When will we learn? - Part 1 (Florida shooting)

When will we learn? – Part 1

According to the recordings of the emergency 911 call center, it was dark and raining when an armed neighborhood watch volunteer fired one shot that killed Trayvon Martin.  There are so many problems with what happened in Sanford, Florida that it is difficult to know where to start.

Fear: From all accounts there were two people who were gripped with fear that dark night – the late Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman.  Trayvon seems to have been afraid because someone was following him as he walked from a convenience store to a home he was visiting.  George Zimmerman was afraid because Trayvon was carrying a bag of candy, a bottle of iced tea and put his hand in his waist band.  And, in addition, Trayvon was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Why were Trayvon and George afraid of each other?  We will never know exactly why Trayvon was afraid. But, from the recordings, it sounds as if George Zimmerman had stereotyped Trayvon as a criminal threat.  George knew Trayvon was black and wearing a hooded sweatshirt and he decided Trayvon was a criminal.

Difference: Discussion of fear leads to the reality of the differences between people.  We are all created different from everyone else.  Families may have DNA similarities, but the scientists say that even identical twins have small differences.  We can either embrace our differences or fear them.  I have always said the world would be a very boring place if everyone was alike – homogenized.

It was the late Rev. Mac Charles Jones, pastor of St. Stephen’s Baptist Church in Kansas City who said that integration should be fruit salad, not potato salad.  When we make potato salad the resulting food is all one color and texture.  But when we make fruit salad, the original fruits retain the color, texture and essence of taste.  Each fruit contributes unique properties that make the whole better than the sum on the parts.

Deadly force:  The use of deadly force is an overarching element in the death of Trayvon Martin.  George Zimmerman is a neighborhood watch volunteer, not a trained law enforcement officer.  The “911” tape indicated that the trained “911” dispatcher instructed George Zimmer NOT to follow Trayvon Martin.  The instruction – “We don’t need you to do that.” – may not have been definitive enough, but George Zimmerman’s disregard of the instruction demonstrates his untrained status.

The volunteer, armed with a handgun then confronted Trayvon Martin and fired one fatal shot.  There have been several news reports that state Trayvon was suspended from school at the time of his death or that he assaulted George Zimmerman.  Even if the statements are true, a bag of candy and a bottle of iced tea are no match for a handgun.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said:

"It is the eternal struggle between two principles, right and wrong, throughout the world. It is the same spirit that says 'you toil and work and earn bread, and I'll eat it.' No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation, and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle." [Lincoln-Douglas debates, 15 October 1858]

Lincoln, when he spoke of democracy, said,

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."

Who is responsible for the death of Trayvon Martin?  George Zimmerman pulled the trigger.  But the responsibility goes much further.  More in part 2 of this post, “When will we learn?”

Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 4 – Fear (of response from the congregation)

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 4 – Fear (of response from the congregation)

“Can I come over and talk with you this evening?” was the question from the member of the Session (Ruling Board in the Presbyterian Church).  My response was: “Sure.” 

It was August or September of 1968 and I was newly ordained serving my first church in rural Indiana.  Even though I had been their pastor for only a few months, I knew the congregation fairly well.  I had been supplying their pulpit from McCormick Seminary during the Fall of 1967 and the Spring of 1968.  These two extended periods of pulpit supply led to being called to serve this church of some 125 people in a town of 500.

One other note of background: The Spring of 1968 was turbulent in Chicago.  Racial tensions were already high and with the death of Dr. Martin Luther King those tensions exploded into massive riots.  Billows of black smoke rose from the Westside of Chicago as buildings and cars went up in flames.  The Chicago Police would remove nametags and badges, means of individual identification, and then sweep down streets arresting anyone on the street.

McCormick Seminary students and faculty, against the orders of the administration, suspended classes in order to minister in the riot-torn city.  Along with one of my professors, I visited the Cook County Jail to bail innocent people out of jail.  We used funds donated by the McCormick Community.  The families of the innocent persons may have had the money, but they waited days to even begin the process of posting bail.  Their problem: they were black.  My professor and I are white and in suit and tie, the jail officials gave us immediate attention.  In reflection, the jailers probably thought we were lawyers.

Having lived through the Chicago Riots in the Spring of 1968, it was no surprise when, during the Democratic National Convention, Mayor Richard J. Dailey’s police once again removed their identification and plowed into demonstrators in Lincoln Park.  A week or two after the Convention Riots, this lectionary preacher felt the scriptures speaking out against the violence as we had seen in Chicago. 

The problem was that one of the leaders in the rural church I was serving had been an alternate delegate to the convention and said the police brutality never took place.  She was there, she said, and on the buses between the hotel and the convention venue, she had seen none of the violence.  As I remember, she claimed the news media reporting the violence had probably staged the event or fabricated the story to discredit the National Democratic Party that was under the firm control of Mayor Dailey.

And so the church Elder sat down in the living room of the manse and said: “I know that the Book of Order (governing rules of the Presbyterian Church) does not allow me to say this, but there are some church leaders who do not want you to reference events such as the Convention Riots in your sermons.”

I thanked the Elder for his visit and agreed with him, that in the Presbyterian Church, the content of the sermon is one of the five areas of worship that are at the sole discretion of the preacher.  I did not cease then, nor have I ever feared the congregation when I believe the Scripture needs to speak through the pulpit on critical issues.  And as a lectionary preacher, I hope and pray that I have avoided the danger of using the pulpit as a personal “soap box.”

The controversy in 1968 was not the last time I received negative input from the congregation about a sermon.  There were some who took issue when I raised doubts about the integrity of television preacher Jim Bakker before he was indicted for mail fraud in 1988.  Another time was when, in speaking against racial and sexual discrimination, I asked: “If we are all created in the image of God, then what must God look like?  I don’t know.  If I could describe God, then that god would be too small.  My God is much greater than that.”

If the preacher honestly believes the Scriptures and the Spirit are speaking, then there should be no fear of congregation, community or government.  The Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton University today), preached against King George and the British Parliament in May of 1776.  The Rev. John Rankin, Presbyterian abolitionist preacher in Ripley, Ohio, is said to have carried a pistol into the pulpit because the slavers had placed a bounty of several thousand dollars on his head.  Read the fearless words of Dr. Martin Luther King the night before he was assassinated.

None of us, I hope, seek to be martyrs.  But no preacher should fear when they are truly preaching the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.  

CNN wasn't there...Creationism - Religion or science?

CNN wasn’t there…

and neither was David Coppedge.  I heard of David Coppedge on National Public Radio this morning (March 12, 2012) and I was amazed and amused at the same time.

A little background: David Coppedge is a scientist/engineer who was working on the Cassini mission to Saturn at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in California.  The JPL is operated by Caltech and is well known for the operation of many of the United States explorations into space.  Recently JPL reported that the Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, has reached the edge of our sun’s heliosphere – the region influenced by the sun’s magnetic field.  They do not know when – a few months or years – Voyager 1 will cross the boundary and enter interstellar space.

In April 2010, David Coppedge was dismissed by JPL as a part of budget cutting caused by a reduction in the California State budget.  David Coppedge has sued JPL claiming that he was dismissed because of his religious views – which he shared freely with his co-workers to the point where they complained of harassment.

What are Coppedge’s religious beliefs?  He is a creationist, claiming that because of the complexity of all that we know, there must be one intelligent creator.  Creationists turn to the Bible to prove their “science” citing the opening chapter of the Book of Genesis as their “proof.”  The creationists begin their argument with these words from Genesis:

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,.

However, there is the second creation story from Genesis that begins:

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground--then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.

And then there is the creation story from the Book of John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

In 2000 when I ran for the Kansas State Board of Education, because the creationists – or intelligent design theorists – were working hard to have creation theory taught in high school science classes along with evolution theory.  They argued that creationism is as much a science as evolution theory is with equal, if not more credibility than evolution theory.  I received 39,000 votes, but lost because of my political affiliation –Democratic Party.

In the year 2000, creationists such as David Coppedge, argued that creationism was science.  A dozen years later, David Coppedge and his lawyers are arguing that he was dismissed from JPL because of his religious beliefs – creationism.

It is time that this charade be ended.  Evolution theory is science, not religion.  Creationism is religion, not science.  In reality, no one can say, for sure, how everything we know came into being. CNN wasn’t there with cameras and reporters.

A challenging book to read that explores reality is David Eagleman’s Sum: Forty Tales of the Afterlife.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.

Equal Rights in 2012

Equal Rights in 2012

On February 10 Heartland Presbytery passed two overtures to the 2012 General Assembly by a sizable majority.  The vote was taken by secret ballot and there was little debate before that vote.  The Overtures both involved same sex unions/marriages.

The first Overture seeks to edit and refine the Directory of Worship to make its language gender neutral. The second overture is asking the General Assembly for an Authoritative Interpretation regarding pastoral care in states that have approved same sex marriage.  Both of these overtures involve providing equal pastoral care for members and friends of PCUSA churches.

Eight days later I worshipped with the Mayflower United Church of Christ congregation in Minneapolis.  Our older son and his family have become involved with this congregation since moving to Minneapolis.  As a part of the worship service they celebrated joys and sorrows.  The death of a longtime member was the sorrow shared.  The adoption of a baby was the joy of the morning.

Most notable was that Jameson Sophia Wright-Rhodes was born on February 13^th and adopted by Sonia and Patricia Wright-Rhodes on February 15^th.

I am sure that when the Overtures from Heartland Presbytery are debated at the General Assembly the people opposed to the overtures will suggest that if these overtures are adopted the PCUSA will be violating Biblical teaching, destroying the sanctity of marriage and upsetting the social order – and offer many more self-assured arguments.

Well, here are some reflections from a longtime PCUSA preacher who grew up in an era when even father and son embracing could be interpreted as having sexual overtones.

The most complete discussion I have heard of the Biblical teaching on same-sex marriage/relationships was by Dr. Jack Rogers.  Rather than attempt to summarize Dr. Rogers’ analysis, I refer the reader to his writings.

Arguments against the Heartland Overtures:

It destroys Sanctity of marriage.

 We do not choose whom we will love.  We also do not live in a time when third parties arrange marriages, at least generally in the United States.  In the successful British drama set in the early part of the 20^th Century, “Downton Abbey” deals with arranged marriages, as one of its many story lines.  The patriarch of Downton Abbey attempts to control who one of his daughters will marry, but she has fallen in love with the chauffeur and they are going to move to Ireland.

The sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of my marriage is in no way diminished by the love and commitment of the couple adopting the newborn in Minneapolis.  The most damaging element to marriage is infidelity.  Whether it leads to divorce or not, when one of the partners in a marriage is unfaithful, it damages the sanctity of marriage.

In the late 1700s the Attorneys General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky gave three reasons why it was acceptable to own slaves in the United States. 

• First they stated that black men and women were better off on the plantations of the United States than in their native Africa risking hunger and inter-tribal war.
• If one did not accept that argument, then they argued that freeing the slaves would upset the social order.  In other words, freeing the slaves would lead to interracial marriage.
• If that argument was rejected, then slavery was a Biblical mandate.  The Chosen People of Israel had slaves and, since the United States was the new chosen people, it was allowed to have slaves.

Do any of those arguments sound familiar in the opposition to same-sex marriage?  They should.

When I was ordained in 1968 I would not have performed a same sex marriage.  Today, I cannot perform same-sex marriages because neither the State of Kansas nor Missouri have legalized such marriages.  Neither does the Book of Order, the PCUSA rulebook, allow me to perform same sex marriages.

But these restrictions may change within my lifetime.  If that happens, I will still be able to refuse to officiate at marriages based on my own assessment – same sex or opposite sex.  I will also have the authority to officiate at marriages I believe are decent and in order – same sex and opposite sex.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 3 – Time and effort

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 3 – Time and effort

The preacher must keep current.  I wrote earlier of Dr. Elam Davies, Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago during the 1960s.  On the Palm Sunday following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Davies preached a sermon that challenged the socially/economically elite of Fourth Church to own the endemic racism of America and take concrete actions to overcome that racism.  Dr. King died on Thursday evening, April 4, 1968.  Dr. Davies preached his sermon on Sunday morning, April 7, 1968.  There were very few hours between the two events making advance planning impossible.

Seldom is the preacher challenged by such short hours between a major event and Sunday morning, but the preacher should always practice the Boy Scout motto: “Be prepared.”

The preacher must keep up with what is happening in the community, the nation and the world.  This task used to be more difficult before the Internet.  But in 2012, there are a multitude of resources available to “keep in touch.”  I speak of only two.

First, there is Facebook.  Individuals and organizations are using Facebook.  While there are many who are critical of Facebook, we cannot allow the abuses of this social media to taint the positive qualities of the medium.  There was a recent news account of a man in Europe who developed an inappropriate relationship with a young girl in the United States through the use of Facebook.  From the content of the e-mail messages, the authorities determined that it was likely that the man was attempting to create an inappropriate liaison with an underage girl – in other words the man was a sexual predator.  As the authorities were tracking the e-mails, they found a series were coming the United States.  They tracked the communications and found the man had come to the United States on vacation.  He is now in jail awaiting trial.

Does this incident negate the positive and creative communication that Facebook provides.  No, absolutely not.  I can see picture of my four and a half-year-old granddaughter and her 10 year-old brother who live in Minnesota.  I can keep in touch with my 92 year-old friend in Australia whom we met on our trip to Egypt.  Preachers should use Facebook well and keep abreast of privacy issues.

Second, I use Twitter on a regular basis.  I may follow less that 100 “tweeters” but I have chosen them because they open a whole area of the world I would never read about in the “Kansas City Star” or even my wife’s favored “Wall Street Journal.”  Between the University of Cincinnati, CNN and a local television station I get the headlines of the hour.  I can then choose to investigate further those headlines on my own.  I am flattered that there are several dozen people who follow my few tweets.

Third, fourth, fifth and  on – there are many sources for preachers to keep informed about the people in their community – locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.  College, university and seminary faculty may be allowed to so concentrate on their field of study that they miss the latest news, but preachers must be aware of the world their congregations live in everyday. 

Note: I use the word “aware.”  They are no experts on everything.  Preachers should not deny their own particular interests.  Personally, my personal interests include aviation and the fine and performing arts.  But, I also have some knowledge of the fortunes of University of Missouri at Kansas City basketball team.

Previously, I wrote of the need for preparation and planning in preaching.  The sermon is neither a Bible study from the pulpit nor the preacher’s personal “soap box.”  It is taking the story of God with God’s people – the Bible – and leading the people of God in the 21^st Century to find their own story as God’s people.

Preaching is not an easy task, but it is unique to the church.  Preaching is a gift to the preacher from God.  Preaching is an art.  Preaching is a skill that needs to be continually sharpened.  Preaching is filled with effort, reward and FEAR.

Fear – that’s the next chapter in this blog.

Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.  

It all begins in the pulpit - Part 2 - Is anyone listening?

It all begins in the pulpit – Part 2 – Is anyone listening?

Note:  As I planned this posting, I thought it would be a single "chapter."  After writing the first part, it became evident that I had more to write on this topic than I could expect anyone to read in one "sitting."  Therefore, my reflections on preaching are in six parts.  The following is Part 2.

It is essential that the church, as a whole, place preaching at the center of its life.  Examine closely the various organizations of the 21^st Century and I believe it will be found that preaching is the one function that sets the church apart.

The story is told that, at the time of the American Revolution, a Church of England preacher mounted the pulpit in his clerical robes and preached against the oppressive government of King George and the English Parliament.  As the preacher ended his sermon, he said it was time for the colonies to take a militant stand against British tyranny.  He removed his clerical garb to reveal the uniform of a chaplain in the Colonial Army.

In the middle of the 1960s, as the pulpits in the United States spoke out against the Viet Nam War and racial discrimination, there were many who suggested that it was inappropriate for preachers to address such subjects from the pulpit.  Censorship, in the church or secular society is unacceptable.  Oscar Romero preached against the tyranny of the government in El Salvador in the late 1970s and was silenced only when the bullet of a sniper cut him down as he was officiating at the Lord’s Supper.

Is there such preaching in 2012?

I was recently speaking with a colleague about the number of hours clergy in the Presbyterian Church are expected to “work.”  My colleague said that when discussing the parish ministry with newly ordained clergy he warns them that there is no such thing as a 40-hour workweek.  Of the time the preacher spends in the practice of his or her profession, how much time is devoted to the crafting of the sermon?

There is the old, old story about three preachers who were comparing their sermon preparation practices.  The first preacher states that the sermon is completed by Thursday evening.  This allows time to practice the presentation.  (This is my process.)  The second preacher explains that since it is quiet around the church on Saturday afternoon, this is the time set aside for sermon preparation.  The third preacher, somewhat perplexed, asks: “So what do you all do while the choir is singing the anthem?”

I believe it is essential that the preacher spend at least 10 hours a week in preparation for Sunday’s sermon.  This time includes the actual “keyboard” writing time, research to assure the accuracy of facts and editing/oral practice of the sermon.  This can, and probably should include, additional time in thinking about the sermon while engaged in other activities, such as driving to make hospital/pastoral calls.

Congregations must understand the time necessary for the preparation of quality preaching.  In my opinion, to stand in the pulpit, randomly open the Bible and say the preacher is going to allow the Spirit to put words in her and his mouth is simply being lazy.  Harsh judgment?  Indeed!  However, historical evidence indicates that the great preachers a century ago paid particular attention to preparation.

No matter the theological position, if the church wishes to be an important part of 21^st Century American culture, then preaching must be at the center of the church’s life.  If preaching is central to the church’s life, then preacher and congregation must provide the resources necessary for quality sermons and one of those resources is time.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.

It All Begins in the Pulpit - Part 1 - Basic Training

It all begins in the pulpit - Part 1 - Basic Training

Note:  As I planned this posting, I thought it would be a single "chapter."  After writing the first part, it became evident that I had more to write on this topic than I could expect anyone to read in one "sitting."  Therefore, there are six parts to my reflections on preaching.

A Preamble - First, be sure that the following reflections and observations are not aimed at any of my dear colleagues and friends at Village Presbyterian Church.  Tom, Meg, Jarrett, Dwight and Jay are all good preachers.  To date, I have not heard the newest member of the staff, Cynthia Holder-Rich, but I have confidence in her skills in the pulpit.

With the previous qualifiers stated, I have to wonder why it is that the following appears to be true: At the beginning of the 20^th Century, the most gifted, influential platform communicators were preachers, especially in mainline denominations.  But at the beginning of the 21^st Century, so very few of my colleagues could be counted as gifted platform performers.

On what do I base my comments?  In high school, I preached and led worship both in the Sunday morning “adult” worship services and the Sunday evening Youth Church.  My college training included a minor in speech and communication at the University of Cincinnati plus professional work in radio and television.

At McCormick Seminary in the mid-1960s there was a strong emphasis on the skill and art of preaching.  The preaching faculty was composed of three adjunct professors who were practicing preachers.

George “Gibby” Gibson was pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He would travel to Chicago in order to teach the classroom portion of Senior Preaching.  It was said that the last sermon “Gibby” preached at Kalamazoo before retiring was so challenging that several of the long-time members of the church were infuriated afterwards.

John Fry was pastor of First Presbyterian Church on the Southside of Chicago.  John’s work with the notorious Black Stone Rangers street gang earned him a trip to Washington, D.C. to appear before the Senate Committee on Un-American Activities.  John taught one half of the preaching practicum.  John’s evaluation of student preaching seemed to feel as if the student had been hacked with a machete and left bleeding on the chapel floor.

The third member of the adjunct-preaching faculty was Elam Davies, pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  A Welshman, Elam is still remembered at Fourth Church as one of its eminent preachers who inspired a major mission thrust of Fourth Church that is continued today.  His sermon on the Sunday after the assassination of Martin Luther King pointedly spoke of the turmoil of the 1960s caused by racial prejudice.  In the congregation were some of the wealthy “shakers and movers” of Chicago.  Elam’s evaluation of students’ sermons felt as if a skilled surgeon had operated and sewed the student up so they would completely heal.

This was my training ground for preaching. 

The first element in preaching excellence is training.  It is important that seminary students be trained not only by excellent “classroom” scholars but practitioners who work weekly in the craft of preaching. 

In addition to learning the craft of preaching in the seminary setting, the students should be encouraged to practice the craft in local churches.  One of the advantages McCormick Seminary in Chicago had was its location.  Presbyterian and other mainline churches would “hire” seminary students to fill their pulpits for one Sunday or months at a time.  Some of those Sunday morning treks were up to 170 miles one way.

The students were apprentice skill level, but they had the opportunity to preach and lead worship in the real world of Sunday morning.  And for the congregations, they were exposed to some of the current theological teaching in the seminary and the energy of young preachers. 

Exceptional skill begins with exceptional training.

--Dr. Ron Patton, H.R.