A few years ago a local United Way Director told me about a troubling conversation he had with his Presbyter, an official from the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA). The Presbyter guessed that the United Way Director, a faithful Presbyterian, must have a special fondness for the parable of the Good Samaritan. The United Way Director admitted that the story was especially poignant to him, given his line of work. The Presbyter said that the story made him wonder if the whole messy ordeal might have been avoided had the Samaritan and other locals lobbied their municipal governments to increase security on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.
While this is just one anecdotal exchange, I think it demonstrates the mindset of leaders in the PCUSA church. A few weeks ago I wrote a piece for IRD about the long tradition of institutional activism in the PCUSA, which I believe has come at the expense of the sort of personal Christian hospitality that touches hearts.
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