#pcusa

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Queer & Here to Stay! Pride month text prayers

Sup y’all! I’m a board member for More Light Presbyterians, and this Pride month, June 2023, we’ll be sharing short daily prayers with all who sign up to receive them via text.

The prayers will center around our theme for the month, “Here to Stay!” — a defiant celebration of how queer folk have always existed in our faith communities and always will.

If you’re interested in receiving these daily prayers, fill out this form — be sure to provide your phone number and check in the box that reads “I would like to receive daily text prayers in June.”

(You’ll notice that the form also has options to receive some liturgy + rsvp for a virtual service; feel free to say yes or no to those!)

I look forward to praying with you! May we remember always that queer & trans folk are beloved by the God who made us, just as we are <3

#here to stay #pcusa #queer christians #faithfullylgbt #prayer tag #sorry the form looks so unprofessional algja;lkgjdada we are currently all volunteers BUT!!! #we JUST hired a new director of engagement!!! #we're back in business baby!!! #so soon shit will look more legit again #avery speaking

[a-queer-seminarian]

Hey, i have some exciting news: i’ve been appointed to the board of directors for my denomination’s LGBTQA+ organization!

I’m headed to Nashville tomorrow for a short retreat where I’ll learn more about what my roles will be.

I’m nervous, but also excited. I see much potential in More Light Presbyterians’ future — not because it has an unblemished past (it doesn’t), but because the people currently at the helm have recognized the need to take greater action and to emphasize intersectionality.

Prayers or good vibes are deeply appreciated as I and the others all travel and meet one another! Meanwhile, some other thoughts / some More Light history are under the readmore.

More Light Presbyterians’ Mission Statement:

“Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society.”

The informal beginning of the More Light movement was in 1974, when David Bailey Sindt, at a meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly, held up a sign reading "Is anybody else out there gay?" (I’ve posted about this historical event before!)

Thus More Light Presbyterians has been around for decades, with the original priority being to get the PC(USA) to affirm the ordinations and marriages of gay (and later more specifically LGBTQA+) folk. That’s now been accomplished!! (See this post for one historical stop along the way)

However, there is clearly a lot of work yet to do. Not all PCUSA congregations are LGBTQA+ affirming; and those that are often struggle to live out their theoretical affirmations for a number of reasons (lack of resources, or education, etc.).

I’ve interacted with a lot of More Light congregations since joining the PC(USA) back in 2015, with mixed results: I have been burned by some More Light congregations, and nourished by others. My home congregation, where I still participate regularly and where my wife and I got married, is a More Light congregation. But when I was in seminary, a different More Light congregation scared me off from wanting to be a pastor through their actions — they admitted they didn’t want to take me on as an intern because of “the pronoun thing.” Then there are the number of More Light congregations I’ve dropped by for just a service or two, only to find no non-gendered bathrooms & greeters who misgendered me despite my pronoun pin.

The problem is that a lot of congregations became More Light a decade or more ago, before an emphasis on not only being “gay friendly” but fully LGBTQA+ welcoming had come about. I applied for this position in the hopes that I can help More Light mean true affirmation, sanctuary, celebration for all LGBTQA+ folks.

I want there to be more expected of any congregation that chooses to call themselves More Light, so that I can recommend any More Light church to LGBTQA+ friends without a qualm.

When I applied, I wasn’t sure whether this goal would be an uphill battle or not. After one Zoom meeting with the current More Light leadership, I’m very hopeful that it won’t be: the idea of requiring more from MLP members was brought up; and intersectionality and anti-racism were also emphasized.

So let’s see where things go. Wish us luck!

#log #fall 2022 #pcusa #more light presbyterians

[iwasateenagebordigist]

#imt #iso #icc #cpc #cpgbml #ict #psl #pcusa #cpusa #dsa

[desiringnothingness]

my guide to denominations

(I admit there are some exaggerations occasionally, but all exaggerations here have some basis in fact. Except the Baptist Bible-thumping competition, that part might not actually be true but it is close enough to explain the behavior of my local Baptists)

1. Catholic - you don't have to talk to anyone, actually we discourage it inside the worship area because we keep part of Jesus's body up front. BTW, we have 2,000 years of doctrine regarding suffering...wait, why are you splitting off already?

2. Orthodox - we are just as much the original church as the Catholics, even though we didn't break off from the Catholics until 1054 AD. It was all their fault, BTW. Want to go kill some Ukrainians? Who cares if they are Orthodox too, they are Ukrainians and our Russian Patriarch says it's ok!

3. Pentecostal - Do you like guitars? Do you like shouting languages that nobody understands, not even us? What do you mean? Nobody has Tourette's Syndrome here!

4. Baptist - the winner of this week's headcount in Bible thumping goes to...NEWBIE SHOWED UP! GET THEM! We need to warn them about all the different ways they are going to hell!

5. Presbyterian (PCUSA) - We have a potluck after church, please come and join us. Oh, you don't believe the same as us? That's ok! We don't actually have set beliefs!

6. actual Calvinists - So if you look at this chapter of Romans, it clearly explains why God made everybody to go to hell like a potter making pots in order to break them later. Unless, of course, God decided at creation that He would pick you out of the all the others who have ever lived.

7. Mormon - Of course we belong on this list! We are Christian too! (then mumbles quietly: along with some extra Scriptures and secret rituals that our founder added).

8. Jehovah's Witness - If I don't keep saving people, I will lose my place in the only 144,000 people join the heavenly bureaucracy pyramid scheme!

#Christian denomination guide #the American Orthodox Church was given autonomy by the Russian Patriarch after the Bolshevik Revolution #some Orthodox say that the Russian Patriarch did not have the authority to do that #Catholic #Orthodox #Baptist #Pentecostal #Presbyterian #PCUSA #Calvinist #Mormon #LDS #jehovahs witnesses

[bookkats]

More than hot takes…

If you want to know why pastors are leaving ministryThere’s a lot of people to compassionately ask—but don’t do it the minute they are leaving maybe?If the PCUSA wanted to do a study (which are are renowned for) we could, but a study is just the beginning of the work… I personally asked around during Covid and 30-40 PCUSA pastors told me very personal, very heartfelt stories about why they were…

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#Alex lang #Church #ministry #pastors leaving #PCUSA

[jazzdebimprovisations]

Life Guidance

This week to begin our 2023 Black History Month focus, we celebrate Dr. Sara B. Cordery, educator and former Moderator of Presbyterian Women.

2023 Black History Month Sermon Series Lifting Up the Lives of Black Presbyteriansat United Presbyterian Church, Peoria, IL on February 5, 2023 Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12 and Matthew 5:7-20 In this worship service we will celebrate the life of Dr. Sara B. Cordery, Ed.D who was a Presbyterian elder and lifelong educator. She served as Moderator of Presbyterian Women from 1991-1994 Love requires…

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#Katherine Johnson #pcusa #Peoria #presbyterian

[wutbju]

Dr. Donald "Don" Michael Hudson, age 63, of Johnson City, Tennessee, died on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Don was born on June 22, 1959, to the late Donald Eugene Hudson and Frances Jane Roberts Kramer in Roanoke, Virginia. He was a member of Tazewell Presbyterian Church, Tazewell, Virginia. Don married the love of his life, Christina Camille Flynn Hudson on March 3, 2012. They lived in several places throughout the world, but the happiest years of his life were when he and Christina lived in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Professionally and academically, Don was a very accomplished man, having four master's degrees and a Ph.D. He was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He was Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the Bible and Religion Department at King University in Bristol, Tenn. In his role as the leader of the Religion 1001 class and others, Don likely taught more students at King than any other individual professor. His zeal for understanding the Christian Scriptures in the 21st century was evident among those who were privileged to sit under his instruction. He designed and developed the course, Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice, which encouraged students to develop their worldviews and apply critical thinking skills to their faith.

Prior to joining King University, he taught in the Philosophy and Religion department at Appalachian State University. He co-founded the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in 1996. He crafted the original vision of the school, hired faculty and staff, recruited students, raised funds, and designed the curriculum for the MA in Theology and the MDiv. For years, Don led teams of undergraduate students to Palestine to pursue epistemological humility, excellence in scholarship, and nuanced thinking in regards to religion and geo-politics.

As chair of the Bible and Religion department, Dr. Hudson had been actively promoting undergraduate research and scholarly activities in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Hudson promoted education in his community by speaking regularly at churches, local high schools, community colleges, universities, student organizations, and with local news media about religious violence and extremism and Iron Age archaeology in Israel. Dr. Hudson also served on the governing board of the King Institute of Faith and Culture.

At heart, Don was a fly fisherman and served as both a guide in Montana and taught a course for undergraduate students on fly fishing at King. He also travelled around to local high schools to teach high school students the art of fly fishing. As Don would have put it, to echo the words of Norman Maclean in A River Runs Through It, "in our family there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing."

Don authored, co-authored, and/or edited ten books and had written over 60 essays and articles in journals such as Imaginatio et Ratio, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Mars Hill Review, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Inklings, The Everyday Study Bible, Sojourners, and Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. He also founded and co-directed the Mars Hill Review where he served as concept editor for nine years. He gave more than 500 research and public scholarship presentations in 47 states and 14 countries. He has also been a consultant with international organizations managing refugee populations in Germany, Austria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Germany, and Turkey.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Christina; children, Madilyn Trula Pereira and Donald Michael Martin Hudson; siblings, Jodi Hudson Crown and Taylor, Scott Hudson and Heather, and Beth Hudson Proffitt and George; and many nieces and nephews.

Don's family will receive friends from 8:45 until 9:45 a.m. EST at King University Library, 1350 King College Rd., Bristol, TN 37620, on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. The visitation will conclude promptly at 9:45 a.m. EST so please plan accordingly. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will commence immediately following the visitation, in the King University Memorial Chapel, under the direction of Dr. Brian Alderman. The service will be available to view at 10 a.m. EST via livestream at www.webcast.king.edu.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to support refugees, a cause important to Don and his family, are directed to Middle East Children's Alliance (https://www.mecaforpeace.org/), United Palestinian Appeal (https://upaconnect.org/), Anera (https://www.anera.org/), or Mercy USA for Aid and Development Inc. (https://mercyusa.org/).

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family via www.morrisbaker.com.

Morris-Baker Funeral Home, 2001 E Oakland Ave, Johnson City, Tennessee, is honored to serve the Hudson family. [phone].

#Bob Jones University #Archive #Obituary #BJU Hall of Fame #BJU Alumni Association #2022 #Class of 1981 #Donald Michael Hudson #King University #PCUSA

[battleforgodstruth]

Worst of PCA General Assembly 2019 on the Nashville Statement - Pastor Patrick Hines Podcast

Worst of PCA General Assembly 2019 on the Nashville Statement – Pastor Patrick Hines Podcast

Worst of PCA General Assembly 2019 on the Nashville Statement – Pastor Patrick Hines Podcast ▶️Reformed Presbyterian Pulpit Supplemental (Pastor Hines’ YouTube Channel):https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClW5Qzh27Zx7HO2fKkCcR5g ▶️Bridwell Heights Presbyterian Church http://www.bridwellheightschurch.org/ ▶️Pastor Patrick Hines (PLAYLIST):…

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#pcusa #Presbyterian #presbyterian church #presbyterian church tennessee #Presbyterian minister #Presbyterianism #Presbyterians #Reformed churches #reformed minister #reformed pastor #reformed preacher #reformed presbyterian #reformed presbyterian church #reformed presbyterian churches #reformed presbyterians #reformed theology

[atpaine]

Slave No More

[Philemon 1-21] Slave No More By the Reverend Tom Paine Preached at Lakewood Presbyterian Church September 4, 2022 Background Philemon is a most unusual book in the Bible. First, we read the whole book in a couple of minutes. Second, while it is a letter, like all the other books in the Bible attributed to Paul – this is one while written to a church is primarily to just one person about a…

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#abolition #Invisible #Paul #PCUSA #philemon #presbyterian #Sermon #slavery #Visible

[sadisticscribbler]

Interesting piece of work here Reposted from @redeemed_zoomer Yes I know it can be debated whether some of these are "Christian," but my objective standard here is the Nicene Creed. My flight got delayed 24 hours so I had time to make this 😂 #denominations #jesus #trinity #bible #god #godexists #christian #christianity #theism #philosophy #calvinism #reformedtheology #reformed #presbyterian #faith #belief #protestant #reformed #reformedtheology #amillennialism #pcusa #pca https://www.instagram.com/p/CevOPVfryqk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#denominations #jesus #trinity #bible #god #godexists #christian #christianity #theism #philosophy #calvinism #reformedtheology #reformed #presbyterian #faith #belief #protestant #amillennialism #pcusa #pca

[walkinginland]

Happy Pride, friend! 1, 11, 21, 24

Halloooooooooo pal!!

1 - Which labels do you use?

Ace and Queer! i have been toodling around with sapphic lately but it's less of an identity label and more of an unformed Concept™ floating around. she's in development.

11 - Favorite (or just one you love) piece of LGBT media?

oooooo this is HARD. Queer As Folk (US) will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the first tv shows i watched with queer relationships on screen. It has its problems, of course, but it's so so important. 911 Lone Star has meant a lot to me this past year, I think partly because of how it's not specifically LGBT media. It's just. A normal procedural that happens to have great rep. It doesn't ignore the specific struggles that LGBT people face, but it doesn't make that the character's whole story. They're just there, living their dramatic procedural lives, and doing it queer.

books are media, right? SO HERE ARE SOME. the Green Creek series (my beloved, beloved queer werewolves), The Charm Offensive, Felix Ever After, The Last Binding books, The Starless Sea

21 - What message would you give to your younger self?

There is something different about you and the way you understand relationships. There is something different, but there is nothing wrong. You are not broken or less-than.

24 - Do you practice any religion, if so how does it play into your LGBT identity? Do you feel welcomed by your spiritual community?

I do! I am a fairly devout Christian of the Protestant variety. I believe that God beautifully and wonderfully made queer people and queer relationships, and rejoices in us when we love and care for each other. I believe he celebrates with his trans children when they join him in the act of creation by finding who they were meant to be.

I have struggled to come to that place. In many ways I am still struggling with it. I was raised very definitively not to believe that (the "hate the sin, love the sinner" mantra was definitely prevalent), and it has been and continues to be difficult to untangle the homophobia from the orthodox doctrines I still cherish and hold dearly to. It's ongoing work! I'm not rushing myself, and I'm trying to give myself the grace to study and pray and take my time processing. But at the root of it all, belief is a choice, and I choose to love God and I choose to believe he made and loves me too.

I have not yet found an affirming church, but I will one day. I'm in a bit of a limbo situation living at home with my parents and being in the closet and attending the church I was raised in. It is full of people who love me and raised me and taught me many wonderful, important, good things. It is also misogynistic and homophobic lmao. dualities. Once I move out I will quickly be on the church-hunt 😂

from these pride asks!!

#ask game #sorry for dumping my religion trauma leah alsejfaijes HERE WE ARE #PCUSA here i come back to my ROOTS yall have liturgy and you ordain women and LGBT people ilu

[ofhouseadama]

hmm... thinking about garashir + song of solomon hours

#otp: there's hope for you yet #no one look at me every once in awhile i remember i'm an ordained deacon #in the presbyterian church (pcusa)

[a-queer-seminarian]

Edit: time zone is eastern standard time!

#queer Christians #if you have no preference / multiple would work feel free to explain in the replies / comments! #btw my credentials: I’m a seminary grad (MDiv) on the ordination track for the PCUSA #I’ve done everything to get ordained except actually ‘receive a call’ ie get a job as a pastor or chaplain etc #log #fall 2023

[mermaidsirennikita]

lol it's actually not that hard to be a Christian and be pro-choice/pro-LGBT+ if you actually study the Bible pragmatically versus coming at it from a fuckin' "pure vibes" perspective

people are using religion to justify their own individual beliefs, which should be irrelevant anyway

#this is probs why the PCUSA is one of the most leftist denominations tbh #bc .... you can't just roll up and lead a presbyterian ministry bc the spirit took you.... #you actually have to... treat it like a job and study scholarship #and not everyone does but that's at least the THEORY and i do think PCUSA treats christianity more academically #than most

[feral-catgirl]

talking about others adhering to "tried-and-failed tactics" while being a maoist is certainly an interesting choice lmao

(ask is in reference to this post: https://www.tumblr.com/feral-catgirl/726521729866924032/i-complain-about-the-behavior-and-beliefs-of-other )

tbqh i dont think anyone willing to argue on this site has actually done enough study on maoism to try to tell me what the “tried-and-failed” tactics of maoism are, whereas the “Bolshevik-style” of aboveground legal organizing until insurrection has been the project of like 6 different major and currently existing orgs in the usa who have failed to so much as engage in effective antiimperialist struggle or keep their ranks clear of abusers, much less create anything close to a revolution. applied outside the usa, the same is largely true when it comes to recent and growing revolutionary movements, with india as good example of direct contrast between the efficacy of self-described “marxist” organizing vs the maoist struggle in the country.

#psl cpusa revcoms wwp and i guess pcusa and dsa if you consider those ‘revolutionary’ orgs in some capacity #to name names of failed ‘bolshevik-style’ orgs #heavy emphasis on those quotations cause lenin is spinning his grave over these people trying to claim his name #anyway i would haaaaate if someone wrote a coherent marxist-leninist critique of maoist political lines and strategy #2-line struggle is so scary and i would be owned so hard by someone actually engaging me in good faith on ppw universality and partybuilding

[jazzdebimprovisations]

From the Inside Out

On Week 4 of our Black History Month celebration in 2022, we celebrated the life and work of Rev. Gayraud Wilmore and the beginning of our Matthew 25 Initiative Journey with Guest Preacher, the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett.

2022 Black History Month Sermon Series Lifting Up the Lives of Black PresbyteriansGuest Preacher: The Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffat, President and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the PCUSAat United Presbyterian Church, Peoria, IL Scripture: Micah 6:8 and Matthew 25:31-46  In this worship service we committed our congregation to the path of the Matthew 25 Initiative of…

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#Katherine Johnson #pcusa #Peoria #presbyterian