Belarus, part of the former Soviet Union, is one of the most conquered countries in Europe. Universally gentle, its people have been forced to learn patience. But recently they declared, “no more,” and have taken to the streets by the thousands.
Protest! Why would a 74-year-old retired PC(USA) pastor join in a protest in South Korea? The answer will come later. First, I must tell you I was part of a study group organized by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and World Mission in November 2018. What an eye-opening experience. Along with my wife and nine others, we spent 12 days traveling from Seoul to the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula and then north to the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ) where the 39th parallel divides North and South Korea. We learned about the so-called “forgotten war” in Korea. We were appalled to hear about the atrocities committed by all sides. We learned about the continuing tensions on the peninsula because the war ended with a truce and not a treaty. We heard about the hope of a peace treaty being signed this year, the 70th anniversary of the start of the “conflict.” Such a treaty could reduce tensions, making the outbreak of war much less likely.
The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground…” (Genesis 4: 10 NIV)
This was the opening passage of a heartfelt and prophetic pastoral message that the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) sent to its congregations condemning systemic and structural injustice and lamenting security force excesses in both South Africa and the United States.
When the Rev. Dr. Rodney S. Sadler Jr. thinks of biblical accounts describing God’s community, the multitude from every nation as described in Rev. 7 springs to his mind, the “diverse panorama of people before the throne of God,” as he told the Presbyterian Foundation’s Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty during Wednesday’s Facebook Live event, “What Does the Lord Require in Uprising?”
In a very real sense during the colossal challenges of coronavirus and civil protest, God is calling the church out, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II said during a Vital Congregations webinar Wednesday.
In thick coats and caps they marched through a cold and rainy New York City night chanting in broken syllables, “Boy-cott! Wen-dy’s! Boy-cott! Wen-dy’s!”
When white supremacist groups announced plans to hold a demonstration in the nation’s capital to mark the one-year anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, many were concerned the day would descend into violence as it did in 2017.
Done right, service to God is not an easy task. From the beginning, the people of God struggled with the issue of faithfulness; and those who were chosen to lead them, especially the prophets, were often confounded by the worldly challenges around them and the inner challenges of disobedience within the community of God’s people.
Presbyterian Women were among an estimated 3.3 – 4.6 million people who rallied at Women’s Marches across the country Saturday to advocate for women’s rights, access to affordable health care, protection for immigrants and racial minorities and, for many, against a newly inaugurated President who has bragged of sexual assault and made misogynistic statements. Four women from Farmington Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Tennessee, joined approximately 600,000 marchers in Washington, D.C., to add their voices to this chorus.
