Since I announced my intention to vote with the YAADs at the PCUSA General Assembly, I’ve had a range of conversations – both online and in person. I am deeply grateful to John Vest for his comments on a recent post where I shared the influence on this commitment of Kahlil Gibran’s insights set to […]

Blessed to be a commissioner to the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Detroit this June, I have publicly vowed to vote from start to finish as the majority of the Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADs) do. Reaction to this commitment has been mixed, from both older and younger Presbyterians. Some of […]

I was talking with my friend, John, recently about the wonderfully vigorous national conversation about marriage sparked last month by the Supreme Court hearings on Prop 8 and DOMA. John agreed with a politician who publicly expressed a fear that straight people might pretend to be gay so that they could get the special benefits of having a “gay marriage.” I shared with him how this made no sense to me.

I was overjoyed when Jeff Krehbiel, who is standing as my vice moderator, offered to share a prayer for Mother’s Day. Jeff writes movingly about an issue that is often overlooked in our churches and in society as a whole. I continue to feel blessed that Jeff is travelling this journey with me and that he is able to share his pastoral wisdom with us here.

Last fall, one of the frequently asked questions about marriage and gay and lesbian couples was posed during a discussion at Princeton Theological Seminary: If gay and lesbian couples can’t have children then how can they legitimately be married since the primary purpose of marriage is the bearing of children? At the time, I replied […]