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Welcome to Perspectives,
the online magazine published by the Office of the General Assembly.
Perspectives
offers an exploration of issues facing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
and its witness in society through
- reflective and
provocative analysis of our life together as a denomination, and
- the lenses of
Scripture, Reformed theology, cultures, and a constitutional and confessional
framework.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Ten years ago, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) entered into “full communion” with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. “Full communion” means that the four denominations recognize each others’ various ministries in specific ways. In recognition of this anniversary, part of this issue features items related to the ELCA.
Here’s a brief look:
 These days, Amanda Grant finds herself serving as a lecturer at Sebastian Kolowa University College in Magamba, Tanzania, as part of a mission team of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This young adult, a Presbyterian elder, writes in a recent blog, “I thought I knew how to pray a prayer of thanksgiving. I had done so my whole life but this week…. As I think back on the week and as the waves of the Indian Ocean wash over my soul my prayer has drastically changed.” Read more in “When Doctors Jump Through Windows.”
Lynell A. AlJoe-Thurman describes herself as a “beloved child of God and ELCA pastor of both Emanuel Lutheran Church, Corning, New York, and Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Horseheads, New York.” In this season of Thanksgiving, we share with you her sermon text, “We Must Have Faith,” in which she says, “ Our Creator journeys beside us as we go through all of our trials and tribulations. He wipes away our tears and holds our hands ….We have to believe and have faith in him, even when we cannot see a clear path, even when we tread in muddy waters.”
This November issue is a bit late so that we could include the message that emerged from the Global Christian Forum, which gathered November 6-9, in Limuru, Kenya. Some 240 leaders from 70 countries, including representatives of the historic Protestant Churches, the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches, the Pentecostal Churches, the broader Evangelical movement, and other Christian churches, communities and interchurch organizations, attended the meeting. The message affirms the participants’ commitment to promote “ever greater understanding and cooperation among Christians.”
Ever wonder how per capita began? You will know after reading Clinton McCoy’s article that traces the roots of per capita back to the mid-1800s. “How This Mustard Seed Grew: The Origin and Impact of the Per Capita Apportionment as a Means of Financing the General Assembly” is reprinted from the Spring 1988 issue of Journal of Presbyterian History and used here by permission.
We close with Dee Wade’s “The Mountain,” from his regular column in Presbyterian Voice. Wade ponders the perspective of a mountain about to literally lose its peak to strip mining. He writes, “If mountains wonder at all, could this mountain wonder: ‘Who’s your mama, people, if not Mother Earth? Who’s your daddy if not Father Time? Who but a mountain like me has both; lots of earth within and lots of time logged? Why would you want to decapitate your parents? Where’s the honor in that? Doesn’t such dishonor shorten your own life?’” This article first appeared in the August 2007 issue of Presbyterian Voice, published by the Synod of Living Waters, and is reprinted here with permission.
Do you have suggestions for future issues or other comments to share? Drop us a line.
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All Rights Reserved.
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