PCUSA Stated Clerk, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, delivers the Sunday sermon at Ecumenical Advocacy Days weekend. (Photo by Rick Jones)
(By Rick Jones, Presbyterian News Service). The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II is calling on Christian denominations to stand firm on social justice issues and get involved. The Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) gave the Sunday morning message to the nearly 1,000 attendees in Washington, D.C.
Nelson told the group the nation is at a critical time and people are afraid.
“There is confusion in our land concerning who we are as a nation. We are found on plurality, freedom of religion. We are nation where communities is afraid to wear a head dress, Islamic groups fear of being labeled as members of ISIS,” said Nelson. “We stand in the way of those who come to this country and declare we are going to put up a wall. Yet, when we see the homeless, those who are struggling and can’t make a decent livable wage, what are we saying as a people who tolerate such madness?”
Nelson said the nation is being led by millionaires and the wealthiest cabinet in U.S. history, adding that healthcare is threatened and people are still working in poverty.
“It is not easy work, plans change, things get in the way,” said Nelson. “Only a remnant generally does the work, because its not for the faint of heart, but the faithful, those who know that our lives today are not only ours but belongs to God.”
Nelson believes that in order for the nation to move forward, the individual blinders must come off.
“We need to learn to love one another again and love Jesus enough that differences don’t hurt relationships. There so many divisive factors that will stand in our way and challenge us when we get real. There’s a cross for everyone,” he said. “We need to put the cross back into Christianity. We need to regain a sense of theology of the cross. We want resurrection without facing a cross, that’s the problem with modern day churches.”
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Nelson “We need to put the cross back into Christianity. We need to regain a sense of theology of the cross. We want resurrection without facing a cross, that’s the problem with modern day churches.”
Nelson’s back handed slap at Trump, all the while espousing socialism, Cross back into Christianity, that’s rich coming from the louisville sluggers, a co moderator who equates evangelicals with terrorist, a ordained pcusa pastor who is an athiest, a former interm pastor at 4th Chicago who brags about all her lovers. BTW healthcare is not working for the average person. The delsuions of the stated clerk on display shows an arrogant, smug, and pius attitude writ large in the pcusa leadership. I actually had a person in my presbytery tell me she had no problem with a Imam opening our GA.
The only positive thing is that as liberal pcusa churches continue to shrink, if the evangelicals who are still in the pcusa continue to work together, there may come a day when they will have some clout back and can rescue the pcusa from itself.