Christian Century on UCC General Synod
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Christian Century has a pretty interesting angle on the United Church of Christ's last General Synod. The article goes deeper than most other articles that covered General Synod which essentially recapped the keynote speeches by Bill Moyers and Barack Obama. From Christian Century:
There's more:
But after the crowds disperse and UCC members return to their heartland churches, how will they use the Synod's momentum to revive the denomination, which has seen deep drops in membership and donations in recent years?Ouch.
As one Synod attendee muttered, "Yeah, this is inspiring. But now we go home to an empty church."
There's more:
Not everyone was happy with the gathering's political tone. Koloman Ludwig, pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Whiting, Indiana, said he "doesn't do politics in church" because it would divide liberals and conservatives in his congregation.Plumley's view of what "God intends" for us is as narrow as Jerry Falwell's. There is no freedom in being a slave to political ideology.
"To me the problem is, with so many political overtones to the church, you begin to lose people who don't have the same political orientation," Ludwig said, "and to me that's a great sadness."
But Ann Plumley, an interim pastor in Keene, New Hampshire, said the UCC's advocacy for progressive causes is essential. "We need the mix of politics and religion to live in the freedom God intends for us," she said.
