Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Pres House provides spiritual home away from home for Madison students
By Emily McFarlan Miller — February 18, 2020
MADISON, Wis. (RNS) — A spirit of innovation has animated Pres House since 1907, when Christ Presbyterian Church in Madison hired its first campus pastor.
Joanne Rogers: On her husband Fred Rogers’ commitment to prayer, church, children
By Adelle M. Banks — November 15, 2019
(RNS) — ‘He did that every morning,’ Joanne Rogers recalled of his practice of praying for people by name. ‘And he had a legal pad with all the names on it that he wanted to remember.’
Fighting hate with a holy, and blessedly ordinary, partnership of Christians and Jews
By Daniel Greyber and Katie Crowe — May 31, 2019
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — Sharing a sanctuary, a church and a synagogue wrote a narrative that refused to let our current divisions have the final word.
Denominations repent for Native American land grabs
By Emily McFarlan Miller — August 22, 2018
(RNS) — Several Protestant denominations have repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, the idea laid out in a series of 15th-century papal bulls that justified appropriating native land. But what are they doing now to act on that?
Presbyterians aim to revive mainline denomination
By Emily McFarlan Miller — June 14, 2018
(RNS) — As the Presbyterian Church (USA) prepares for its biennial General Assembly in St. Louis beginning Saturday (June 16), many PCUSA leaders are hoping to bring reform to the dwindling mainline Protestant denomination.
The fight for LGBT equality is about more than LGBT people (COMMENTARY)
By Alex Patchin McNeill — March 23, 2015
(RNS) In this journey of understanding of who we are, we are not winning a “battle” to gain full acceptance of LGBT people in churches. Rather, we are helping our faith traditions be the best faith traditions they can be.
Predictions of evangelical concessions on LGBT rights are premature (COMMENTARY)
By Jonathan Merritt — March 19, 2015
(RNS) If you follow the headlines, it feels like an invisible finger has flicked the first domino in a long row of tiles. But don’t be fooled.
Presbyterian Church (USA) approves same-sex marriage amendment
By Reuters — March 17, 2015
(Reuters) A majority of the 171 regional "presbyteries," or local leadership bodies of the church, have now voted to change the wording of the constitution to define marriage as a commitment "between two people, traditionally a man and a woman."
Presbyterians scrap ad campaign deemed offensive to minorities
By Adelle M. Banks — January 21, 2015
(RNS) “We made a great misstep,” said Linda Valentine, executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Yale chaplain’s resignation reflects larger mainline tensions over Israel
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — September 16, 2014
(RNS) The Rev. Bruce Shipman, an Episcopal chaplain at Yale, resigned last week after he wrote a controversial New York Times letter.
COMMENTARY: Presbyterian divestment vote, a blow to mutual respect
By Arnold M. Eisen — July 7, 2014
(RNS) I certainly don’t feel loved by this resolution, any more than any of us feels loved when members of another group tell us that they know better than we do what is right for us, and are prepared to help us see the light by causing us suffering.
Presbyterians narrowly vote to divest from 3 companies involved in Israeli/Palestinian conflict
By Lauren Markoe — June 20, 2014
(RNS) The 310-303 vote marks a victory for divestment supporters both within and without the 1.8 million-member PCUSA, now the largest American church to embrace divestment as a strategy to pressure Israel to return its illegally held lands.
Presbyterians vote to allow gay marriage
By Lauren Markoe — June 19, 2014
(RNS) Gay rights activists within the church rejoiced at their victory, which was remarkable for its lopsidedness after multiple years of razor-thin defeats.
COMMENTARY: What the Presbyterians got wrong on Israel
By Rick Jacobs — April 1, 2014
NEW YORK (RNS) Love is at the core of the Jewish and Christian faiths. And for the love of God, we must address a looming rupture between us regarding Israel.
John Ortberg’s Menlo Park Presbyterian votes to leave PCUSA despite $8 million fee
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — March 5, 2014
(RNS) Menlo Park Presbyterian is based in the San Francisco Bay area and led by well-known author and pastor John Ortberg. It is the ninth-largest PCUSA church with about 4,000 members, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
