Hmmmm, what to blog about? I've had thoughts rolling around in my head on a number of topics recently, and haven't sat down to blog about many of them (contrary to the purpose of having a blog in the first place). And it'll probably get worse, with work getting busier. Most of the topics worth writing about fall into two categories: "God stuff" (which would probably please primarily my Christian and/or conservative friends -- though I hope the rest of you also get something out of it, as my relationship with God is very central to the way I function) and cranky rants about politics (perhaps somewhat more to the liking of my liberal friends; my contempt for "conservative politics" and "liberal politics" is roughly equal these days). Of course, there's also baby stuff, baseball, science, and other things. Well, I promised a while ago to talk about the church we have joined in Ithaca, so the crankiness will have to wait for now. :)

I first came across our current church last October. I had not yet applied for my current job, but I knew about it and was very attracted. On a premonition that I might sometime soon be living in Ithaca, I decided one night to do some Google searching for area churches, and one website that caught my eye was that of New Life Presbyterian Church. Liking what I could gather from the website, I sent off a quick email to the contact address -- on a whim, as it felt at the time. This email was promptly answered by the pastor and we exchanged several more, and the rest is history.

My primary attraction to the church came from the outlook and attitude that I discerned, first from emailing the pastor, and later from attending a service when I visited Ithaca this April. A commitment to following the Bible in spiritual and moral matters is important to me (I'm trying to avoid labels here). But equally important are humility and tolerance (by which I mean respect for others, not universal approval) and an active focus on taking the love of Christ out into the community. The denominational label ("Presbyterian" in this church's case) is unimportant when interacting with fellow Christians or with the community at large, and yet it still has some usefulness in identifying a particular tradition and emphasis. In general, Presbyterians are the spiritual descendants of the Protestant Reformation as it occurred in Scotland. They differ from Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, etc., mostly in matters of style and in theological details, much of which can be traced to their different histories and the national origins of their organizations. As is sadly true of many denominations today, Presbyterians are currently split along a "liberal/conservative" line, and NLPC belongs to the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America or PCA, rather than the more liberal (and far larger) Presbyterian Church USA or PCUSA.

Although Laura and I have otherwise attended "non-denominational" churches all our lives, we were very happy attending a Presbyterian church for 4 years while we lived in Pasadena. All churches have their strengths and weaknesses, of course, but I appreciate the greater sense of history and intellectual tradition among Presbyterians, as well as slightly less informality in the worship service compared to what we've been used to elsewhere (simply a personal preference). Our church in Pasadena was one of the more conservative in the PCUSA, and I think we are now on a similar track with one of the more moderate churches in the PCA. Will we continue with Presbyterians once we move away from Ithaca in (I expect) a few years? I have no idea. I don't feel attached to the national denomination nearly so much as the individual congregation, and we'll see what we find the next time we move. 

Posted by Matt on 7/13/2004 10:05:00 PM