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Opinion
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Letters to the Editor
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Written by David McCann
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 20:22 |
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For Kazimeirz being a theological student, I am a bit concerned that there is no theological reasoning this commentary. |
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Guest Commentary
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Written by Kazimierz Bern
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Monday, 08 March 2010 23:30 |
A guest commentary by Kazimierz Bern
Gay marriage will not undermine families or the institution of marriage. |
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Letters to the Editor
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Written by Miriam McNeely
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Monday, 08 March 2010 15:34 |
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Through the ages God has made covenants with His people, people have made covenants with one another, and commitments to covenants have broken over and over again because of our sinful human nature. |
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Editorials
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Written by The Presbyterian Outlook
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 15:54 |
“How can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Amos’ question (3:3-KJV) seems rhetorical, the answer self-evident. But his question begs another: to what degree must the two agree?
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Commentary
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Written by William (Beau) Weston
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 15:40 |
The Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage hammered out its final report over the weekend of January 23 -24. I attended those meetings as an observer.
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Commentary
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Written by Edward Koster
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 15:38 |
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Four times in the last five chapters of the Book of Judges we read that there was no king in Israel, and that all the people did what was right in their own eyes. |
Mark Achtemeier is not the only evangelical Christian who has changed his understanding of homosexuality.
I have been a Presbyterian minister since 1949. I am still a committed evangelical. I repeat the Apostles Creed with confidence. I embrace “the Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments” as our guide in understanding “what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man,” I reject the journalistic practice of identifying the religious right as evangelical.
For most of my life I responded to homosexuality in terms of the Holiness Code in Leviticus and in the teaching of St. Paul in his letters to the Roman and Corinthian churches. I have read the Bible through many times. Yet, in 2007, I was startled by fresh insight from Matt. 19:11 where Jesus said, For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.
The reference to those who make themselves eunuchs obviously refers to those who have renounced marriage for priesthood, as in Roman Catholic clergy. Those who were made so by others included many servants in royal courts from Babylon to the Ottoman Empire. But what about those “who have been so from birth”? Did God create male and female persons who were sexually different from the majority of other men and women? Or are those who are different also a part of the family of God?
In Leviticus, eunuchs and persons with damaged testicles were excluded from the temple. About the time I re-discovered Matt. 19:11, Elma (my wife) was reading Isaiah and found in Isaiah 56:4 the prophet’s statement: For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons or daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
We have all discovered among our friends or even in our families those whose sexual orientation is a mystery to us. Now we realize that homosexuality, and heterosexuality, are gifts of the Creator. The homosexual person and the emerging confident gay and lesbian communities with the human family are a gift of God and an opportunity for growing understanding by all of us.
On the boards of our churches and in the ministry of the church, homosexual persons may have their unique gifts that can bless the church and humanity. To explore the meaning of this new insight and to discover new frontiers before us is a challenge to the whole church. To discover the moral meaning of out expanding understanding of humanity is a new adventure. Like all challenges, it can enrich our understanding and expand our horizons.
The moral challenge continues. The commercialization of sexuality, the coercion or exploitation of sex, either homosexual or heterosexual, remain a sin and a shame. We must learn to transcend our confusion and resolve the conflicts that are a consequence of this new moral insight and social challenge. As each of us individually, and as the family of “the One God and father of us all,” we must learn to share our treasures. Then we will discover new opportunities in the Body of Christ for ministering in a world that needs healing and hope. The church may become more evangelical, more ecumenical, and more relevant in new ministries of praise and service.
Edward D. Auchard H.R.
Bryan, Ohio |
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Letters to the Editor
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Written by Jim Dove
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 22:55 |
I have been thinking about the recommendation to remove Caterpillar stock from our portfolio and wonder how may other companies have been included as stocks to sell based on how their products are used. Do we Presbyterians believe that Israel would refrain from building walls if they had purchased Kubota equipment from Japan?
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Letters to the Editor
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Written by Kerry Hurwitz
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:48 |
Regarding Reinhard Krauss' comment:
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Letters to the Editor
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Written by Kerry Hurwitz
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:45 |
Sloppy reporting … does not include the background of or accurate facts about the case.
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Letters to the Editor
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Written by Kerry Hurwitz
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:36 |
This “report” is an insult to the Jewish community. It is hostile, inaccurate, and libelous. If accepted, the church will (again) announce itself as racist, anti-Semitic, and at war with its Jewish neighbors.
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