Faith
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Thinking the Faith, Praying the Faith, Living the Faith is written by the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship.
Thinking, praying, and living the faith is at the core of ministry in the Office of Theology and Worship. In the following videos, learn more about what thinking, praying, and living the faith means to the leadership of the Office of Theology and Worship. Discover why it matters and what difference it makes in our lives, work, and worship.
Charles Wiley
Barry Ensign-George
David Gambrell
Christine Hong
Karen Russell
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Faithful Preaching the Day after the Arizona Shooting
In her latest blog entry, Diana Butler Bass writes about the Saturday's shooting in Arizona and exhorts preachers to address it in worship. She writes:
The Sunday after Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968, my husband's family attended their Presbyterian church. They went with heavy hearts, expecting the pastor to help make sense of the tragedy. The minister rose to preach. The congregation held its breath. But he said nothing of the events in Memphis. He preached as if nothing had happened.
My husband's family left church that day disappointed; eventually, they left that church altogether.
This Sunday, many Americans will go to church. A sizeable number of those people may be hoping to hear something that helps them make sense of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the others who had gathered at her sidewalk townhall in Tucson. Some pastors may note the event in prayer and some may say something during announcements or add a sentence to their sermons. But others might say nothing, sticking instead to prepared texts and liturgies. Many will eschew speaking of politics.
That would be a mistake.
What do you think? Were the shootings mentioned in the sermons you heard or preached on this Sunday? Was it wise or unwise to "speak of politics"? What is faithful preaching on Baptism of the Lord, 2011?
Charles
- Posted at 1:13 a.m.
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