In Spirit and Truth
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About this blog
In Spirit and Truth seeks to encourage discussion and deeper consideration of representation issues in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is hoped entries will prompt reflection and dialogue on aspects of expanding representation and supporting full participation in the PCUSA, especially at the assembly and mid council levels.
This blog will occasionally feature content written by one of the fourteen members of the General Assembly Committee on Representation, who are church members, ministers (teaching elders) and ruling elders from across the country, as well as links and articles of particular interest. The ministries of advising, consulting, advocating, promoting inclusion, reviewing and recommending actions are vital to the life of the whole Body of Christ. Committees on Representation and/or their functions exists at all councils above session so from time to time we may highlight activities and insights from sister committees on representation at lower councils throughout the church.
Any views or opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. or the General Assembly Committee on Representation.
Author/Facilitator Molly Casteel is an Assistant Stated Clerk and the Manager for Equity and Representation in the Office of the General Assembly. She is a teaching elder (a.k.a. Minister of Word and Sacrament) in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary.
Recent posts
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- The ADA at 25
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- What is the Church to do with #Ferguson, #MichaelBrown and #HandsUpDon’tShoot?
- Moving Past an Impulse/Intention for Racial Justice
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Posts with tag: pcusa
June 28, 2013Anniversaries abound and histories surround us
I’m feeling especially grateful these days. This week I received a colorful package from California. Inside was a book, 40th History of the Ethnic Concerns Committee, a great gift from Joan Alston, a colleague in the Synod of the Pacific. T
he cover is a beautiful rendering of the two sides of the 
hand-carved doors to the chapel here in the Presbyterian Center where I serve. More than once this week, I’ve given in to the temptation to peruse a few of its pages and in it I’ve learned so much more about the deep history of …
- Posted at 12:00 a.m.
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February 6, 2013
The Time Has Come!
On January 24, 2013, Leon Panetta, Defense Secretary made an astounding announcement that will change the course of history for women in the military announcing the elimination of ground combat exclusion and suggesting a plan to move forward to eliminate all gender based barriers. The announcement, in my opinion, is a wake-up signal to the church and calls the church to also re-examine it's stance on women in ministry.
Ironically, this announcement came between the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday celebration and the beginning of Black History Month. What a more appropriate time to raise the issue considering the …
- Posted at 3:28 p.m.
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January 2, 2013
Epiphany: a time for insight and revelation
As the horizon of human knowledge expands many traditions and words take on new meanings.
Initially, the Epiphany (gr. epiphaneia - "manifestation") was a festival that was celebrated twelve days after Christmas in order to remember the birth of our Lord, his baptism in the Jordan River and the manifestation of his glory in the celebrations of the wedding at Cana.
Die Reise der Heiligen Drei Konige (fragment) by Sasseta Giovanni (1432-1436), currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA.
When in the fourth century, the Greek Church adopted the Roman date for celebrating …
- Posted at 12:04 p.m.
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