two Contrasting Narratives of What Happened at the General Assembly Reveal a Critical Generation Gap By Patrick David Heery, Unbound Managing Editor View and Print as PDF. Talk to enough social justice-minded Presbyterians and you’ll likely hear two distinct interpretations of the 2012 PC(USA) General Assembly. Narrative One:
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This digest is a compilation of the social witness-related items that came before the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly in 2012. For each piece of business, the digest summarizes the Assembly action, the content of each proposal and its amendments, and (in some cases) the key points made in
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America and Its Guns: A Theological Expose by James E. Atwood Purchase from Cascade Books: Wipf & Stock Publishers America leads the industrialized world in gun deaths. Children in the U.S. are 12 times more likely to die from firearms than children in 25 other industrialized nations combined. In
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At 10:30 AM, Sunday morning, August 5, just as the members of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin were reading scripture and preparing food for their morning service and community meal, a gunman entered the gurdwara (temple) and opened fire, killing six congregants and wounding four others. After shooting and
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This Sunday, August 5, 2012, churches all across the country will turn their prayers, and hopefully their hands, toward homelessness and the need for affordable housing. The situation is dire: 750,000 to 1 million people sleep on the streets every night. Many of these people are veterans, families with children,
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Thoughts on the “deep” political message of The Dark Knight Rises and a response to the tragic mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, on the night of the film’s premier. By Patrick David Heery (WARNING: SPOILERS ALERT) Since the official release of The Dark Knight Rises (the final
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Divestment & Boycott: A Question for Presbyterians, Methodists, Palestinians, and Christians the World Over Last week, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 220th General Assembly voted overwhelmingly (457-180) to boycott products produced in the occupied Palestinian territories. However, that same Assembly voted (by the slim margin of 333-331, with 2 abstentions) against
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“No one should have their money in this. Especially not a church.” An interview by (Rev.) Patrick David Heery of Elisha Baskin (pictured above), an Israeli young woman and member of Jewish Voice for Peace, on the topic of divestment in the occupation of Palestine Her name is Elisha
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As the managing editor of Unbound, I have had the privilege of meeting several Jewish Voice for Peace advocates (striking in their enthusiasm and resolve) here at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly, which is considering overtures to divest from companies profiting from the occupation of Palestine. Below is a
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Evenings with Covenant Network and More Light Presbyterians By Patrick David Heery Two nights have passed since the opening of the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – and both were spent celebrating LGBTQQI identities. At this point, many of us young adults are saying: Wait, these
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