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The following sermon is an excerpt from Shook Foil Books Young Preachers Compilation, a collection of twenty thoughtful sermons from young (under forty-years-old) church leaders. Springing from a diverse array of ministry contexts, these sermons reveal the strength, creativity, and
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Fossil Fuel Divestment at the 221st General Assembly Download this article as a PDF. On the bulletin board above my desk, I have an excerpt from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Book of Confessions: “God’s redeeming work in Jesus Christ embraces the whole of [our] life: social and cultural, economic and
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Prophetic Hope in an Apocalyptic World “This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but with a whimper.” These famous lines from the end of T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” have been
MoreSplit Votes and Shared Ethos at the General Assembly The following sermon was preached by Andrew William Smith, ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church in Cookeville, TN, at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Southfield, MI, on Sunday, June 22, 2014, the day after the General Assembly and the day of a
MoreA Response to “Risking Peace” and the Peace Fellowship’s Proposals The forthcoming General Assembly is facing a number of issues with important consequences for the present and future identity of the Church. While the two issues that have created the greatest pre-assembly discussion are whether to permit Presbyterian ministers to
More“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). Humanity, Scripture tells us, has been made in the image of God. Jesus was recognized as the son of God. Central to the notion of being “sons and daughters of God” is that of being a
MoreA Reflection on Education Policy in the PC(USA) and Response to Item 14-02: “Educate a Child, Transform the World” My students are the legacy of Brown v Board of Education. Let me introduce you to my students. They are eighth-graders living in Tuscon, AZ, who find themselves tasked with studying
MoreThis article was originally published on the blog of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness. “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunities of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to
MoreGeneral Assembly Takes on Taxation in a Gilded Age “Tax Justice: A Christian Response to a New Gilded Age” provides Presbyterians with a framework for engaging in discussions about the large and growing concentration of income and wealth in U.S. society and about the tax structure as a way of
MoreMarriage in the PC(USA) That’s my daughter there, with the rainbow face paint and the “Love who you are” sign. We were downtown in Richmond, VA, standing with same-sex couples who have asked Virginia to recognize their marriages. Ours is one of the states that currently ban same-sex marriage. Last
MoreAs a Christian theologian, I support marriage equality because I take the Bible seriously. More importantly, I take the God of the Bible seriously. The God I worship has a divine passion for justice that compels me to respect all neighbors and defend their human rights, including the freedom to
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