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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:
Eugene Carson Blake would have been 100 years old on November 7, 2006. In a full-length biography on Blake, R. Douglas Brackenridge described him as “one of the world’s outstanding figures in the church of his generation—a leader in his own denomination, in the struggle for racial justice at home and abroad, and in the worldwide ecumenical movement” ( Eugene Carson Blake: Prophet With Portfolio, New York, Seabury Press, 1978). This month’s issue recognizes Blake’s leadership and influence.
Here is a quick look at each of the offerings:
 It’s not a full-length biography, but we feature Theodore Gill’s biography of Eugene Carson Blake. In it, Gill lifts up a brief portion of Blake’s remarks on the podium during the 1963 March on Washington, an event best remembered for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Blake said, “I think there is a new spirit abroad in the Churches. We have come to know that we can no longer let the burden of the day be borne alone by those who suffer the discrimination we contest. We who are white have been at best followers, certainly not the leaders. If I am asked why we are here today, I will gladly answer. I will be considerably embarrassed, however, if I am asked why we are so late.” Gill is senior editor for the World Council of Churches.
We share Chris Iosso’s reflections on Eugene Carson Blake. In part, he writes, “Blake was an elected, elective, and enormously effective ecumenical leader. Personally attractive in dynamic and characteristically “American” ways, the core of his leadership was its ethical Christian witness. To be a Christian was to stand for justice, which meant in practice, to support social progress … R. Douglas Brackenridge, in his biography, cites Blake’s motto: “ministers must risk being wrong rather than to be silent and safe.” Iosso is coordinator for Social Witness Policy, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
We include “A Letter to Presbyterians,” referenced by Chris Iosso in his article and authored by Blake and John MacKay. The General Council sent the letter to all congregations following the 165th General Assembly (1953) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, “h aving been convinced that a critical situation was developing in our nation and the world which affected human freedom and the Church’s witness.” Iosso describes the occasion of the letter as “a moment when the ability to enunciate a vision and the capacity to lead a community came together.”
The 1908 Social Creed, also mentioned by Chris Iosso, will have been written 100 years ago in 2008. Through the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) plans to join the United Methodist Church, the National Council of Churches, and a number of others in celebrating this centennial, in part, by developing a new social creed for the 21st century. Congregations are invited to help in the development process. Included here is a copy of the 1908 creed, a brief article that presents a rationale for a new social creed, and discussion questions for an adult education group. For more information, visit the ACSWP Web site.
What is it like to be an undocumented immigrant? Any new social creed for the 21st century will, no doubt, address the issue. Gustavo Vasquez addresses it as he shares a compelling interview with and commentary on those who are Presbyterian and undocumented. He writes, “…in almost all the states of the country are immigrants who do not have legal documents. The great majority of them take up the hardest jobs that those who are citizens do not want to do … Perhaps they are cleaning your house or fixing your yard. Or they are congregated with you in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), praising our Lord Jesus Christ, offering their tithe as a symbol of genuine Christian commitment, preaching from the pulpit, or working on presbytery and synod committees.” Vasquez provides leadership for the Latino Ministries Team of The Presbytery of the Palisades.
In appreciation for Eugene Carson Blake’s deep commitment to the ecumenical movement, we close this issue with the foreword and introduction to a new book, Called to One Hope: A New Ecumenical Epoch, written by Samuel Kobia, general secretary for the World Council of Churches (WCC). In describing the book, Kobia writes, “Many people were involved in the analysis and subsequent challenges that this book tries to set out. It is not an academic or even narrowly theological work, rather it is a distillation of many hours of dialogue with people around the world, more specifically in all the regions of the ecumenical movement … It is not easy reading if we are simply looking for something comfortable.” Even so, Philip Potter (general secretary of the WCC from 1972-1984) says, “For all those Christians who are committed to the transformation of the world, in God’s grace, this book … fills me with inspiration and hope for the future of the ecumenical movement and the witness of the churches.” These excerpts are featured here with the permission of the World Council of Churches. Find out more about the book and the WCC on the WCC Web site.
Do
you have suggestions for future issues or other comments to share? Drop
us a line.
Sharon
K. Youngs, Editor
.
All Rights Reserved.
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