Showing results for death penalty
We offer our resources for free because we want everyone to have access to them. But it takes a lot of time and effort to create these materials. If you’re […]
2023 Legislative Seminar
Whether you are new to policy advocacy or have been engaged in this work for years, the Council’s Legislative Seminar offers a chance to learn about the important discussions during […]
Raleigh Report – April 19, 2011
New Bills Edition: Attack on Workers Comp by New Bill H 709/S 544 misnamed Protect and Put NC Back to Work.
Affordable Care Act and Taxes
Any of you who have already done your tax return for 2014 have discovered new questions about your health insurance status. For many of us, it’s just a matter of […]
Raleigh Report — April 21, 2017
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director [For the latest committee referrals and re-referrals, go to the General Assembly website www.ncleg.net. There you can also find the texts of bills, procedural […]
Safety is Imperative to Worker Justice
Worker Memorial Day is April 28, a day when we remember workers who have lost their lives providing goods (buildings, roads, food, clothing, etc) and services (caring for our children, […]
Staying Sane: Gun Laws that Work
The Mother Emanuel, Charleston, SC, shooting was four years ago today, June 17. The N.C. General Assembly Senate Judiciary Committee will consider Senate Bill 90 tomorrow, June 18. A favorable […]
Gun Violence Prevention: The Work Goes On
The North Carolina Council of Churches has long cared about gun violence prevention — you would expect that from an organization that devotes much of its energy toward PEACE. A […]
North Carolina Council of Churches Calls on General Assembly to Spend Opioid Settlement Money on Saving Lives
**Chris Pernell Available for Interviews** Raleigh, North Carolina — In response to the $26 billion settlement that North Carolina and states across the country reached with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, […]
Love Is the Last Word
Rev. Dr. Christopher C. F. Chapman, Knollwood Baptist Church (Winston-Salem)
For we can believe all kinds of things about God and have all the right positions on ethical issues, whatever those are, but if we don’t have love, who wants to be part of the church? We can have great ministries for all ages, the best staff, the most up-to-date programs with all the whistles and bells, but if the people of the church don’t genuinely love each other, who cares? We can have the best maintained buildings and grounds, the latest equipment and technologies, the perfect organizational structure and communications systems, but if we don’t want to be with each other, the buildings will eventually be empty. We can even claim to have a passion for missions, want to share God’s love with people around the globe, but if we do not love for the person sitting next to us, our passion will be all fire and no warmth.
He Is Our Peace
Rev. Dr. Sam Wells, Duke University Chapel (Durham)
These are the kinds of images that come into our minds when we hear the word peace. Such a diverse range of uses makes the word peace seem either vague and idealistic or cynical and manipulative. The New Testament is neither vague nor idealistic nor cynical nor manipulative. It has two words for peace. One of those words is Jesus. Ephesians chapter 2 gives us perhaps the most concise description of the way Jesus is peace. Here are the five ways that Jesus is peace. All of them center on the word “one.”
Blessed are the Merciful
Rev. Mel Williams, Watts Street Baptist Church (Durham)William Blake was a poet who understood the meaning of mercy—the unearned, undeserved gift of God’s grace. Mercy is the character of God; mercy is God’s very self-understanding. When we beg for mercy, or forgiveness, we are reaching for God, for God is mercy. This is the character of God, stated throughout the Old Testament: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
Raleigh Report: General Assembly Addressing Childhood Obesity
Unfortunately, the childhood obesity epidemic is drastically affecting North Carolina. In 2009, North Carolina ranked 14th worst in the nation in childhood overweight and obesity for children ages 10-17, with more than one-third (33.5%) of our children being overweight or obese.
Also in this Raleigh Report: Domestic Violence, Environment, Gambling, Health, Housing, People with Disabilities, Public Education, and more.
Raleigh Report – February 18, 2011
Health Benefit Exchange Bills Introduced; Other New Bills; Updates on already introduced bills.
Raleigh Report – April 26, 2011
State Deadline Passes and Most New Bills Introduced
The Story of Two Sons
Rev. Jill Edens, United Church of Chapel Hill
Though the disciples have left everything to follow Jesus, the discussion as they travel to Jerusalem reveals that they are profoundly unready for what is to come. In this pivotal moment we encounter blind Bartimaeus who Mark holds up as a model for discipleship: “As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’”
Louisburg College Baccalaureate: “What’s the Plan?”
Baccalaureate sermon delivered by Jennifer Copeland on May 5 at Louisburg College. Isaiah 2:2-4; Revelation 21:1-7; Luke 4:16-21 You are the most watched generation in history. Of course, it’s easy […]
Stand-Up Sabbath Against Gun Violence, June 17-19
According to the news reports, it all started over a place on a pew. One parishioner sat in someone else’s spot and then objected to moving. Another flashed his legally […]
Keeping Our Brothers and Sisters
Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! — Genesis 4:10 For days now, I’ve heard the same cry God is hearing. The blood of Philando Castile, Alton […]
Advent Guide: First Sunday After Christmas Day, January 1
Excerpted from How Will We Welcome the Prince of Peace? An Advent Guide for Lectionary Year A from the NC Council of Churches. Now after they had left, an angel […]
Raleigh Report — February 28, 2017
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director Newly Introduced Bills ENVIRONMENTAL CARE H 171, Change Exclusion for Solar Energy Systems. Current law provides an 80% exclusion from property taxation for the […]
2017 Lenten Guide — Good Friday
For this year’s Lenten Guide, each member of the Council staff chose a verse from a favorite hymn to write about. We will post their reflections throughout Lent, for Ash […]
2024 Lenten Guide: Fifth Sunday
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. John 12:20-33 Now among those who went up to worship […]
Raleigh Report — February 15, 2017
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director As the legislative session continues, there’s been a marked increase in the number of bills being introduced. Here are summaries of several which will […]
A Missing Peace in the World
Rev. Edward Stallworth, Park Road Baptist Church (Charlotte)On a larger scale, there are those expectations that are shattered by overwhelming joy and excitement. I have never met a parent that said, "I expected to love my child this much." It seems that children bring more than what was expected. Despite not having children of my own, I see it in the eyes of all of you when you talk about your own children. That holds true to new parents to parents of teens or college students to parents whose children have children of their own.
Policy Statement on Domestic Violence
The scriptures instruct us to love one another – to create mutually respectful relationships in which there is shared responsibility, negotiation and fairness, trust and support, honesty and accountability. When violence is present in a relationship, it is a violation against the image of God in which we all have been created. Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behavior that one person uses to gain and maintain power and control over an intimate partner or ex-partner. This behavior includes sexual abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse (a form of which is economic coercion).
Statement on the Trafficking of Human Persons
The North Carolina Council of Churches unequivocally affirms the essential, inherent, and universal dignity of all persons, for “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.” This means that the value of any and every individual – all equally cherished by the Author of Life – must not under any circumstances be compromised, diminished, or infringed upon. At all times and in all way, the Council seeks to protect and promote the dignity and flourishing of the human person.
Jesus the Stranger
Dr. H. Stephen Shoemaker, Myers Park Baptist Church
Two weeks ago I spoke of Jesus the Friend. Today, I want to explore Jesus the Stranger, Jesus as “other,” different, even as “enemy” because sometimes we perceive him as enemy. I was told as a young minister not to get too far ahead of my congregation because they might mistake me for their enemy. Sometimes we mistake Jesus as our enemy. It may seem strange to describe Jesus as Stranger. But this may be the only way to make sure we see him as he is, not as who we want him to be. This is the only way we truly know another, that is, as they are, not our projection of what we wish them to be.
Martin Luther King Day Bulletin Insert – Wage Peace
In April 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at New York’s Riverside Church about the war being fought by the U.S. in Asia at that time, in Vietnam. His words remind us of the choices we now face about war in Asia and around the world in 2010.
75 years later, unity keeps council going
Raleigh News & Observer
By the time H. Shelton Smith was hired to teach at Duke University in 1931, the movement to unite Christians of different denominations was under way in New York and other places.
But four years later when Smith founded the N.C. Council of Churches, the idea that Christians of various stripes could work together, especially in overcoming racial segregation, was still largely unheard of in the South.
Today, the N.C. Council of Churches is marking 75 years of activism on a broad range of issues, including racial equality, women's empowerment, children's health care, prison reform, farmworker rights and environmental conservation.
Letters to the Editor Regarding Our Mission
Letters to the Editor, Raleigh News & Observer
I have the pleasure of serving on the board of the N.C. Council of Churches. I agreed to serve on the board because the council reflects many of my life's values. The council's website states: "The Council enables denominations, congregations and people of faith to individually and collectively impact our state on issues such as economic justice and development, human well-being, equality, compassion and peace, following the example and mission of Jesus Christ."
Raleigh Report – March 7, 2011
Governor Bev Perdue on Saturday vetoed H 2, the misnamed “Protect Health Care Freedom” bill. (It should be called the “Freedom to be Uninsured and Unable to Get Health Care” bill.) The bill was an attack on federal health care reform and purported to remove North Carolinians from the mandated purchase of health insurance, which is the basis of federal reform which will move millions of uninsured Americans into the ranks of the insured.
Raleigh Report – June 21, 2011
The 2011 session of the General Assembly adjourned around midday on Saturday, June 18. Legislative leaders and the media are trumpeting the efficiency of the session and the fact that this is the earliest adjournment since 1973. But that is misleading since they aren’t really finished with their work. The adjournment resolution calls them back into a special session on July 13. At that time, they will take up the thorny issue of redistricting as well as controversial bills from the just-ended session which remain in conference committees and any bills vetoed by the Governor.
Celebrate Martin Luther King – Wage Peace
In April 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at New York’s Riverside Church about the war being fought by the U.S. in Asia at that time, in Vietnam. His words remind us of the choices we now face about war and peace at home and abroad. Click here to download the bulletin insert celebrating Dr. King's life and work.
Lifelong Commitments
A couple of weeks ago, Steve Ford, editor of the editorial page of the Raleigh News & Observer, wrote an excellent piece about Amendment One. As I commented to him, […]
Help Needed to Fight Repeal of the Racial Justice Act
The following is from the NC Coalition for a Moratorium and the Carolina Justice Policy Center. The fate of the Racial Justice Act probably rests with the three representatives listed […]
A Bad Day for Veto Overrides
The General Assembly on Monday overrode Governor Perdue’s vetoes of three bills. By doing so they gutted the Racial Justice Act, revised the budget for 2012-13, and moved ahead with fracking. The outcome was not in doubt in the Senate. In fact, several Senate Democrats had excused absences and didn’t even show up for the votes. The drama was in the House.
Mt. Zion Picked To Receive Life Saving Tools
Winston-Salem Chronicle
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the North Carolina Council of Churches, the American Red Cross and State Rep. Becky Carney have selected Winston-Salem’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church as one of 150 places of worship across the state to participate in Strive to Revive.
Preparing the Way: The Abundance of Enough
From Chapter 1 of Preparing the Way: A Social Justice Study for Lent. We’re offering this free resource to you and your congregation as we walk through the season of Lent […]
Raleigh Report-Gun Bills Flood In
Gun bills that extend the availability and use of guns flood the General Assembly.
Arizona-like Immigration Bill Introduced: Raleigh Report, May 3, 2013
House Bills Senate Bills Notable Quotes Arizona-like Immigration Bill Introduced In the wake of failed attempts by Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, states and localities have increased their own […]
Moral Mondays Continue in June
Moral Mondays continue (though they will take the day off on Memorial Day). This week’s protest had the largest number of participants (around 600) and of people taking part in […]
NC NAACP Launches Statewide Tour
The North Carolina NAACP, building on four weeks of Moral Monday demonstrations, has launched a 25-city statewide tour reaching from Elizabeth City to Hendersonville. The Forward Together Movement Local Organizing […]
Tax Cuts’ Painful Costs
“Moral Monday” demonstrators at the General Assembly bring a wide range of grievances. They charge the legislature’s Republican majorities with failing to uphold the interests of North Carolinians who count […]
Raleigh Report: June 17, 2013
Tax Reform: Not So Simple A funny thing happened to House Bill 998, the Tax Simplification and Reduction Act, on its way through the state Senate. It got simplified. House […]
Passing of Bishop Gossman
Bishop Joseph Gossman, who died yesterday, was a great friend of the North Carolina Council of Churches. He led the Diocese of Raleigh into full membership in the Council in […]
Catholic Dioceses Withdraw from Council Membership
I come with sad news. Bishop Michael Burbidge and Bishop Peter Jugis, bishops of the two Catholic dioceses in North Carolina, communicated to the Council early this year their plan […]
Voices of Moral Mondays: It Takes A Village to Eat Breakfast by Stephen Boyd
The NC Council of Churches is proud to publish a brand new e-book collection of testimonies from Moral Mondays. With 32 short vignettes from North Carolinians across the state, Voices of […]
Beech Valley Baptist Church in Sugar Grove to Participate in Strive to Revive Cardiac Arrest Rescue Program
High Country Press Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), the North Carolina Council of Churches, the American Red Cross and Rep. Becky Carney have selected Beech Valley […]
Evelyn and the Encyclical
I strongly suspect Sister Evelyn Mattern would have liked Pope Francis. She’d have appreciated his focus on compassion and justice and his unwillingness to be distracted from those issues that […]
‘We stand adjourned’ – finally!
The senators and representatives who make up North Carolina’s General Assembly let their 2015 session run on far longer than it should have. Let’s be glad that the curtain has […]
Beyond Pulse: Vigilance, Tolerance
Let’s face it. We, that would be all of us who proudly claim the title of American, must do more to forestall the situations and grievances and opportunities that can […]
Welcoming Strangers and Neighbors
These remarks were delivered at the Reason for Reform press conference on August 3, 2016 at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. In addition to my job as leader of the NC […]
Big Stakes in High Court Pick
Compared with some of the provocatively, even outrageously unsuited people whom President Trump has chosen for high office, Neil Gorsuch barely moves the needle. But that’s not to say Americans […]
Standing on Our Heads
Sermon preached by the Rev. Jennifer Copeland on April 1, 2017 at First United Methodist Church, Mocksville for the Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women’s Legislative Day. For God’s […]
A Day in the Life of….
Preached on April 12 at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Chapel Hill Holy Week, this week, is the most intense week of the Christian year. The secular world might […]
2017 Lenten Guide — Holy Saturday
For this year’s Lenten Guide, each member of the Council staff chose a verse from a favorite hymn to write about. We will post their reflections throughout Lent, for Ash […]
Guns on Campus Are a Bad Idea
Two of the most volatile elements on a college campus are alcohol and hormones. These ingredients contribute to sexual assault (23.1 percent of female and 5.4 percent of male undergraduates), […]
The Infection in Our Democracy
On April 26, 1865, my great-great-grandfather was camped a mere five miles from where I now live in Durham, NC. He was from the upstate of South Carolina, as am […]
Lenten Guide – Ash Wednesday
Excerpted from the Council’s 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide for Lectionary Year C. Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their […]
No More of This
Remarks from Jennifer Copeland at the Vigil to End Gun Violence in Durham on December 13, 2019 About two years ago, the North Carolina Council of Churches paid for a […]
Hard year’s signposts in quest for justice
Even for those of us who found a measure of joy during the year whose end we now mark – taking delight from a child’s birth, perhaps, or from a […]
2021 Lenten Guide- Ash Wednesday
Excerpted from Enough for All, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Written by Andrew Whitworth, Duke Divinity School Intern, Summer of 2020 […]
2021 Lenten Guide- Fourth Sunday
Excerpted from Enough for All, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Ephesians 2:1-10 You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which […]
2021 Lenten Guide- Fifth Sunday
Excerpted from Enough for All, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. John 12:20-33 Now among those who went up to worship at […]
2021 Lenten Guide- Easter Sunday
Excerpted from Enough for All, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Acts 10:34-43 Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand […]
Index by Scripture
GENESIS Genesis 9:8-17; Care of Creation (Lent 1, Year B) RUTH Ruth 1:1-18; Justice for Immigrants (Proper 26, Year B) PSALMS Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Public Accountability (Epiphany Sunday, Year A) […]
Statements
The Council takes positions on issues through policy statements which inform, guide and frame our work. Policy statements are adopted by our governing body, often upon recommendation of one or […]
Raleigh Report — May 10, 2017
By George Reed, Retired Executive Director [For more information on bills, including committee referrals and re-referrals, texts of bills, procedural histories, and recorded votes, go to the General Assembly website […]
Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly
The following remarks were delivered by the Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, during a memorial service and press conference at the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh commemorating Workers Memorial Day. Click here to view […]
You Shall Not Make an Idol
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, during one of the four gun violence prevention vigils that occurred across North Carolina on April 24, 2022. The following […]
Legislative Advocacy
Legislative advocacy is an important part of the Council’s work because we recognize that much of our state’s legislation has been rooted in a legacy of racism. By centering the […]
About
The North Carolina Council of Churches educates, inspires, and mobilizes faith communities to advocate for justice. Our Mission We enable denominations, congregations, and people of faith to impact our state […]
Donate
Donate Online Now If you would like to donate using a donor-advised Fund, see below. Spring 2023 Medicaid expansion is about to become a reality in North Carolina, confederate monuments […]
Staff
‘Grins and Glocks’: Wake Forest orthodontist offers free gun with Invisalign treatment
As part of a promotion, Gladwell Orthodontics and Youngsville Gun Club & Range are giving certain customers their pick between a Silver membership at the Youngsville Gun Club & Range […]
2024 Lenten Guide: Ash Wednesday
Excerpted from 2024 Lenten Guide: Terror and Amazement, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year B from the North Carolina Council of Churches. Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm […]
Raleigh Report – February 21, 2013
Payday Lending What It Is, How It Harms People, Why We Don’t Need It Back Payday lending, sadly, could be coming back to North Carolina. It was banned […]
Deadlines Pass – Raleigh Report April 22, 2013
With the passage of deadlines for the introduction of most bills, there’s been a flurry of new legislation. This issue of Raleigh Report will cover some of these new bills, with others to come in the next issue.
Fracking on Your Property Without Your Permission?
The controversial issue of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, or fracking, has many angles here in North Carolina. One of the most important and least talked about components deeply affects […]
“Thank God for Health Insurance”
The end of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, March 31, is only days away. Although the past five months have been full of their share of challenges, stories of […]
Affordable Care Act
Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also referred to as Obamacare) in 2009, and President Obama signed it into law. It has survived court challenges all the way to […]
The Spread of Toxic Immigration Laws
NC Policy WatchI can certainly understand that the nation is clearly frustrated with Congress’ dysfunction, partisan gridlock, and seeming inability to deal rationally with the many major policy issues facing our communities. I am too. And immigration reform is now seen as one of the most challenging political battlegrounds, thanks in large part to partisan wrangling. Now a handful of conservative legislators are using fear and misinformation to position immigration as a political wedge issue, cashing in on Washington’s inaction and the down economy to pursue a fierce anti-immigrant agenda
Jailhouse Justice
For all the Christian emphasis on forgiveness and redemption, many if not most churchgoers likely are comfortable with the old maxim, “Do the crime, do the time.” Law-breaking has its […]
Raise Your Hand if You Support Child Labor
As a society, we decided 75 years ago that child labor needed very strict guidelines to make sure that education comes first and to prevent abusive conditions. The only problem? Children in agriculture were exempted from these protections, in part because most farms were small family operations that needed everyone’s help. Today, mass-scale agribusiness has replaced family farms. But the exemption allowing child labor on farms has remained, meaning that there’s a good chance that pint of blueberries you’re enjoying was hand-picked by 12- and 13-year olds – legally. These same children are too young to work in any other industry.
Violence and Guns
Remarks delivered at the Community Conversation on Gun Violence on May 15, 2018 at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church. God knows that we are a violent people. It’s been this way […]
In God’s Eye
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director, Jennifer Copeland, on Sunday, February 23 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York focusing on Matthew 17: 1-9. From the Gospel […]
Press Conference in Response to Raleigh Mass Shooting
The following remarks were delivered by Eco-Justice Connection Director, Susannah Tuttle, during a gun violence prevention press conference on October 14, 2022, in response to the recent Raleigh mass shooting. […]
1 in 6 North Carolina counties have more gun dealers than mental health providers
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — While the country recovers from two mass shootings in 10 days, the national conversation is turning to two topics: gun access and mental health. In a […]
Resolution to Support Legislation to Close the School of the Americas
Whereas the U.S. Army School of the Americas has trained 60,000 Latin American soldiers who have consistently returned to their countries to murder, torture, rape, and intimidate the poor and those who work for the rights of the poor, the Executive Board of the NC Council of Churches supports the closing of the US Army School of the Americas.
September 11 – Six Months Later
Since the morning of September 11, fear and anger have been redefined, inviolate boundaries have been crossed, the unimaginable has become the reality of our daily lives. Even the most measured and peace-loving among us have found our beliefs tested since we watched as the endless horrors of that day piled one upon the other. Our hearts are broken for all who suffered personal loss in this great tragedy, and we pray for our nation and world as we navigate an uncertain and unsettling future.
Waging Peace in the Midst of War
Rev. Amy Jacks Dean, Park Road Baptist Church (Charlotte)Let me tell you about a society of peace and prosperity that existed long ago. In this society, many people had much more than they needed. The construction business was experiencing an unprecedented boom; elaborate wine cellars and even personal vineyards were in vogue. All the markets were buzzing; the communications, entertainment, and travel industries had never enjoyed such escalating profits.
Medical Malpractice Insurance Issues
The faith community, when true to its founding principles, has historically advocated for the common good over those of special interests. The faith community has also sought to be a voice for and a defender of "the poor, the orphaned and the widow"... A cap on medical malpractice damages would harm the common good because it would bring greater suffering upon those who have been the victims of medical malpractice. It would have its deepest impact upon the poor, who can least afford to have artificial limits placed on the compensation that might be paid to them, and it would do so to the benefit of individuals and companies of much greater financial power.
Health and Secondhand Smoke
Even in 1984, the Council’s report suggested that there were “harmful effects . . . to those non-smokers exposed to the side-smoke of smokers.” Today, an increasingly strong body of research points to the fact that secondhand smoke (that which is inhaled by non-smokers in a smoking environment) does indeed pose serious health hazards. This risk is associated not only with long-term consumption but also with secondhand smoke breathed in for as little as thirty minutes.
Mother’s Day for Peace
In the United States, Mother's Day was originally suggested by poet and abolitionist activist Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, after witnessing the carnage of the American Civil War and the start of the Franco-Prussian War, she wrote the original Mother's Day Proclamation calling upon the women of the world to unite for peace. This "Mother's Day Proclamation" would plant the seed for what would eventually become a national holiday.
Religion and Ecology
Rev. Nancy Petty, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church (Raleigh)While in Oxford I attended a worship service in which the bishop began his sermon with the words, "Most of you know that I usually don't stick to the scripture when I preach. However, today will be different." Immediately, he had my attention. I thought, "Is that an option, to not stick to the scripture?" At least in my mind-and I am aware that you might have a different opinion-I always try to stick to the scripture. I do so, mainly, because I love exploring the stories of our faith, but also because I think that is what I am supposed to do. But now this bishop had given me something new to think about.
Inviting the Uninvited
Rev. Peter JB Carman, Binkley Baptist Church (Chapel Hill)When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia about baptism, it seems he had a whole lot more than water on his mind. He was writing to a church divided right from the very beginning. While he was welcoming in the non Jewish pagans, others weren’t so sure. While he was trying to help negotiate the beginnings of a multi-cultural Christian faith, others were, even from the very beginning, more comfortable with those who were their own people. Jews had every reason to be suspicious of Romans—after all they had suffered under the hand of their occupation governments for many years.
Shameless Love
Rev. Nancy Petty, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church (Raleigh)It’s an image I can’t get out of my mind: a rescuer washing goo off a pelican. The bird was found alive but coated in the oil slick making its way ashore along the Louisiana coastline. The rescuer, volunteering hours of her time, was gently and compassionately bathing the bird in hopes of giving it another chance in the wild. It is a sad but hopeful image from the Gulf of Mexico. And of all the images I have seen from this, the worst oil spill disaster our country has ever experienced, it is this one that causes me to reach for the remote as fast as I can to change the channel.
The Passing of Bertha “B” Holt
Long-time members of the Raleigh Report network will grieve with me the passing this week of Bertha “B.” Holt. From 1975 to 1994, B. represented Alamance County in the state House of Representatives. The Council recognized her service by presenting her with our Faith Active in Public Life Award in 1987, the second year it was given.