(By Peter Johnson, Juicy Ecumenism.) The newly selected Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Rev. Dr. J Herbert Nelson II, recently released a statement about the presidential election entitled, “When Incivility Becomes the Norm.”
Nelson characterized his missive as a “response to the violence on America’s streets after the election of Mr. Donald Trump as President–Elect of the United States of America.” One might think, upon reading this introduction, that the venerable Reverend Doctor would be making an appeal for peace and calm. After all, peaceful protests are a proud legacy of the church, while violence and riots are generally discouraged by Christians.
Unfortunately, Rev. Dr. Nelson failed to discourage the violent protests even once in his 2000+ word letter (replete with seven footnotes). Instead, he declared his hope that the protests would pave the way for a particular public policy agenda that he favors.
He concedes that “President-Elect Trump is our newly elected leader,” but also characterizes the election as undemocratic and rigged by corporate interests. He also exhorts churches to undermine a not-yet-formulated immigration policy of the President-elect by harboring deportees in their “basements.”
The only instances where Rev. Dr. Nelson explicitly mentions violence is when he links Trump to an imagined future violence: “pain, suffering, and yes, death, which will be wrought by the promised policies of the incoming administration.”
At the heart of the letter is Rev. Dr. Nelson’s vision for “coalition building and community organizing, [where] we have an opportunity to create a vision of shared prosperity, safety, dignity, and justice that is truly inclusive and compelling to a broad base.”
The irony is completely lost on the PCUSA leader that a church that fails to be compelling to its own congregants—as evidenced by the steady exodus from the denomination—is now dispensing advice on how to grow a winning constituent base in politics. The denomination is becoming a parody of itself.
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I think given his background and history Rev. Nelson does have an affinity and tendency to speak too and address his concerns in political terms and means. Remove all aspects of his denominational affiliation or church associations and assume he speaks as a lobbyist or partisan of a political point of view or campaign. In that context his side lost. Not only that, but lost abysmally. In a year and cycle the Republicans ran likely the most divisive and polarizing person ever on a national ticket, his side, his causes, his issues, his things he takes to heart, not only lost but where repudiated on a national level at every level.
Republicans control 39 state legislatures. In blue Pa they have a veto proof majority out of last Tues. Republicans now make up 40 State Attorney Generals and control over 30 governorship. The Democratic party has been reduced to a rump of the radical left on both coasts and major cities. And that’s were they will be for a generation. BLM, a movement the PCUSA embraced in a full hug is now no more than roving flash mobs blocking traffic. Rev. Nelson does have plenty of work ahead of him. If I were him I would maybe, just maybe take a few days, ponder the situation and consider just what he chooses to say next.
This is what happens when you hire a social activist as your leader.
Beware of the comments of the Rev. Dr. Nelson. He has stepped off on a slippery slope. The comment by Paul in Romans13:1 thru 2 is a stark warning. He may find himself opposing God. Good or not so good all authorities are put in place by Gods choice!
Just one more grateful reason we THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF SKIATOOK are NOT a part of PCUSA ,
FREE , FREE AT LAST , we are part of EPC , as of 9-30-16 , and so so happy .
The louisville sluggers still don’t get, and yet they wonder why the pews of pcusa churches are empty, I still belong to my pcusa church, but don’t go there much anymore, as my kids don’t want to go there as it’s a small church with no youth program and the average age is 60 plus. The pcusa is becoming the religious arm of the Democratic party, and as such forgets why they are losing members and elections. Nelson is a perfect reflection of the future of the pcusa, so much for liberal tolerance.
This commentary’s author, Peter Johnson, is more ‘tapped into’ the Holy Spirit of love, faith and hope than the leadership at the shrinking Presbyterian Church USA.
For the record, when I cast my ballot for president on November 8, it was for neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton, as I think both to be disastrous choices for president of the United States for different reasons.
That being said, I think that for the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to react as if Donald Trump’s election to the highest office in the land was the result of the influence of corporate special interests, particularly when Clinton outspent Trump by a five-to-one margin, shows that he has a very skewed perception of how it was that Donald Trump won the presidency. To be sure, there were many Republicans who voted for him thinking him to be the lesser of two evils, despite having made numerous offensive and troubling remarks during his campaign. However, as many analysts pointed out on election night, Trump won by carrying the rural working class white vote—a constituency whose primary concerns of factories in their towns closing and moving south of the border and of immigrants from south of the border coming in to compete for the few rural working class jobs that remained were regularly ignored not only by the Democratic presidential candidates but also frequently by the Republicans, despite the fact that rural working class whites make up the backbone of the Republican Party. In other words, rural working class whites have been most disaffected by globalization, and presidential candidates have, by and large, ignored their plight—that is, except for Donald Trump.
If Herbert Nelson is truly concerned about advocating for justice for the poor, then perhaps he should seek solutions that genuinely help all the poor, not solutions that are more designed to ensure that politicians whose policies he favors are elected to office. Perhaps he should seek solutions that are more color blind, in that they minister to the poor of all races, not just the poor who are not white. And perhaps he should seriously reconsider the effect on the working class poor when he advocates divestment from companies such as Caterpillar because of their business transactions with the nation of Israel.
For the Left, religious and otherwise. The election was almost like a 9-11 type of event for them. And why not, for the better part of two years they were told by a very complaint mass media that the election was in the bag. More than that, a progressive, blue, secular wave would wash over all, lead by the demographic monolith of millennials, Latina, LGBTQs, ect, etc. And it would be the end of history, heaven and earth as one. Social Justice as not only an end ,as they defined us, but a generational reset of the nation.
Well at about 2:30AM that Wed. it was like the plane hitting the south tower. The problem for the PCUSA is that they are so heavily invested in identity, tribal theologies with victimization narratives which require both a victim and bad person, enter white working class males, they can see no other message or response to their existential crises of identity. In their various media outlets, PNS, Outlook, the web site you can almost sense the hysteria and cries from those in need of either therapy or medication to cope. So I fully expect for the next four years at least you will hear various PCUSA mouthpieces make calls for resistance, mass demonstrations, acts of non-violence or maybe violence, and other such stuff 24/7/365. Look at it this way. They really have very little else to say or talk about. They need something to take up their times and energies.
When one has a void, a emptiness of their core, and one is unable to fill that with either the peace of Christ which passes all understanding, or even a hope and confidence born of faith or peace with God. You will fill that with just about anything, the short term fix of social disturbance or wallowing in ones sense of guilt or victimization. It may make one feel good, but it is a false god and very false narrative to base life on.
Loren, very well expressed. I read this treatise by the stated clerk and the more I read the more I think the DNC must have written the bulk of it. Shameful, slanted, not factual garbage for the most part. But any time you’re blinders won’t let you see past the lame stream media for “data”, you’re in trouble. Like it surely wasn’t Trump supporters out in the cities rioting and burning! Republicans don’t behave that way if they lose an election! Great examples for our children and grandchildren. And this kind of instigatory expose is the last thing this country needs! And from a supposed Christian Church leader. Glad to see all the words on working for reconciliation in the treatise.
OBTW: The former First Presbyterian Church, Gloucester is now Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church (ECO)
Nelson is not my leader. I left for the EPC, thankfully, after 45 yrs in a pcusa pulpit.