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A call to repentance from the Right |
The Witherspoon Society's executive committee has
been fascinated by the statement published on PresbyWeb on October 2,
2002, in which five Presbyterian pastors have issued a "call to
confession and repentance." We have been especially interested in
the suggestive placement of one comma in a crucial sentence as they
"call all churches that wish to be part of the faithful remnant of
the Presbyterian Church, USA, to: ... remain within the denomination
while refusing to fund any work of the denomination, which is
antithetical to the will of God."
[10-4-02]
A Witherspoon response:
The executive committee of the Witherspoon Society,
meeting in Albuquerque October 4, 2002, has read with sorrow the
"call to confession and repentance" published October 2 by
five pastors. We join the five pastors in affirming that "our
hearts, minds, souls, and bodies are captive to the Word of God as
enfleshed in Jesus, recorded in the Bible, and upheld by our
constitution." To use their term, we also are "appalled"
at the call for congregations to "remain within the denomination
while refusing to fund any work of the denomination," which we
agree is antithetical to the will of God, as far as we are able to
discern it.
The five pastors' call for removal of any stated
clerk(s) has no basis in the Book of Order. We are baffled that
that call is followed by ascribing extraordinary and extraconstitutional
powers to the sitting Stated Clerk of the whole PC(USA). The actions
they have called for would constitute an abuse of power, making the
Stated Clerk a pope and grand inquisitor, and violating the
constitutional rights and responsibilities of governing bodies at all
levels. We agree on the importance of honoring our confessional,
constitutional, and connectional relationships, which provide all
necessary and orderly means for dealing with disagreements.
We appeal to the five pastors, following the Apostle
Paul as he wrote to the Christians in Rome:
"[12:1a] So then, my brothers, because of God's
great mercy to us I appeal to you: ... [4-5] We have many parts in the
one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same
way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we
are all joined to each other as different parts of one body. ... [10]
Love one another warmly, as Christian brothers, and be eager to show
respect for one another. ... [12] Let your hope keep you joyful, be
patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. ... [14] Ask God to
bless those who persecute you. Yes, ask God to bless, not to curse.
... [21] Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with
good."
[From Today's English Version, with the
gender-exclusive language of the translation retained as appropriate
in addressing the five male pastors who have written the "call
to confession and repentance."]
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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