One of the topics we discussed yesterday, when I was meeting with some local pastors, was the megachurch-and- branch-campus model used by churches like Saddleback and North Point. (This model is also important to Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, as discerned by Christianity Today but — curiously — not the PC(USA) in its own reporting.) None … Continue reading »
Tagged with presbyterian …
Kirsten Powers’ Conversion Story
Via Donald Miller, the fascinating story of Kirsten Powers’ conversion to Christianity: I sometimes hear Christians talk about how terrible life must be for atheists. But our lives were not terrible. Life actually seemed pretty wonderful, filled with opportunity and good conversation and privilege. I know now that it was not as wonderful as it … Continue reading »
Important Cases Go to Court
The PC(USA) G.A. Judicial Commission to hear three major cases. One is a ruling by the Los Ranchos Presbytery to reinstate the old “fidelity and chastity” clause of the Book of Order at a more local level. The Synod ruled such resolutions were constitutional. So it’s being appealed. This is the “tails you lose, heads … Continue reading »
GA Committee Recommendations
Several committees at the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting in Pittsburgh have issued reports. These will now be voted on by the General Assembly and if they pass, will be sent on to the presbyteries for voting during the year ahead. While I’m sure the commissioners did their work as well … Continue reading »
Straight Teaching
Imagine an argument where one parent said, “I love our baby,” and the other parent didn’t reply, “Well, so do I!” Even in an amicable separation, that would raise some eyebrows. For the same reason, there are three words I’d like mainline protestant Christians to reclaim. They each represent something too important to walk away … Continue reading »
Overheard Chuckle
I just had a conversation with someone, and laughed when I heard this: Another factor, perhaps overlooked, in understanding why Presbyterianism thrived in Scotland, is, of course, whiskey. “And all God’s people said, ‘Amen.’”
Heroes and mentors
Only last night, I was bemoaning how the PC(USA) does such a lousy job of developing new pastors. (I.e., me.) You get an education, you get evaluated on your gifts for ministry, and then you get turned loose on some poor, unsuspecting church. In too many ways, you’re on your own as a pastor. Our … Continue reading »
Checking Our Heads
Yesterday, I enthused about the PC(USA) website’s makeover, and one of my Facebook friends went to see it. He’s a Southern Baptist, and he wasn’t impressed with this quote on the home page: The pull quote you see here isn’t quite a quote; if you watch the video you’ll see they “punched it up” a … Continue reading »
New PC(USA) Site
Hey, cool. The PC(USA) has updated its website. It looks like a huge improvement over what we’ve had the last umpteen years. Congratulations to whoever put this together.
PC(USA) ordains 1st Iranian Pastor
Hey, this is a small world. Mansour Khajehpour was just ordained by Seattle Presbytery as the first Iranian to become a PC(USA) minister of Word and sacrament. I knew Mansour (a little) in seminary. He was in the class two years after mine, so we didn’t have any classes together. One of my kids was … Continue reading »