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.
Keep ReadingIntroduction The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been engaged in a decade-long struggle to divest from companies that are profiting from the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. After an extensive corporate engagement process, the Committee
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Building Vibrant Congregations and Just Communities “And what does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8 “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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And If So, What Difference Does It Make? Healthcare is a very good thing for governments to provide, whether or not it is a human right, because it is certainly a basic human good and is necessary for human flourishing. The social provision of healthcare can be considered part of
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I’ll admit it. I winced when I read the theme for this week’s posts, “Vulnerable Populations and Christian Responsibility.” Again, I thought, a discussion of women is framed as taking care of the vulnerable. In healthcare settings, not all women are equally vulnerable. I have questions. Where does women’s vulnerability
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally featured in the May/June 2003 issue of the print social witness magazine of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Church & Society. It is reprinted here as it originally appeared, with a few editor’s notes to where policy has changed, either within the Church or within
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Increasing Access to Health and Wellness While most of the recent coverage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” has been negative, these news stories fail to tell a complete story. There is no doubt the Obama Administration has made some serious errors in the
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In this issue, For the Healing of the Nation, Unbound seeks to engage the national healthcare debate from a Reformed Christian perspective and to lift up the stories – the testimonies, if you will – of those who know from firsthand experience the way our current systems of healthcare and
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And Who Is My Neighbor?, James and Rachel Shepherd To begin, let us introduce ourselves. We are a newly wed 29-going-on-30, couple; my wife is a final-year seminary student preparing for ordination, and I am a Bachelor of Arts working at a job that strikes a balance between a living wage,
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Background for MRTI’s recommendations from Tilton, Boesak, Zunes, and Wall Reflecting back on the past year, it can be easy to become discouraged, for 2013 has been a year of great violence and bloodshed. 2013 brought us tragedies from the Boston marathon bombings to the Bangladesh factory collapse, from the escalating
MoreThis week’s mini-series is a collaborative effort with Ecclesio. Check out these and other articles at www.ecclesio.com. Climate change is a reality that simply cannot be denied any longer. 97% of scientists agree that the changes in earth’s temperatures and weather patterns are caused by human action. Even if we
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Salvation History in the Presbyterian Hymnal Letter by Nahida H. Gordon, Introduction by Rev. Chris Iosso Mary is warned by Simeon in the Christmas story that “a sword will pierce her heart” (Luke 2:35). Frankly, this letter from Professor Nahida Gordon, a Palestinian American Presbyterian, makes me uncomfortable because it challenges
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