Showing posts with label PCUSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PCUSA. Show all posts

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Valentine-Strawberry Hazelnut Shortbread Tart or He Let His People Go, but "my" Church is in Trouble



In the background, the blare of MSNBC

"Egypt IS free."

Gives new meaning to, actually puts on the other foot... "Let my people go," doesn't it?

The long term fallout and where the sparks thrown by the revolution will land are questions to which we have no answer.  But the far-reaching waves are now on the way.

Think of other revolutions and their impact and the trail they left.   Think China.  Think France.  Think The United States.  I can't fathom the legacy of this...

At the same time, my denomination, PCUSA (Presbyterian Church, USA), is on the verge of a long-coming crisis as a  letter, signed by 45 pastors (all male but one), pretty much proposes a number of our churches splitting off from the denomination.  There's to be a meeting in August in Minneapolis and we're invited to talk things over.  But, it also says our church is dying and other hard, cold part-truths. (I have to ask how much this pales compared to what's happening in Egypt...)

While I'm familiar with the problems of my church (a treacherous phrase), one of which is a disagreement over ordination standards ( mostly homosexual ordination), there are some other points of difficulty, one of which is a disagreement over the denomination owning buildings and properties.   This makes me wonder what is the critical point here.

You can read a well-thought out and well-written response...

Here is Rev. Margaret Aymer's response...http://mayog.posterous.com/about-your-invitation-an-exegetical-rsvp-to-t.

As Christians, we are already so split up all over the world.   I think there are more than 30,000 denominations.   If we keep splintering off, we'll just be left with splinters.

Church of the Beloved's "Hope for a Tree Cut Down," contains a song ("Peace")  with the lyrics:

We need each other more than we need to agree.

I also freely admit I've worshiped with the UCC for the past two years, with the exception of several months in an ecumenical church where I worked as a choir director.

 Did you come for food?!!!