William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Additionally, a 301 Moved Permanently error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. Coffin questioned authority throughout his career, using civil . William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. The post A Eulogy for Alex appeared first on The Art of Manliness. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. Hello Select your address Nationalism at the expense of another nation, is just as wicked as racism at the expense of another race. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. William Sloane Coffin, a United Church of Christ Minister known globally for his peace and justice advocacy, died April 12, 2006, at his home in rural Strafford, Vt. I know all the right biblical passages, including Blessed are those who mourn, and my faith is no house of rest, came from fellow reverends, a few of whom proved they knew their cards; these passages are true, I know. RN: Any comparisons between the domestic opposition to the Iraq War/Occupation with the domestic opposition to the Vietnam War? You blew it. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is It is the will of God. Never do we know enough to say that. And find unwithered on its curls The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sisters house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. You can stay up to date with Will & Testament via these feeds. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. "Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.". My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's heart was the first of all our hearts to break. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. RN: Why do you think most of the anti-war groups stopped their marches in 2004 and became quiescent compared to 2003? I sought the Lord, and he heard me, Which is not to say that there are no nature-caused deaths I can think of many right here in this parish in the five years I've been here deaths that are untimely and slow and pain-ridden, which for that reason raise unanswerable questions, and even the specter of a Cosmic Sadist yes, even an Eternal Vivisector. in 1949. Nowhere in the scripture does it say, God is car accident or God is death. God is justice and kindness, mercy, and always always love. RN: How is Vermont a model in this respect? God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. I know, but I do not approve, and I am not resigned. Didn't the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?". "Human unity is not something we are called on to create only something we are called on to recognize." Online shopping from a great selection at Books Store. The use of Gods will or God has chosen to take whatever the phrase has always made me uncomfortable. " William Sloan Coffin, who died yesterday at 81, was among the foremost pacifists of his generation, and set the mold for the liberal activist preacher ." Coffin, the model for Doonesbury's Reverend Sloan, was a Freedom Rider, Yale chaplain, champion for social justice and one of the most respected leaders of the anti-Vietnam war movement. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. _______________ Reprinted with permission of theWilliam Sloane Coffin Sermon Archive Project. Will was tyring to elicit thoughts about the whole concept of a god's will. Less sceptical commentators may point to mechanical -- and possibly human -- failure on a notoriously dangerous road. Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, Joan Halifax, Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communicatoins of the Dying, How Can I Help? These sermons were delivered from the pulpit at Riverside Church, N.Y.C. In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA agent, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of Reinhold Niebuhr's . God gave man dominion over the world at the beginning - and free will - and man so man has had the responsibility for his conduct since then, and for infecting all of creation with his sin. The recipient of the Coffin award will be someone who shares Coffin's passionate and prophetic witness, a courageous devotion to the dignity and worth of . The question seems more pointed given the context -- a group of devout believers making a religious pilgrimage -- but the same question is struggled over every day by people of faith who experience suffering or have to watch a loved one suffer. (There's words for everything else.) And I wept and I wept. Runners whom renown outran There's something in the flight William Sloane Coffin Jr., chaplain of Yale University, were indicted today on charges of conspiring to counsel young men to violate the draft laws. The civil rights movement: What do you remember with the greatest pleasure or what was the greatest lesson of it? Seems a good deal for him - get all the praise when things go our way but none of the blame when things go wrong due to no fault of our own. Then he moves on to the next town. He was ordained in the Presbyterian church and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. very good question Anne. This eulogy from William Sloane Coffin following the death of his son offers words of wisdom and hope for those struggling with the tragedy in Connecticut. c a m p u s l i f e ; m e s s a g e In my case on the death of my wife they were summed up well in a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay entitled Dirge without Music. Why? The best of William Sloane Coffin, Jr. And then, Im a preacher. But when children die, they take away the future as well. This is the last year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. View all William Sloane Coffin Quotes. I do hope that many will learn what not to say to a grieving loved one. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The prayers are presented in several multi-year collections. 20. As almost all of you know, a week ago last Monday night, driving in a terrible storm, my son Alexander who to his friends was a real day-brightener, and to his family fair as a star when only one is shining in the sky my twenty-four-year-old Alexander, who enjoyed beating his old man at every game and in every race, beat his father to the grave. This invaluable anthology is the first and only collection dedi It seems to me for those believers who grieve, their religion brings them little more comfort than those who don't. 00:00 $ 75.00 Sermons from Riverside Church 1982 Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. Get All Beings Everywhere delivered to your inbox. Elegant and curled My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Itsjust one of those things I think is worth a read by all. The reality of grief is the absence of God "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" A powerful eulogy. The title of the sermon is "Alex's Death" and it comes on the heals of Rev. How much suffering? Ive read and re-read this passage many times: I told them, It was an accident. COFFIN: What this country needs, what I think God wants us to do, is not practice piecemeal charity but engage in wholesale justice. I know. There is no god!! What makes you think you dont limp?, Love measures our stature. As for the theological issues, I agree with William on the need for respectful silence. "William Sloan Coffin, who died yesterday at 81, was among the foremost pacifists of his generation, and set the mold for the liberal activist preacher." He attended Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his studies at Yale University in 1942. Rev. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Q: It must make you terribly frustrated to see all the things you think are wrong and not being righted, and not be able to play the part in leading those movements that you once did. I agree about the need for silence regarding those grieving. I was first introduced to this sermon years agoin a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularityever since. Among the healing flood of letters that followed his death was one carrying this wonderful quote from the end of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms": "The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places.". Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. I swear to you, I wouldnt be standing here were I not upheld. The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sisters house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. He was 81. . Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? Wind your head in John!! Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. Well compared to heaven isn't all of life suffering? So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. Coffin on defense issues from the Center for Defense Information; Read Coffin's eulogy for his son Alex; Relive the past with Rev. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Of lads that wore their honours out, Refusing to cede the battlefield of morality to conservatives, he argues that "compassion demands . William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. Would it be abhorrent to find that intensely funny? I was reminded today of this beautiful eulogy by the late William Sloane Coffin for his 24-year-old son, Alex, and I wanted to share it with you. 18 Sourced Quotes. So while trite, its true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, She chattered all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say. These are all end of sermon prayers from the Sunday sermon delivered at Riverside Church. That's why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, "Your brokenhearted sister." Some will even argue that God has a purpose in allowing the accident and will use this tragedy to provoke moral growth in the world (though one hopes that this explanation will not be offered in the hearing of any grieving family members). I'm sure there must be something somewhere in the Bible which says words to that effect. But oh, the things I learned from her Still there is much by way of consolation. Houseman, To an Athlete Dying Young. And I wept and I wept. "William Sloane Coffin offers here a powerful antidote to the politics of the religious right with a clarion call to passive intellectuals and dispirited liberals to reenter the fray with an unabashedly Christian view of social justice. Anonymous- I think people are grieving because they're sad to see someone go. And that's what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. Well, that really is selfish and here I thought some believers like Christians are supposed to be charitable. I swear to you, I wouldnt be standing here were I not upheld. But I also, couldnt think of anything else for the moment, but about Alex, and his death. In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA officer, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of H. Richard Niebuhr's social philosophy led him to . Actually, its even more worth a listen; its considerably more powerful inthe oral form in which it was delivered, and the audio can be accessed here. Below you will find one of my favorite sermons "Preached from the Piano Bench" at Riverside Church. William Sloane Coffin also wrote about this in his eulogy for his son, Alex, who was killed in a car accident at age 24. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Q: Many of us say, "Well, you know, I've got to work hard to support my family, I don't have a lot of time," or "I don't want to seem radical," or "I don't want to cause my neighbors to suspect I'm not fully patriotic." William Sloane Coffin. As the . For instance, the Christians persecuted the Jews for nearly two thousand years because as they said, they believed the Jews killed Jesus. I also know this day-brightener of a son wouldnt wish to be held close by grief (nor, for that matter, would any but the meanest of our beloved departed) and that, interestingly enough, when I mourn Alex least I see him best. You can purchase individual prayers for $1.34 (includes processing fees). Practicing wholesale justice Interview with Bob Abernathy August 27, 204 The Rev. Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. They are gone. It remains a heartfelt classic in homiletics. He was a cleric. And the wise mans gone back. If you are interested in purchasing the whole collection on aDVD Data Discplease contact me byemail. Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. My own broken heart is mending, and largely thanks to so many of you, my dear parishioners; for if in the last week I have relearned one lesson, it is that love not only begets love, it transmits strength. I know how lucky I am! While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. William Sloane Coffin. April 12, 2006 / 7:32 PM / AP. I mentioned the healing flood of letters. He liked it here. I'm not a believer but at least I appreciate when people demonstrate that they actually believe in what they say they do. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. You blew it. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is It is the will of God. Never do we know enough to say that. The fleet foot on the sill of shade, I know that. For all she had to say. Townsman of a stiller town. Actually, its even more worth a listen; its considerably more powerful inthe oral form in which it was delivered, and the audio can be accessed here. But when children die, they take away the future as well. Different cultures have different views of death. The Theology of William Sloane Coffin. Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. It all makes me wonder if its not a matter of God willing or letting, but more like the laws of nature. Still there is much by way of consolation. Im a preacher, grief renders them unreal a passion for the time... An ErrorDocument to handle the request the reality of grief is the absence of God 75.00! 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