iHOPE

Pastor's Book Club: The Sin of Certainty

I was being led to a much bigger God- and a much more interesting and caring one.

That's a glimpse into what this book is all about and why it's the first of my choices for this summer's Pastor's Book Club (we'll discuss it on July 17 @ noon).

Peter Enns is a professor of Biblical Studies as well as a well known author. You would think someone like that would have this  faith thing pretty well worked out, right? That's what he thought, too!

“When the dust clears and in the quiet of your own heart, what kind of God do you really believe in, really? And why? I thought I had it all worked out. Yet, amazingly, with decades of church, Christian college, seminary and graduate school behind me, and now a seminary professor, I had never actually asked myself that question to see what I thought…I had never openly explored my thinking about God because I was taught that questioning too much was not safe Christian conduct- it would make God very disappointed in me indeed, and quite angry.” (from the book, p.4) 

All that changed when the wheels of his life started to come off. It's detailed in chapter 8 and in fact, I would recommend people read that chapter first because it is at the foundation of everything else he writes. I found The Sin of Certainty to be a well written and enjoyable look at some very deep and important issues. Enns is open, honest and has a sense of humor, too! It will challenge our thinking and make for some great discussion; Perfect for a Book Club selection!

GA 222: Tonight It Changed

 

Up until tonight, General Assembly has mostly been about reports, deliberations, meetings, and decisions.  There have been some wonderful times getting to know and work with people, but mostly, it was about business. 

Tonight that changed. Tonight we passed something called the Belhar Confession. It began in 1970's in South Africa when theological students were challenged to respond to the oppression of apartheid not just with politics, but theology.

In 1986 it was adopted by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Tonight, it was approved to be part of our own Book of Confessions. Two representatives from South Africa attended tonight's assembly to bring greetings and offer thanks to the PCUSA for their action. We were told that even though it wasn't yet 6 am in South Africa, there were people waiting up all night to see if this would pass. Alan Boesak was one of the primary architects of the Belhar Confession and he was here, too. You can read more about it here.

I plan to explore Belhar throughout the summer, but first, click on the video and just listen to it. It was revolutionary in its day and it's still powerful today. It's a way to be connected to our brothers and sisters in South Africa, and also be informed by their experience of the gospel and God's grace. 

Tonight, we approved Belhar. It was a long time coming, and should have been done sooner. But tonight, it passed. Tonight, General Assembly shifted in my mind from something important but mostly detached from life to something that changes people's lives and makes history. People half way across the globe were staying up all night to see what we would do. Tears, laughter, singing and dancing followed.  I'm usually suspicious of making pronouncements that don't bring real change.

Tonight, words and actions came together. 

 

GA 222; Who's Here?

I'm a commissioner from Denver Presbytery to the 222nd General Assembly, held in Portland, OR. Here are some occasional thoughts and reflections:

Monday and Tuesdays are spent in committee meetings. Recommendations are made to the full Assembly, which then decides whether to accept, reject or modify those recommendations. That work begins this afternoon. Since so much of the news is provisional (you can get an overview of Monday's and Tuesday's work by following the links), I wanted to highlight the people who are here: the ones who sit around the tables, discussing issues and taking votes. Turns out, they are just "ordinary folks" who were sent here by their presbyteries, like me. 

PC-Biz: Where "Too Much Information" is Just About Right

I am a commissioner for the Denver Presbytery to this year’s 222nd General Assembly, meeting in Portland. Throughout the week, I’m posting some short thoughts and impressions of my experience.

In an earlier post, I gave the link for an app that keeps track of all the activities, events and resources of the General Assembly (it’s called Guidebook). There is another app that helps us keep track of all the work of the General Assembly, called PC-Biz.

The first thing I noticed about General Assembly is how many people are involved in the planning and execution of a gathering like this. After that, the most impressive aspect of a General Assembly is the amount of work that needs to be done. It is divided into 13 committees, who take two days to read, discuss and decide what to recommend to the full assembly.  How does anyone keep track of it all? PC-Biz.

GA-222: By the Numbers

594: The number of Commissioners (I'm one of them) who are here at General Assembly in Portland.

171: The number of Presbyteries that make up the PCUSA and send commissioners

183: The number of Advisory Delegates who are sent to participate in the discussions and advise commissioners on their perspective. There are four categories of Advisory Delegates:  Young Adults (141), Theological Students (20), Missionary Partners (8), and Ecumenical Partners (14)

615: The number of Registered observers- from exhibitors, to press, to various organizations, who come to observe and be a part of the week.

590: The number of staff members from the denomination, Synods, and Presbyteries that are here to participate in the discussions and business of the week.

100+: The number of churches in the Cascades Presbytery (Oregon and parts of Washington and California) that are hosting this year's GA.

1,000+: The number of volunteers from Cascades Presbytery to make this event as welcoming and effective as possible.

60: The number of years the PCUSA has been ordaining women as ministers.

1: The number of times that we have had Co-Moderators for the denomination- both women.  Normally, we elect a Moderator and Vice-Moderator, who not only moderate the GA, but also act as ambassadors for the denomination for the next two years. We have had many years when a woman was either Moderator or Vice Moderator, but never a year when women filled both roles. That happened last night, and you can read about it here. 

The Presbyterian Outlook is a magazine that covers the Presbyterian Church and they publish a recap of each day. Here is the recap for Saturday.  

GA 222: There's An App for That!

I arrived in Portland today for the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA. The congregations in the Portland area had hundreds (thousands?) of volunteers everywhere (arrival gates, baggage claim, light rail stations, hotel lobbies, the Convention Center, etc.) who were gracious and patient in helping everyone get to the right places. 

This is a massive undertaking. General Assembly is not just commissioners discussing and voting on various issues and overtures. It also functions as the denomination's national convention. I'm a commissioner, so my agenda is pretty well defined. Others come from around the world to observe, influence, learn, share and connect. There are activities, events, and presentations far more than any one person could attend- or even keep up with! 

How do you keep track of all this activity? Ther's an app for that! Check it out! It is hosted by Guidebook and it has a schedule of all the events, transit schedules, hotel locations, bulletin info for our worship services, and so much more. 

What about all the issues, reports, and overtures? There is another web page just for that, and it is amazingly thorough. But that is for another post!

General Assembly officially opens with worship tomorrow morning. You can get the details through the Guidebook app, or just click here.

 

General Assembly: How Could Anything That Sounds So Boring Be So Important?

 

I have been selected as one of four commissioners from Denver Presbytery to this year's General Assembly. General Assembly is held every two years and meets in various cities across the country. This year, we will be convening from June 17-25 in Portland, Oregon.

Like all major denominations, the Presbyterian Church USA functions on the congregational level, as well as a national and global level. General Assembly is that time where the church gathers to consider what it means to be a witness to Jesus Christ at the national and global scale.