The day after the Las Vegas shooting massacre, I posted on Facebook, “Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.” I didn’t really know what else to say at the moment. My friend Bruce Gillette replied with a political cartoon depicting God in heaven saying, “Enough already with the ‘prayers for the victims and their families,’ you morons. Go enact some meaningful gun control!”
In the first episode of a new podcast “The Word on the Street,” hosted by thePresbyterian Mission Agency’s Charles Wiley and Alonzo Johnson, a Kentucky Hall of Fame Broadcaster recalled being in a person’s home during times of tragedy and being asked to pray for them.
Presbyterians are generally allergic to the prosperity gospel, the belief among many Christians that God blesses those who bless God. Prosperity gospel is a good idea, but it begins to get tricky when we believe that those who are faithful to God will always be blessed by financial wealth and good health.
On Wednesday, May 31, at 3:00 p.m. EDT, Wiley and the Rev. Dr. Paul Huh, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s associate for Korean Translation, will be live on the PC(USA) Facebook page to speak briefly about the history of the Christian festival and the vital place of the Holy Spirit in Reformed theology and worship.
As another Lenten season begins tomorrow for Christians in the U.S. and across the globe, the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will offer helpful insights into the history of Ash Wednesday as well as reflections on its contemporary relevance and practice for Presbyterians through a variety of resources.
