So, let me ask you …
I’ve been writing this column for nearly a decade and have been the Record’s managing editor for over eight years. The magazine and the church it serves have both changed a lot over these years, and it has been a thrilling and also frustrating process of telling the stories of an institution in flux. Some of those stories have touched you, while some others have made you angry. We have tried to be faithful to our calling as Christians and as journalists throughout. We’ve done better more days than not, I think.
In short, as well as we’ve done (or think we’ve done) there is always room for improvement; and, this is where you come in: What would you like this magazine to look like?
We have travelled the globe in the magazine, via missionaries and our own staff. We have tackled big issues. And many small ones. We have told some great good news stories of how congregations and individuals are transforming themselves and the church. We have tried to travel across Canada as well, but, curiously, it is sometimes easier (and cheaper) to get a story from Africa than it is from the far north, for example, or the central Prairies.
We have shied away from issues of sexuality and gender. Readers get riled on either side of the political spectrum; they say nasty things to each other and subscriptions are cancelled en masse. It has made us overcautious; but, is it time to talk about this in our church?
In March when both the worldwide Roman Catholics and Anglicans were naming new leaders, the secular press was filled with criticisms against the church around issues of gender and sexuality. Since we’re a modest and quiet denomination, we have been spared that glare. Still, this is what our world is talking about; should we as well?
I understand the critique that there is much more to our faith than sex. Yes there is; but, that critique also keeps us from talking about this one small slice of an issue. I think particularly of those folks who are gay but still come to worship because they want a personal relationship with Christ despite the derision of the church at large. Can we talk with them, hear them, or is the conversation only about ordination and marriage? Can we talk about this?
And what of race and culture? If we were ever a purely Scottish church, as we like to pretend at times, we aren’t that anymore. The world is changing us; we need to share those stories.
And what of all our other differences? Can our liberals not talk to our conservatives? For such a small group, we sure do seem to have a lot of divisions.
And what of that other divide: Between the pews and the pulpits? Can we talk about our struggles with sessions and presbyteries?
Within our denomination every stalwart worker, in the pews, in the pulpit, within the courts and the offices, is overextended. We are ageing and shrinking, but are we shrinking into ourselves? Are we so anxious we are exhausted? Are we tired of visioning? It seems at times some of us just want to go quietly into the good night; while others are busy shuffling the furniture. There are some of us who have faced these tombstone times with missional thinking.
So, I ask you to share your stories, your thoughts about the Presbyterian Church, your congregation, your own faith journey. And also ideas about what you would like the magazine to do more of and less. An excellent way to share your thoughts is to join the conversation following this article at pccweb.ca/presbyterianrecord.
I’ve been talking for a decade; I’d like to hear what you have to say.
