Remembering Renee Nicole Good

Remembering Renee Nicole Good

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15: 12–13

Jesus teaches that there is no greater love than the willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for others, to lay down one’s life for someone else. It is to offer oneself unselfishly for the sake of others, especially the defenseless and the vulnerable.

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Renee Nicole Good was shot while moving her car, attempting to follow the orders of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Her last words, captured on video, were, “I’m not mad at you.”

We lament and mourn the loss of Ms. Good, a widow of a veteran, a wife and a mother who put herself in harm’s way not out of any desire to do harm, but to observe and bear witness to the actions of ICE. We affirm the right to peaceful protest and lawful observation for all Americans, without the threat of repressive or deadly responses by government and law enforcement authorities.

Alongside Ms. Good, we remember George Floyd, whose life was taken at the hands of law enforcement in 2020, within one mile of where Ms. Good was murdered at the hands of enforcement officers, a stark and enduring reminder of the deadly consequences of injustice and the unfinished work of truth, repentance, and transformation to which God continually calls us.

As Presbyterians, we hold a twofold connection to Renee Good. First, we are bound by our shared faith in a God of justice, who calls us to engage the powers of this world and to counter hate with love. Our tradition compels us to oppose injustice with a prophetic word from the Lord and to participate in the transformation of the world God loves.

Our second connection is more personal: Ms. Good was one of us. She was a fellow Presbyterian. Edgewater Presbyterian Church in Illinois remembered her with these words: “Renee Nicole Good lived out the conviction that every person deserves kindness, regardless of their background. … Her story is a testament to the power of the Presbyterian mission and a challenge to our conscience. We mourn a fellow Presbyterian whose quiet smile and creative spirit touched lives from Colorado to Northern Ireland to Minnesota.”

In the coming week, we will remember the life and witness of the martyred Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who called this nation to a “radical revolution of values.” Values that demand divestment from racism, materialism and militarism. Ms. Good’s life and death echo this same moral call.

Her memory also stands in a sacred lineage of faithful witnesses who have risked and lost their lives in defense of human dignity. We remember the four Maryknoll Sisters — Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and Lay Missioner Jean Donovan — who were abducted, abused and murdered in El Salvador in 1980 for standing alongside the Salvadoran people.

We also remember the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, who was murdered for his opposition to the evil of slavery and for whom the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy is named. These are not isolated tragedies but part of a continuing story of costly discipleship.

We must remember her name: Renee Nicole Good. We remember her as a testament to Jesus’ teaching that God does not change the world through violence but through faithful presence amid struggle, and that love refuses to abandon the work of acceptance, justice and compassion.

Ms. Good’s wife, Rebecca Good, offered a fitting memorial:

“On Wednesday, Jan. 7, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns. We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine. Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: We are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.”

Through this remembrance, we rededicate ourselves to advocacy in the name of Christ Jesus. We stand with those who are detained or killed by ICE, treated unjustly and vilified, whom God defends as bearers of the divine image. We proclaim a God who values all people and who calls us again and again to remind the world to value the lives of all.

Original Article

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People gathered for a vigil in South Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good. (Photo by Chad Davis via Wikipedia Commons used under Creative CommonsAttribution 4.0 International license.)

Presbyterian Church Office of Public Witness

 

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness is deeply concerned by reports that refugees who have been lawfully admitted to the United States are being detained. Families who have already been welcomed into safety and passed extensive screening should not be uprooted again, separated from the communities supporting them, or made to live under renewed fear and uncertainty. Scripture calls us to welcome the stranger and protect the vulnerable, and to honor the dignity of those who seek refuge among us. We believe our nation must not undo the safety it has already promised, but instead uphold justice, compassion, and the rule of law for our newest neighbors. 

On Jan 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Operation “Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening” (PARRIS), which reopens and intensively re-examines certain refugee cases after resettlement. The operation’s initial focus is reported to be approximately 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who remain in refugee status while awaiting green cards. In recent days, refugee-serving organizations have reported that refugees, including children, have been detained, with limited public information about the standards being applied, the scope of enforcement, or the due process protections available.

This is not a routine administrative review. It is a sweeping action that undermines the promise of protection the United States makes when it resettles refugees. It is unjust to detain people who are here legally, and it is especially cruel to subject families to detention and secrecy after they have already survived persecution and displacement.

Just as importantly, these actions risk communicating to the world and to refugee communities that the United States will not honor the protection it has promised. They reflect a deeply troubling and cold-hearted turn toward a refugee policy shaped more by suspicion than by compassion, and they weaken the moral credibility of our nation’s commitment to welcome those who have fled persecution.

The United States has made binding commitments under international law to protect refugees; this operation contradicts those commitments.

Our denomination’s stance is clear and longstanding. Presbyterians have repeatedly affirmed the call to welcome refugees, to support their resettlement, to seek family reunification, and to oppose policies that endanger refugees or return them involuntarily to harm. Across decades of General Assembly action, the PC(USA) and our predecessor denominations have urged the United States to uphold humane refugee policy, uphold the rule of law, and resist cruelty and discrimination.

The Office of Public Witness calls on the administration to:

• Immediately halt detentions of lawfully resettled refugees connected to Operation PARRIS
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• Guarantee due process, including access to legal counsel and clear, timely procedures
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• Provide transparency about the legal authority, criteria, and implementation of this operation
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• Protect family unity and ensure refugees are not isolated from their communities and sponsors
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• Reaffirm the U.S. commitment to refugee protection, rather than weakening it through fear-based enforcement
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We urge Congress to conduct immediate oversight, demand public answers, and ensure that refugee policy is carried out humanely and lawfully.

We call on Presbyterians and people of faith to continue to stand with refugees, support resettlement communities, and live out Christ’s call to love our neighbors. In this moment, we urge our nation to choose welcome over suspicion, truth over secrecy, and hope over fear.

Learn about the immigration work of various PC(USA) offices, advocates and partners here.

PCUSA Office of Public Witness

The Advocacy Committees of the PC(USA) Stands with Trans Youth

This is the first question asked of a PC(USA) congregation when a child is baptized:

"Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture this child by word and deed, with love and prayer?"

As members of Christ’s body—and as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and all who care deeply for the children of this broken world—we grieve rulings like the recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that uphold laws putting vulnerable children at greater risk.

Research has shown that when a transgender young person has even one adult in their life who affirms their identity, the risk of death by suicide is reduced by 40%. Laws that block access to gender-affirming care for youth threaten their health and well-being. These are not abstract issues—they impact the very children we have vowed to guide and nurture with love and prayer.

As parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, educators, coaches, and compassionate adults, we must raise our voices against these harmful laws. If we remain silent, we fail to honor the sacred vows we take when we baptize our infants, children, and youth.

The Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice invites each of you to hold in prayer every child and youth across this country who is being denied the care they need. Pray that they may have at least one adult who affirms their identity and walks beside them as a witness to God’s love—a love that declares they are created in God’s image, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Pray for the courage to righteously dissent against policymakers who opt to drive fear and discord amongst thriving communities of faith.

As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and fellow disciples, we stand in solidarity with transgender youth—both near and far—affirming their dignity, their worth, and their belovedness in the eyes of God.

"Undocumented People are God's Children, Too"

 

"Undocumented People are God's Children, Too"
By Andre Davis, Member, Park Lake Presbyterian, Orlando, ​and CFP Anti-Racism Committee Member

There is much anti-immigrants rhetoric coming out of the White House and our state governments. Undocumented people are getting blamed for much. But, while we do encourage people to follow the law, we must also acknowledge undocumented people are in this country doing the most undesirable work (agriculture, roofing, construction, hotels) for meager pay.  Someone could even argue that undocumented people—through their cheap labor—help us in America to achieve and maintain the American Dream.

However, where do the church and Faith Leaders stand? We, Faith Leaders and Christians—must remind ourselves and those in their audiences that undocumented people are God’s children, too. And, there could be immediate psychological repercussions if we fold our hands and just observe as politicians villainize these people. Further, we will absolutely have to answer to the Lord for not speaking up against evil and for being quiet all while God’s children are being stigmatized and hunted. We see that Jesus—in various parts of the Bible—challenged the Pharisees and Sadducees and other government institutions that were preoccupied with having an appearance of holiness, but were reluctant to actually do holy and good deeds.

Similarly, we see the agenda of our new president: he claims to be a Christian (even had his own Bible printed), but he has no compassion for these undocumented people. This is evidenced when he tells lies (calling them rapist and murderers), using them as scapegoats, and claiming undocumented people are solely responsible for why working-class Americans and the economy are not doing well. He is wrong, and in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, undocumented people, we stand with you.

Link to original article

A Look at Three Lectionary Passages in Ordinary Time

 

In my study of the three lectionary passages designated for Proper 10, Proper 11, and Proper 12 (the 15,16, and 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, I noticed a theme that connects all three.  The three passages are Luke 10:25-37, Luke 10:38-42, and Luke 11:1-13.  The three passages are more popularly known as The Good Samaritan, The story of Mary and Martha, and Jesus' teaching on the Lord's Prayer and prayer in general. 

The first is a story that engages our Christian acts of service and charity.  A person is found in distress.  Three persons pass by, the first two are religious leaders, the third is a Samaritan.  Jesus was telling a story to answer the question, who actually lived out what it means to be "neighborly".  This was an answer to the original question of "Who will inherit eternal life?" Most Christians understand that the relationship between Samaritans and Jews is a complicated relationship.  They often didn't get along and saw the other as being theologically in the wrong.  Yet in this case, it is clear, that the Samaritan lived out their faith. 

Now, we come to second passage, the story of Mary and Martha.  If the first passage questions who will be saved with an example of the "outsider" Samaritan, and example of living faith, this story is the exact opposite.  Martha is busying "doing".  Mary is sitting in learning at the feet of Jesus.  This is still a subversive act as women were not allowed to sit at the feet of a religious leader to learn.  

A good example of this is the film Yentl.  In this film, a young Jewish woman earns to learn theology.  Yentl's father is a rabbi, and her father secretly instructs her in the Talmud despite the fact she is a woman.  When her father dies, she cuts her hair short like a man, takes on her brother's name Anshel, and enters a Yeshiva, a Jewish seminary.  She falls in love with a seminary student, and in one theological debate, she asks if there was some reason that her friend would not be allowed to study Torah, (something like people with brown eyes or brown hair weren't allowed) would he still pursue learning.  Eventually, he agrees, that if there was a prohibition against studying Torah, and he was forbidden he would do so anyway. 

This is the same as Mary.  Mary and Yentl remind us of the same truth.  That these are both people with a passion and a calling that transcend societies limitations when they pursue God's call in their lives.  But where Martha was busy doing, Mary was busy sitting and learning.  These are very different activities.  Helping the injured man on the road to Damascus is heavy on action.  Sitting and learning is using our minds and thinking.  If the first passage encourages us to do, the second encourages us to learn.  Finally, we come to the third.  It's Jesus teaching on prayer.  It's a classic, where we read the "Lord's Prayer".  Jesus speaks about persistence, and God's care and concern for us.  

So what is the theme that connects all three.  Imagine a three or four legged chair.  This chair is our spiritual lives.  Each of these passages adds an important aspect of our spiritual lives that all keep us upright.  Our faith has to be an active faith.  A faith that is lived out in deeds.  A faith like that of the Samaritan that is lived without discrimination.  But we also must rely on the second leg of the chair.  Our learning, reflection and study is important for us to be thoughtful Christians.  To ensure that our actions are rooted in good theology and belief.  That we understand why we do what we do.  

Lastly, prayer and contemplation is essential.  Prayer allows us to spend the time we need on unpacking what we learn, and evaluating how we act.  It draws us back into the scriptures, worship, liturgy and supplication.  It allows us to be realigned with God's word.  All four legs (action/charity, study/learning, prayer and contemplation/reflection) form essential tasks for our spiritual life.  

How about you this week.  Is there one of these four that comes easier?  Is there one that is harder?  How well have we done not ignoring or neglecting completely one or all of these 'legs'.  As we journey in the next three weeks through these passages, ask God to reveal to you which of these needs to be engaged, so that we might grow in our spiritual lives and how we might engage these in our life in the coming days. 

Rev Jihyun Oh Letter to the PCUSA

Dear Siblings in Christ Jesus and Fellow Disciples of our Crucified and Risen Lord,

Scripture reminds us that as Christ Jesus journeyed to the cross, he was also entrusting his earthly ministry to his disciples. Failing to understand, the disciples found themselves arguing about who would be greatest. To this, Jesus says, “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11–12).

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We find ourselves in a nation in which leaders who purport to be Christian are attacking those who preach the mercy and love of Christ Jesus, arresting those who pray for justice, and using their position of leadership to harm the most vulnerable and to enrich themselves and their friends and allies by impoverishing those who have much less. Instead of emulating Christ’s earthly ministry of justice and love that brought God’s reign of wholeness and peace, these leaders seek to create a society that is marked by fracture and violence, a society in which power matters more than truth, winning more than communion and the good of the whole. Instead of working for a world in which strangers and foreigners can become neighbors, the weak and sick are protected, and the young and lonely are embraced, they build up dividing walls of hostility, threaten the vulnerable, and ridicule the marginalized. This is not Christian. This is not Christian leadership.

This is the heart of leadership, especially for any who would claim to be “Christian” — to serve others instead of insisting on one’s own greatness, to lift up others instead of pushing them down, to show honor to the least instead of denigrating their humanity, to use one’s power and authority to work toward the wholeness of God’s beloved world instead of harming those who are most vulnerable in society.

As the Co-Moderators of the 226th General Assembly and I wrote in December, as a Christian, Reformed, Presbyterian denomination, we as the PC(USA) will be a church for this time and place as God calls us to be. And we will act in accordance with our biblical and theological values that have also guided the actions of our General Assemblies, both PC(USA) and our predecessor denominations, in the discernment of our policies.

We will continue to stand with and for the most vulnerable in our society, whether that is because of status, identity, ability, resources, or any other factor; all bear the image of God. In our common life as a denomination, we will continue to pursue representation and full participation of all in the life of our denomination as we continue living into unity in our diversity. We will continue to stand with and for LGBTQIA+ siblings and communities and act to resist efforts to denigrate or harm them, or exclude them from the promise of the fullness of life.

We will work toward the day of God’s wholeness when all tears are wiped away, weapons are hammered into plowshares, hunger and violence are no more, Earth and all that inhabit it are restored, and God’s love and justice reign.

As Reformed Christians, our Sovereign God calls us to involvement in the world instead of being apart from it. And our involvement should be more than words. The Church’s call is to follow Christ, “entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life” [PC(USA) Book of Order, F-1.0301].

As Presbyterians, the Lord of our conscience calls us to stand up against the abuse of power and authority, especially when it is done in the name of Christ but not in the image and likeness of Christ and his earthly ministry.

Our God calls us and our cloud of witnesses calls out to us and strengthens us by their witness to the love and justice of Christ Jesus in the world.

Taking a stand against the rise of the Nazi party, the Confessing Church movement in Germany drafted the 1934 Theological Declaration of Barmen, asserting that Christ alone is Lord of the church and Sovereign of the world: “Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death” [PC(USA) Book of Confessions, 8.11].

Our God calls us and also sends us.  God sends the Church to work for justice in the world: exercising its power for the common good; dealing honestly in personal and public spheres; seeking dignity and freedom for all people; welcoming strangers in the land; promoting justice and fairness in the law; overcoming disparities between rich and poor; bearing witness against systems of violence and oppression; and redressing wrongs against individuals, groups, and peoples [PC(USA) Book of Order, W-5.0303].

So many in the church, in faithful discipleship to Jesus Christ, have been working for and toward God’s justice and love in the world. In the coming weeks and months, more will be shared about what Presbyterians are doing and can join to do.

Romans 12:9-16, 21 reminds us:
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Let us not despair even as we grieve the brokenness and the pain we witness. Let us not lose heart. Let our discipleship be a faithful witness to what it means to be “Christian” in this time. May it be so for all of us.

Learn more:

General Assembly Committee on Representation

Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice

Advocacy Committee for LGBTQIA+ Equity (ACQ+E)

The Rev. Jihyun Oh is Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency.

Original Link to PC(USA) news agency

Reflections on the Medellín Conference of 1968

In August of 1968, representatives from every Catholic Bishop's Conference in Central and South America and the Caribbean met in Medellín, Colombia with a simple mission. Apply the vision of the Second Vatican Council to the region. 

What emerged from the conference was a series of documents that looked at every aspect of Latin American life and gave pastoral advice.  "The Church in the Present-Day Transformation of Latin America in the Light of the Council" makes it clear that the Catholic Church decided that it was making a decision to side with the poor in this part of the world and think through its theology to live it out in practical and faithful means. 

The methodology used by the conference was adjacent to Liberation Theology which was just beginning to appear in the discussions of the church.  A social analysis was followed by scriptural and theological reflections. The methodology came to be called the "circle of praxis", another way of describing the process of "observe, judge, act".  See note below.  

"The traditionalists or conservatives show little or no social conscience, have a middle-class orientation and consequently do not question social structures...in general they are concerned with preserving the privilege which they identity with the established order." Liberation theology has contributed positively to agrarian reform, poverty reduction, and human rights and continues to push back and challenge the our middle and upper class orientation. 

The influence of Liberation Theology and the Medellín Conference has forever impacted the church and theology, with the call of God's preferential option for the Poor.  Read more about Liberation Theology in the documents below or the book by Gustavo Gutierrez "Liberation Theology" 

Note on the "Circle of Praxis" 

To this day, the "Circle of Praxis" is still in use in many justice and peace ministries. Step on in the Circle of Praxis Pedagogy is Insertion/Immersion.  In this step, the starting point is not an academic idea, but rather direct encounters with people living at the margins or trying to overcome unjust systems. This step can be accomplished in many different ways, (immersion trips, community service and engagements, film, guest speakers etc. 

The second step is Descriptive Analysis.  This step seeks to identify specific causal factors that are directly resulting in hunger, poverty, violence, war, or social injustice. This results in the rigorous study of poverty and the underlying systems resulting in harmful practices.  It points to decision makers as well as who benefits from decisions that are made. Who is paying the cost? 

The Third Step is Normative Analysis.  After steps are taken to experience the world, and to determine the causal factors using the best in social science (descriptive analysis), then normative analysis happens.  It is important to recognize that human suffering, poverty, inequality, racism, hunger, war and violence requires a radical reassessment of the faith system that supports the unjust system. The underlying values and vision of a system are examined.  Here voice, decision making, and collective agency are all examined for how to change an unjust system. Problematic biases are examined, as well as our assumptions. 

The Fourth Step is Action Planning. This is where people can take responsibility as agents of change. Here the goal is to pause and examine/re-examine how actions actually result in the real world. Based on all available data, an action plan is created that is specific. There is always a commitment to "do no harm", it is important to understand how unintended consequences often can hurt the underlying goal of equality and social change.  When actions steps are identified and planned, execution of those steps and a later reanalysis of the results can lead to change, and an accountability of that change. 

Books and links for further reading: 

Ellacuria, Ignacio and Jon Sobrino. 1993. Mysterium Liberationis: Fundamental Concepts

of Liberation Theology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Book

Freire, Paulo. 1970. /1990. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum.

Freire, Paulo. 1973. Education for Critical Consciousness. New York, NY: Continuum.

Galtung, Johann. 1996. Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and

Civilization. Oslo: International Peace Research Institute.

In the Light of the Council Document

Liberation Theology