Feed Editor 2 Jun 2009 00:15:15 GMT The lastest publications from the VOW web site. http://www.vow.org/Rss.xml en Hearing the Word of God, here and now, is a laudable goal. But, it cannot bypass the hard work of dealing with the history of the narratives, and the meaning of the text to its author(s). 16 Apr 2010 15:24:19 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0372.aspx B03D884F-BD19-409B-88A8-540C0046FA2D I have spent a great deal of my life dealing with and writing about racism and anti-Semitism. I am aware that all through the history of the Jewish people libelous stories have been told about them. From The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to stories of Jewish ritual murder of Christian children to false charges against Alfred Dreyfus, the French army officer falsely accused of treason in 1894, the Jewish people have had to live with the withering stories spread by both the malicious and the uninformed. 28 Jul 2009 05:28:25 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0333.aspx 99D87090-A44B-4015-9F9A-D004CB2B4DF4 Lead Article: In Defense of Christian Marriage 17 Dec 2009 23:01:48 GMT http://www.vow.org/Newsletters/2009-12-Newsletter.pdf CE262F97-8B50-4273-A135-92D5FB696828 A Christmas story by Karen Woo 11 Dec 2009 15:12:04 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0363.aspx 387E2884-97AC-45DA-BAFD-419F22B0EA83 Transformation and reformation are the main focus of the latest Horizons, the magazine for Presbyterian Women. The November/December 2009 edition is entitled “The Transforming Church.” The editors begin well with their choice of articles but lose their way as several authors confuse transformation with conformity. 4 Dec 2009 17:07:34 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0362.aspx 0C025E07-1C69-4EFF-8CE3-9A4B7DCC2CF8 VOW's Spring Newsletter 21 May 2009 21:38:04 GMT http://www.vow.org/Newsletters/2009-05%20Newsletter.pdf EB21F093-4F2E-4CF0-9528-C7EB707E9D85 Random notes on Joshua study 3 29 Oct 2009 22:00:07 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0358.aspx 09837BD4-7143-42E8-966B-75A9E40205E6 VOW has written a Bible Study and given it as a gift to the church 15 Oct 2009 18:54:19 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0e57.aspx 3D95513F-BA36-4018-932E-FB0D1A77EA01 Reflections on the 2009 PW Churchwide Gathering 22 Aug 2009 19:32:35 GMT http://www.vow.org/Newsletters/2009-09%20Newsletter.pdf 3CADEA75-4BA6-42EC-932C-CAB2B00F62F2 The day my mother learned about that suitcase, she made Grandma a promise. She promised that “this” Christian family would do what they could to protect her. My mother came home and shared that story with me. I understood that it was a promise which I, too, was responsible to keep. 10 Aug 2009 04:11:33 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0343.aspx AE4F3273-19DF-4472-A94F-B7707A907A32 Mary Mikhael, the author of the Joshua study, has at least two biases of which you need to be aware 6 Aug 2009 17:07:56 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0342.aspx 5A9486A3-A2A2-4337-B197-2A828806C5F1 There are two habits in which U.S. churches indulge that are counter-productive to Middle East peace and justice. The first is the temptation to believe that we U.S. Christians know the precise details of a just and final settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbors 4 Aug 2009 14:51:23 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0340.aspx 0679C065-B954-4957-91F8-9F76F33486FF If we can leave exercises in misappropriating history to the politicians, we can return to the text itself. How should we engage a rather difficult book of the Bible? 4 Aug 2009 14:49:54 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0338.aspx 2C65A1E1-FC3A-42A4-9216-12AC284BA381 I read Joshua: A Journey of Faith by Mary Mikhael with sadness and pain. It does not at all read like a study guide, but as advocacy for a political position. I have found one of the most egregious errors in the Study Guide is the implication that Israelis regard the Book of Joshua as their leasehold to the Land and their guide in managing it. This is hateful nonsense, and completely disregards the facts of the rise of the modern State of Israel. 4 Aug 2009 14:47:58 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0337.aspx 4396673D-61D1-4142-A9C8-80842D81C2CF Rather than selected statements from General Assembly Minutes on page 60, the editors could have pointed readers to the Social Witness Policy Compilation, pp. 113-152, for a fuller, more nuanced understanding of the denominations statements on war. In any event, readers should be aware of the dates attached to the statements that are presented here & be encouraged to factor in the social context of the late 1960s in which the cited statements were adopted ... 18 Dec 2009 18:13:47 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0366.aspx 611BC51B-433B-4FD5-AA4D-25B963EC3B5E From the moment I walked into the "Great Room" to begin setting up the VOW exhibit booth, I sensed something different – something new; something pleasant and attractive. A clean, refreshing breeze seemed to be blowing through the hall. 21 Jul 2009 20:52:20 GMT http:// 935E6F4B-8BE7-42DB-A796-D7FC037BB49A As I began reading this issue I at first was totally put off by the opening devotion. Because of it I expected to find all kinds of poor theological views within this particular edition. Thankfully I did not. I found instead some excellent articles ... 2 Jun 2009 00:15:15 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0329.aspx 28A81CED-B29F-4065-8335-6569FC5515AB While we believe this study is seriously flawed by a political bias and inadequate understanding of the authority of Scripture, we think it could serve as a springboard for study of the book of Joshua if supplemented by materials that offer a more balanced view of the Middle East situation and an understanding of the authority of Scripture that is in line with our Reformed Confessions. 5 May 2009 23:18:19 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0320.aspx 0A1B9754-F9A7-4390-A1E0-9AF7616C95AD After two good lessons, this one is disappointing because it is so misleanding 18 Nov 2009 17:12:05 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0359.aspx 0FCA99CE-8D57-413B-B820-75485A4C04CD A book review by Viola Larson 23 May 2009 14:36:23 GMT http://www.vow.org/Documents/Doc0328.aspx CCAE8561-C5BA-4F5C-9BF1-7D87F4B6DA93