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Vouchers and Pledges:
comments on the shifting lines between state and church |
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The tangle of God and Country in our schools [11-6-03]
Faith, religion and patriotism get tangled up in American
public life, and especially in our schools, where the Pledge of Allegiance
takes on religious dimensions, and school prayer and "creationism" are
leading concerns of the right.
Jonathan Zimmerman,
writing in the Christian Science Monitor (Nov. 4, 2003) offers
a thoughtful
exploration of this interesting tangle.
Thanks to Bruce Gillette, who forwarded this essay, and
added an interesting line from the Confession of 1967:
| Although nations may serve God's
purposes in history, the church which identifies the sovereignty
of any one nation or any one way of life with the cause of God
denies the Lordship of Christ and betrays its calling. |
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Here are three recent comments
responding the the recent court decisions on school vouchers and the
Pledge of Allegiance.
Got comments of your own to
share? Please send a note!
Church-state lines are still blurred ... and
complicated [7-3-02]
The two recent court decisions - on the Pledge of
Allegiance and school vouchers - reflect two conflicting attitudes
toward the role of religion in public life - and those two attitudes
reflect long-standing tensions in our culture and within many of us
individually. Teresa Watanabe analyses these internal conflicts in
the L.A. Times, suggesting that many Americans may being
looking to religion as a balance to what they see as the excessive
individualism of our culture; others may see church-state cooperation as
an answer to the "threat" of religious pluralism.
You'll be asked to register to access this site, but
fear not - it's free and easy!
Thanks to onReligion.com
for pointing us to this article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is God so small he needs a Pledge for
validation?"
So runs the headline in one of the most theologically
Protestant comments I've seen on the flap over the Pledge of Allegiance
decision in California.
Columnist Tony Norman, writing in
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, likens the gathering of House
members to recite the Pledge to the gathering of the priests of Baal
confronted by the prophet Elijah.
He continues: "What kind of vapid,
nondenominational god are politicians so hell-bent on restoring to the
Pledge of Allegiance? Would any self-respecting deity allow itself to be
patronized by such opportunistic poseurs? What kind of god do these
politicians imagine the American people want to pledge their allegiance
to, anyway?"
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School vouchers: What does the Supreme
Court decision mean?
A
Christian Science Monitor article explores some of the
varied opinions about the significance of the recent Supreme Court
decision allowing the use of government-funded vouchers to pay for
private education. Some say this opens the way for all kinds of
government aid to religious activities in education and social welfare,
while others see the decision as limited to parental choice for the
education of their children.
Some see this shift as opening the door to a positive
role for religion in American life, and to a non-discriminatory policy
affirming all religions. Others fear a renewal of religious conflicts as
various groups compete for funding, with some winners and some losers.
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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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