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Idlewild Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a community of people at various places on the journey of faith. We are seeking to be inclusive in liturgy, language, life and love. Here are some questions about different aspects of our faith journey that might prompt some of your own. If you have suggestions for future Questions & Answers, send us an email at questions@idlewildchurch.org
Q: Does God answer prayer? A: Yes. Sometimes we just don’t like the answers. The purpose of prayer is to align ourselves with God’s purposes, not to get God to give us what we think we need. Pray as if it all depends upon God, work as if it all depends upon you. A model prayer is the prayer Jesus taught the disciples. (See the New Testament book of Luke, chapter 11, verses 1—4 or Mark, chapter 6, verses 9—15.) Q: Is there a set of doctrines I have to believe in order to be a Christian? A: Nope, not to be a "Presbyterian-type" Christian. Do you believe that God loves you? Do you believe that love to be uniquely evident in the life of Jesus of Nazareth? Will you try, relying of God’s presence with you, to live out your faith in this church and community? And will you be a faithful member of this community of faith? Those are the kinds of questions asked when you join Idlewild Presbyterian Church. Q: Will believing in God make a difference in my life? A: No, not unless you put that belief into action. In a New or Second Covenant letter, a person named John wrote, "Do not be hearers of the word only; be doers of the word." We need to walk the talk! Q: What is God’s role in the bad things that happen in this world? A: Try looking right there in the very midst of it all; that’s where we find God. God is in the details, in the dying and the diseased as well as in the joys and moments of intense pleasure. God is with us. God is here. God is now. And nothing can separate us from God’s presence of love. Q: Does God have a plan for my life? A: Oh, yes. God’s plan for you is the same plan God has for everyone else. God’s plan is that we follow Jesus Christ and his way of truth and love in all of our relationships regardless of the circumstances in your life. The details of your individual life are a mixture of your choices, context and events beyond your control. It is called "trust" in the goodness of God. © 2000 Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee Roland P.
Perdue III June 6, 2000 Q: Why should I go to Church? Can’t I experience God anywhere? A: Church is where you and I publicly worship the God we experience everywhere. That is why it is called "public worship." We do it right out in the open. We are not ashamed of the God who is "not ashamed to be called our God," to quote Abraham in the First Covenant. The hope is that through praise, thanksgiving and reflection upon God’s action in history we can become extra sensitive to the presence of God everywhere. Q: What is distinctive about the Presbyterian Church? A: We are "reformed and always reforming." That means that we do not think we have God in a box. We are learning more about the faithful life constantly. And we believe that God alone is Boss of the human conscience. We also are seeking to be faithful to the belief that God is with us in faith and its practice in the midst of our everyday existence. Q: What is the difference between the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., of which Idlewild Church is a part, and other Presbyterian groups? A: Some other groups calling themselves Presbyterian do not ordain women as officers (deacons, elders and ministers). And they may or may not have similar positions on a whole host of theological-social issues. Q: Why should church membership be important to me? A: One is the loneliest number in the world. Church members support and care for one another. Church members know that we are all at different places on the journey of faith, and everybody needs to have times of coming together in order to have some greater cause and interest than that contained by their own individual skin. And we need the accountability and correction that comes from loving people traveling with us in the same boat (Ship of Faith, the nave of Idlewild’s sanctuary in an inverted ship!) Q: What is Idlewild’s stance on the role of women in the church? A: We believe that God calls people (males and females) to serve in the church and in the wider world. There is, in Christ, no difference between "men and women, slaves and freeborn, etc. (St. Paul wrote that in one of the letters the New Covenant). Therefore, women share in equal opportunity and accessibility to all leadership roles in the life of Idlewild.
© 2000 Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee Roland P.
Perdue III June 6, 2000 Q: I want to talk to my children about God. At what age should I begin and how should I start? A: When the infant is growing in the womb is a good time to start. Sounds, noises, emotions are communicated through the walls of the uterus and the wonderful connections of mother to child. The way a child is nursed, held, touched — all that and everything else is "God-talk" with the child. It is an attitude thing! And then relax and answer questions the child asks. Remember that the greatest gift you can give your child is to love the persons with whom you live. That is always communicated. Q: Why do Presbyterians baptize babies? A: Presbyterians baptize people, some of whom are infants. Presbyterians believe that God loves us and our children, and that parents and the faith community are to educate and support the child in such a way that she or he will always be aware of God’s love and acceptance. Baptism is a way of saying, "You belong!" Q: How do I explain death to my young children? A: Let them see your reaction to death. Help them to face the "little deaths" they will experience–the death of a pet, the loss of a friend who moves with his or her family to another city, etc. Death hurts, we are sad, we go through it, we move on. And it still hurts. As Archie Bunker in All in the Family used to say, "One out of one die. That’s life." And life is also trusting that God takes us to God’s self.
© 2000 Idlewild Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee Roland P.
Perdue III June 6, 2000 |