This just in my inbox from New York City's Union Seminary...
CHARLES BLOW TALKS NON-INDICTMENTS IN FERGUSON AND STATEN ISLAND AT UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
DECEMBER 10 | DOORS 6:30P | EVENT 6:50P | JAMES CHAPEL
In the wake of the events in Ferguson and Staten Island, join us at Union Theological Seminary as we welcome New York Times columnist and author of Fire Shut Up In My Bones Charles Blow. Together, we will wrestle through the hard issues of race, religion, and identity.
Mr. Blow will be signing his book at a wine and cheese reception at the conclusion of the event. All are welcomed to come!
Fred Davie, Executive Vice President
Union Theological Seminary
Yes yes, those "hard issues of race, religion, and identity" dealt with ever so delicately in the context of an autograph party with wine and cheese. And did you know it was these same Union Seminary posers who were brought out to St. Louis by the PCA's Missouri Presbytery churches to help them show their deep sensitivity to the systemic injustice of white privilege that prevails within their congregations and neighborhoods?
The church hosting the forum was South City Church co-pastored by Jay Simmons and Mike Higgins. Higgins also serves as Dean of the PCA's Covenant Theological Seminary. There was a speaker from Sojourners and the plenary speaker was Pastor William Barber of the NAACP's Moral Monday Movement of North Carolina. The Moral Monday Movement carries out civil disobedience to protest injustices such as the North Carolina legislature's attempts to limit the number of unborn babies murdered in their state each year.
I'm not sure I'm reading this right, but I think it's all an attempt to demonstrate that South City Church, Missouri Presbytery, and Covenant Seminary finally "get it."
Meanwhile, I worshipped yesterday with another Presbyterian congregation that really does get it about the city and poverty and race. It's a congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) called Covenant Fellowship Reformed Presbyterian Church outside Pittsburgh in Wilkinsburg, PA. Pastored by Pete Smith, the worship and fellowship afterwards made it clear the real work of healing the city's wounds is never done by those who announce it blowing trumpets on the street corner, but those who are humble and quiet, living for the approval, not of man, but of God.
When I'm back in Wilkinsburg, I'll anticipate worshipping with Pastor Smith and the believers of Covenant Fellowship.
Tim serves Clearnote Church, Bloomington, Indiana. He and Mary Lee have five children and big lots of grandchildren.
Want to get in touch? Send Tim an email!
