As followers of the Prince of Peace, Christians are not always particularly peaceful people, which is what makes North Carolina’s return to the national stage as a foothold for intolerance both unsurprising and deeply troubling. The ease with which a Christian group would condemn another religion denies our own legacy as well as the work we still need to do. For any Christian who needs help seeing past the plank in their own eye, some of our faithful friends have put together an excellent starting place. In addition, a piece…
2017 Legislative Seminar Check-In Instructions
Thank you to those who have registered for the 2017 Legislative Seminar. We are looking forward to having you join us this Monday, March 27, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (4801 Six Forks Road, Raleigh). In an effort to get everyone checked-in as efficiently as possible, we have a few suggestions: Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with a light breakfast provided by Partners in Health and Wholeness. Opening worship will begin at 9:15 a.m. Directions: From I-440 heading north on Six Forks Road turn left onto Northbrook Drive just…
Do the Goose
If you think organized religion has lost its appeal (25% of Americans do; most of them under 40), then it might be time to look again. Look at the Wild Goose Festival in Hot Springs, NC, July 13-16, 2017. Rooted in the Christian tradition, Wild Goose is an amalgamation of spirit, justice, music and arts. Remember how Jesus combined a radical interpretation of justice with a reverence for tradition? He said things like, “I have come not to abolish [the law] but to fulfill.” Then he showed us what fulfillment…
Taking Away Health Care
Despite evidence that the Affordable Care Act is more popular and more needed than ever, some Republicans in Congress have proceeded with partisan plans to repeal Obamacare while dismantling Medicaid as we know it. Among other things, our friends at Save My Care explain that the plan put forward on Monday would: End ACA tax credits, beginning in 2020, that had been based on income and replace them with tax credits that only go up with age so that most people will pay more out of pocket. Moderate income families,…
2017 Ecumenical Prayer Calendar
This Prayer for Unity and monthly ecumenical prayer calendar include by name the judicatories and congregations that are members of the North Carolina Council of Churches and the names of their current leaders. Your prayers for reconciliation are invited for all Christian bodies in and beyond the state. A Prayer for Unity Holy One, whose love has been poured into our hearts through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, and who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine,…
Let Loving One Another Become Our Norm
Yesterday morning, the Sandra P. Lerner Jewish Community Day School in Durham received a bomb threat. This was the most recent in recurring waves of bomb threats against Jewish centers over the past two months—69 bomb threats at 54 Jewish community centers in 27 states and a Canadian province, according to the Jewish Community Center Association of North America. That’s a lot of disruption and a lot of fear, which is exactly what the cowards who make such threats are trying to affect. As it turns out, I know a…
Johnson Amendment: Name Games and Far-reaching Impact
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director I came to North Carolina in 1978 to work with the Baptist State Convention after completing a law degree and becoming a member of the NC State Bar. As a result, I have fielded a lot of questions over the years explaining – or trying to explain – to churches what they can and cannot do regarding candidates for public office. I had never until the last year or so heard the term “Johnson Amendment.” And I hadn’t known until a couple of years…
Whispers and Shouts
Sometimes God whispers. Whether through hymns or homilies or kids dancing their way down the aisle to children’s chapel. Sometimes God shouts. Through the amplified suffering of others, known or strangers, all created in the same image. Or through the aftermath of a cataclysmic election. Lately, the lectionary readings have provided desperately needed whispers for me, reminders of what our faith promises. On the third Sunday after Epiphany we were offered Isaiah and the 27th Psalm, promising light and a faithful stand against fear. On the fourth Sunday, the Beatitudes….
Refugees Welcomed, Not Banned
Last in a series of three blogs. Above all, these strangers bring to us the Christ. When we welcome a stranger we welcome Jesus, and when we welcome Jesus we welcome our creator. Refugees, immigrants, those yearning to be free—these are the ones whom Jesus spoke about when he said, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35) On Friday, January 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that severely restricts immigration from seven Muslim countries, suspends all refugee admission for 120 days, and bars all Syrian…
Speak Against Vitriol; Stand for Values
For more than 80 years the NC Council of Churches has stood for essential human rights and common decency grounded in the Gospel imperative to “love God and love neighbor.” We started with the issue of racial equality in 1935 and forthrightly moved into “migrant labor” and immigration, women’s right, the environment, and health care. Anyone watching the news this week has witnessed the steady unraveling of each of these causes and more. The unraveling goes far beyond taking apart the initiatives of the most recent executive administration; we are…
Blessed not Blocked or Banned
This Sunday’s Gospel reading was the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12. Jesus says blessed nine times, but he never says blocked or banned. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…
Getting Back to Our Normal: Some Suggestions for the Long Haul
Our friend Rob Schofield over at Policy Watch wrote a column on Tuesday that was as vitally important in its truth-telling as it was hard to read for the future it forecasts. One of the crucial facts he offered — those of us opposed to the policies, personalities, and vicious rhetoric of the current administration must be prepared for the long haul. The reality is proving to be every bit as damaging as we thought it might. So what now? A couple of thoughts: Don’t accept the lies. Trust your brain,…
Let’s Keep Marching
At another time in my life, I would not have spent most of Saturday occupying my tiny square of personal space in the heart of Washington DC, literally shoulder to shoulder with a half million others. But there I was, pink hat and all. I chose to be there because my grandmother cleaned other people’s homes and worked in food service in the promise that her two daughters, and then her three granddaughters, would all attend college. I chose to be there because I have raised three brown sons to…
Join us to Pray for Justice and Reconciliation and to Share Dinner Together
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham and the NC Council of Churches invite you to join us for a brief service to pray for justice and reconciliation in our nation and world on January 18 at 6 p.m. As we gather in the days between the commemoration of the work and witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inauguration of a new president, you are invited to bring your concerns, fears, and hopes to this prayer vigil led by representatives of various faith communities throughout the region. Immediately…
Thank You for Speaking Love in 2016
We could not begin the new year without acknowledging the volunteers, grassroots advocates, donors, organizational partners, and all others who helped the Council continue to be a faithful, prophetic voice for justice, peace, and unity in 2016. In particular, we would like to recognize faith leaders from across traditions, denominations, and locations statewide who signed their name to our shared call for love and mutual care. Their statement reads: All of our holy texts call us to love one another, to care for each other, and to work for justice. Now more than ever, we pledge to lead by…