For the Healing of the Nations -- NCC General Assembly Meets in Orlando

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian (president-elect) and

Bishop Earl McCloud, Jr (Chair, General Assembly Planning Committee)

For the Healing of the Nations comes from Revelation 22:2. Dr. Mary Foskett, Associate professor of Religious Studies at Wake Forest University leading Bible Study yesterday, challenged the assembly to re-read the Apocalypse again, understanding that Bablylon is the United States and consider its call to the church to live faithfully in the context of Empire. Her work on apocalyptic literature has direct implications on questions of Christian apocalyptic theology and what is usually called Christian Zionism, which has direct implications on our attitudes about peach and justice in the Middle East. A New Testament scholar, Dr. Foskett has recently edited Ways of Being, Ways of Reading: Asian American Biblical Interpretation. Published by Chalice Press, it will be out this month. Her previous publications include, A Virgin Conceived: Mary and Classical Representations of Virginity (Indiana University Press, 2002).

Later today, we will have a forum on "Armageddon Theology and its impact on the Middle East,"led by Robert O. Smith. More on that later....

In today's Bible Study, Dr. Robert Michael Franklin, Jr. challenged the Assembly to consider the question: How does the church address questions of healing in the public square after an election?