April 2002

Archive for April 2002

4/29/02

Witherspoon supports those accused of "renouncing jurisdiction" because of issues of ordination and sexuality

As the Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society met on April 21-23, we were keenly aware of the accusations that have been leveled against a number of our friends and colleagues in ministry. We have adopted a statement expressing support for the people who have been accused, and pledged to do what we can to assist them.

4/27/02

A note of thanks and support to the Stated Clerk

Responding to recent harsh complaints about the work of the Stated Clerk, the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society, meeting in Albuquerque April 21-23, voted unanimously to send him a letter of support.

West coast mini-conferences will consider the Confession of 1967 and our church's commitment to reconciliation and justice

The Executive Committee of the Witherspoon Society invites you to join them as they launch a series of regional workshops on the Confession of 1967.

Attendees will be challenged to consider how progressive Presbyterians can reclaim confessionally the denomination's social justice agenda. Workshops will be held in

	Davis, CA -- May 4
	Palo Alto, CA -- May 5 (cosponsored by WS Silicon Valley Chapter)
	Eugene, OR -- May 8.

Choose your location and download the invitation and registration form!

The Rev. Betty Hale responded to the latest report on complaints against numerous Presbyterians with an interesting thought: those accused should appeal to the Westminster Confession.

"Religion for Dummies"

What happens when bishops talk like politicians and politicians talk like preachers?

[4-27-02]

Frank Rich, writing in the New York Times, offers an insightful look at the way leaders in the Catholic Church seem to be acting like political and business leaders, "looking out for No. 1 (and I don't mean Him)." And it's not just in the Catholic Church. He mentions the length of time it took Billy Graham to apologize for his anti-Semitic remarks caught on tape in the Nixon White House - and his son's effort to downplay his father's apology.

On the other hand, some political leaders are turning up the volume of their religious rhetoric - as in Rep. Tom DeLay's recent statements, and a great deal of Attorney General John Ashcroft's talk and action. And while President Bush, having "lost his innocence" in the Middle East conflict, has toned down his moral rhetoric on the international scene, he continues to denounce the use of cloning for therapeutic purposes

Rich notes that there is authentic religious heroism, however, as shown by Mychal Judge, the Catholic Fire Department chaplain who rushed to the World Trade Center on September 11^th to minister to the dying, and lost his life in that act. Fr. Judge, he adds, "not that it should matter,
happened to be gay."

4/25/02

The ax falls in Louisville

The 2003 budget unveiled on Monday, April 22, proposes that 66 full-time staff positions be eliminated -- or 12 per cent of the GAC's work force. In addition, 34 Presbyterian missionary positions overseas will be left vacant as incumbents in them retire or complete their terms of service this year.

Cuts will include an intern position in the Washington Office, staff at the Presbyterian United Nations Office, positions in Women's Ministries, and of course much more.

But fear not. The Layman has the solution!

For the Layman's response to these cuts, see The Layman Online. In short, they propose the "solution" which they have been demanding all along: Keep the 34 missionaries (or more accurately, replace those who are retiring and otherwise leaving their positions) by cutting all funding for (Guess what?) the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, the National Network of Presbyterian College Women and the Washington Office of the PCUSA.

We recently posted information about the web site for parents coming to terms with the same-sex orientation of their children. We've received a number of suggestions about other good resources, and here they are.

Seeing God

At a Catholic school in Hawaii, students and their families were invited to spend a day traveling around their island with the assignment: "Go find God, and when you find him, take his picture and write about what you saw."

They returned with pictures including palm trees, Honolulu skyscrapers, baby siblings, tropical fish, their mothers' hands and even the local Hard Rock Café.

"When asked on the day of the search if she had ever seen God before, one 8-year-old girl whispered, 'No, this is my first time.'"

Check out the article in The Washington Times

Or look for the book which emerged from venture, God's Photo Album. It tells the story of the search, and includes hundreds of photographs taken that day. The 192-page book was published last May, and will be the subject of a made-for-TV movie to air on Christmas.

Thanks to onReligion.com

Equal protection of voting rights makes progress in Congress, but still needs support

The Presbyterian Washington Office celebrates the passage of the "Equal Protection of Voting Rights" by the U.S. Senate, and suggests continued support of this legislation as it goes to the Conference Committee. The Washington Office passes along an Action Alert from the NAACP.

Feeling less than perfectly wise?

Try a small dose of the wisdom of Will Rogers ... and then tell us which of his nuggets seems most helpful for the PCUSA. Or offer your own!

4/18/02

Paul Jensen accuses 2 more ministers

Jensen castigates PC(USA) Moderator Jack Rogers, vows to keep up pressure

His home congregation dissociates itself from his actions

He has worked as a volunteer reporter for The Presbyterian Layman during several General Assemblies.

Amendment 01-A defeated by 46 to 127

The votes are all in, and Amendment 01-A has been rejected by the presbyteries, by a vote of 46 in favor of approving , 127 opposed.

The Presbytery of Alaska cast the final vote, with a margin of 15 yes and 24 no votes.

You can check the detailed voting list on PresbyWeb, or on the Covenant Network web site.

And it's interesting to look at a map of the U.S. showing the geographical distribution of the presbytery votes.

Comments? Ideas? Please send a note and we'll share them here.

For earlier reports and comments on the voting, click here.

You may want to see Witherspoon's comment when the defeat of "A" became definite.

The Middle East Crisis

An eyewitness to "a war crime" in Jenin

Witherspooner Darrel Yeaney has sent one account of the devastation wrought by the Israeli forces in the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin. Yeaney, who has made numerous visits to the Middle East himself, says "You can count on [his report] for accuracy.

The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship has issued a statement on the crisis in Israel/Palestine, restating its "conviction that acts of violence can not lead to security and peace for Palestinians and Israelis."

You can sign on to the Peace Fellowship statement at "PetitionOnLine."

(If you look at the list of those who have already signed, you'll discover that your WebWeaver couldn't spell his own last name correctly. But that might not surprise you.)

A new "decalogue" for peace

Religious leaders spoke out in January to condemn all religious violence, and offered an "Assisi Decalogue" to give form to their call for peace. Was anybody listening?

Journalist David Walters gives some of the story, and the content of the statement itself.

If you have reports, opinions, or prayers for the situation in Israel/Palestine, please share them. Just send a note.

The Rev. Bruce Gillette has sent a sad illustration for an Earth Day sermon ... and some concrete steps to take toward a better world and a healthier earth.

Earth Day Sunday is this Sunday, April 21. We have a page full of ideas, resources, and more.

The PCUSA is working with many others in Coalition on Health Care, to deal with the "downward death cycle" of the US health care system

Thanks to the Rev. Bruce Gillette for this story and the one above it.

4/15/02

On the Middle East conflict:

In the Name of God, Seek Peace and Pursue It

Jewish leaders have issued a call for peace, urging the United States to "bring about the creation of an international force to protect both Israelis and Palestinians from violence," and "call a regional peace conference including Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and all the Arab states, and peace-committed religious leaders and leaders of civil society in the region, to take up at once the Saudi proposals for regional peace ..."

A major oil company shows that Pres. Bush can stop worrying about the economic costs of measures to prevent global warming. BP has instituted effective pollution controls in their operations, and ended up achieving their goals ahead of schedule, and without additional costs.

That All May Freely Serve holds fourth annual leadership conference

That All May Freely Serve held a gathering of more than 150 people - staff, volunteers, supporters and allies - on April 4 - 7, 2002, at Stony Point Conference Center in Stony Point, NY. In a Saturday morning sermon, Chris Glaser spoke of the defeat of Amendment A as "another crucifixion," but saw the TAMFS gathering as a new resurrection.

Here's a helpful site for parents of glbt children - and for others who want to get beyond the diatribes to the humanity

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on a Methodist couple in Georgia who struggled with what they felt was a terrible event in their family, when their son came out to them. Finding little help among friends or from their church, they have created a web site of their own - with their son's blessing - to provide support for others. They trace the growth of their own understanding and faith through their son's homosexuality.

They are not concerned with the ecclesiastical struggles as much as with the human struggles of parents and glbt children. This site won't provide cutting edge thinking, but might be helpful to friends and parishioners in similar situations.

4/12/02

Jim Wallis of Sojourners looks at "the horrific violence in the Middle East" through the eyes of a Palestinian Quaker and American Jewish friends. He concludes:

The immediate question is how to stop the current violence. ... The United States should immediately work to bring about the creation of an international protection force to shield both Israelis and Palestinians from further violence, and call a regional peace conference including Israel, the Arab states, along with religious leaders and civil society organizations.

There has been enough killing - it's time for peace.

He also offers some hope: voices on both sides of the conflict calling for peace.

"Top Ten Issues" for the 214th General Assembly

Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick has responded to a number of requests to issue his listing of issues coming to this year's General Assembly. So check out this year's Top Ten!

Two Columbus congregations to be honored at Witherspoon GA luncheon.

Each year at its General Assembly luncheon, the Witherspoon Society seeks to honor an area congregation that embodies the values and mission of the Society. This year for the 214th General Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, we have chosen to honor two congregations: Bethany Presbyterian Church and Broad Street Presbyterian Church, both in Columbus.

Startling new discovery announced: super-heavy element named "Administratium"

4/10/02

What do you know about a Scots Presbyterian minister who stopped a lynching in Tulsa in 1921?

You might help in the creation of the world's first bagpipe opera! (How's that for a promise of fame and fortune?)

Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick has issued a letter calling urgently for peace in the Middle East. He calls for an end to acts of terrorism and of state-sponsored violence, and for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory.

He notes that "Since 1967, our church has called for the recognition of Israel's right to exist as a sovereign state within secure borders, the right of the Palestinian people to self determination, including the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, and the right of both peoples to live in peace as neighbors."

100^th death row inmate freed due to actual innocence

NCADP calls for immediate, nationwide halt to executions

The Presbyterian Washington Office reminds us that the PCUSA has long stood in opposition to the death penalty, and now is a time to support legislation that would call for a moratorium on its imposition.

The Sex-Obsessed Church Should Focus on Justice Instead

David Morris, Vice President of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, points out hopefully (on the AlterNet website) that the current challenge to the Catholic Church arising from the allegations of sexual misconduct may help the church return to the commitment to social justice which was initiated some forty years ago. Pope John XXIII, by convening Vatican II, opened the Catholic Church to many reforms, including expanded roles for lay people and for women. There was also a new focus on social justice, which gradually took shape in support of liberation theology in Latin America.

Since 1978, Pope John Paul II has led the church in turning away from those commitments, but Morris offers reasons for hope that the current sexual crisis - as it challenges clerical authority and the church's great emphasis on sexual purity and celibacy - might help move the church, as it selects a new pope, to recover its commitment to justice.

Hmmm. Could there be a message here for Presbyterians?

We welcome your comments. Just send a note!

Thanks to Utne Reader's WebWatch

So who gets labeled?

A careful observer refutes Bernard Goldberg's claims of liberal bias in the media

You've probably heard about the recent best-selling book by Bernard Goldberg, Bias, which charges that TV newscasters are biased against conservatives. His "evidence" is given in his assertion that they label conservatives politicians as "conservative," while seldom applying such labels to "liberals," since they view them as the norm.

Geoffrey Nunberg, writing in The American Prospect, does a little content analysis of 20 major daily newspapers, and finds that just the opposite is true: His sample "liberals" are labeled such far more often than are the sample "conservatives."

He goes on to examine the deeper issues behind such labeling, concluding that "the function of political labels isn't to inform or indoctrinate readers about the people and groups they're attached to. Rather, they're a way of reassuring us that the writer and publication are comfortably in the center, at a safe distance from the extremes on either side."

And finally he says: "If people are disposed to believe that the media have a liberal bias, it's because that's what the media have been telling them all along."

John Harris's note about a coming "witch hunt" is still attracting comments.

4/8/02

Protestant Justice Action (the newer name for the Oxbow group) gathered progressive groups for a conference in St. Louis, April 5-6, 2002, "celebrating insights from yesterday, the spirit of today, and action for tomorrow."

We've received some nice new photos from the Shower of Stoles Project. Scroll down the story to see them.

Eco-Justice Ministries is offering worship resources for Earth Day Sunday, April 21.

We recently received a note commenting on John Harris's note about the beginnings of a "witch hunt" in the PC(USA). We are happy to share it here, and invite you to add your own comments. Just send a note of your own!

4/5/02

The statement expresses appreciation for Pres. Bush's April 4^th statement, and underscores the need for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

The Presbyterian Antiracism Program has launched its new web page. Mark Koenig invites you to check it out.

The latest signer of the Call to Civility sent a note which sums up the thinking of many. You might take a look at his note, and consider adding your own name.

4/3/02

An appeal has come to us urging that people around the world join in a circle of prayer for peace in the Middle East. We share it here in the confident faith that prayer does make a difference.

Easter means Resurrection, and Resurrection means a transformation of this life.
In an Easter sermon at Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, DC, the Rev. Jeffrey Krehbiel proclaimed that our "resurrection faith" points to salvation in this world, not just in some "other world" to come.

Overture 02-49, being sent to the General Assembly by the Presbytery of Hudson River, calls for a study of the costs involved in the litigation currently blossoming, related to G-6.0106b.

This relates to the concerns recently expressed by Frank Baldwin, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Philadelphia.

It's "judicial season" in the PCUSA

Presbyterian Outlook's Leslie Scanlon traces what looks like the beginning of a "judicial season" in the PC(USA), as conservatives bring charges against a number of individuals who have been involved in support for ordaining gay and lesbian Presbyterians.

She sees the accusers as operating out of a conviction that such actions are "defiance" of the Book of Order, while others see them as acts of conscience, which are legitimate within the Presbyterian system.

Self Development of People this year marks 30 years of helping the poor, and April 14 has been designated as Self-Development of People Sunday in PC(USA). Special resources are being made available.

UCC Justice and Peace Action Network urges action to support increased spending on foreign aid

Comparing cars and computers ...
This may bring a note of relief and comfort to all who have rebooted, reconfigured, reinstalled, and usually resisted the urge to destroy the machine (blessing or curse) that you're staring at right now.

4/1/02

Two stated clerks offer comments on the complaints being filed by Paul Rolf Jensen

	Raymond Kersting ponders the various ways in which such complaints might be handled, and the standing -- or lack of standing -- of Mr. Jensen to file such complaints.
	Frank Baldwin expresses concern about the cost of all these cases, and hopes that people on the other side of the issue of ordination will not respond with charges of their own, no matter how justifiable they might seem.

More on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict: A Jewish cry at Passover for the suffering of Palestinians, and for a truly "free Jerusalem"

What are the "sins" in the Book of Confessions?

We've recently been asked about the lists that various people developed a few years ago, presenting the actions and attitudes listed as sins in the Presbyterian Book of Confessions.

Click here for one of the best of those lists.

The search engine on our Witherspoon web has been less than perfect, and recently not even functioning. We have now replaced it with a Google search engine, which we hope you will find more helpful.

Please give it a try and let us know what you think!

Do you want to go back in time??

To wander through earlier headlines and links:

from March, 2002

from February, 2002

from January, 2002

from December, 2001

from November, 2001

from October, 2001

from September, 2001

from August, 2001.

from July, 2001

from June, 2001.

from May, 2001.

from April, 2001.

from March, 2001.

from February, 2001.

from January, 2001.

from December, 2000.

from November 2000
including reports on

	Covenant Network conference
	Re-Imagining Conference

articles from the Spring 2000 issue of Network News

from mid-September through October, 2000.

from July through mid-September, click here.

from January through June 2000.