The Rev. Dr. Robert “Bob” Edgar is the general secretary of the National Council of Churches, a partnership of “thirty-six Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member communions, with 140,000 local congregations and approximately 50 million congregants.”

Dr. Edgar took time this week to answer some of my questions about the mission of NCC, what it has been doing to promote peace in Iraq, and how NCC is launching a new nation-wide voter registration program.

Not everyone is familiar with the National Council of Churches USA. Could you give some background on who makes up the council and what the mission of the organization is?

The National Council of Churches is the nation’s leading organization in the movement for Christian unity, with 36 Protestant and Orthodox member communions (denominations) organized in more than 100,000 local churches with 50,000,000 members. The member communions regard the Council as a community in which they make their unity in Christ visible by working together on common tasks and by bringing a strong voice of faith to the public square.

Because our member churches have a concern for the whole person and the whole society, the work they do together in the Council is wide-ranging—everything from common Bible study outlines to faith-based training on environmental issues, curricula for congregations on the role of America in the world community, a multi-year anti-poverty mobilization and many other endeavors.

Over the last year the NCC has been involved in two high-profile issues: the war in Iraq and poverty in the United States. What are the theological assumptions behind having churches tackle these issues in particular?

Recently the Council issued a pastoral letter with the Iraq War as the context. In the letter we said, “Two central claims of the Christian faith are crucial in our thinking: that every person, as a child of God, is of infinite worth; and that all persons, as participants in God’s one creation, are related in their humanity and vulnerability.” That is why our member communions agree that war is contrary to the will of God.

Our member communions include those that subscribe to some form of just war theology and those that are pacifist. In theory, some would say the use of violent force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, but all of our members who spoke on the subject denounced the War in Iraq. Ultimately, we all are disciples of Jesus Christ, who pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers.

The same faith claims about the inherent worth and dignity of each person and of our relatedness undergird our efforts to alleviate poverty. Furthermore, God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in our society. We believe that you cannot read the Bible and escape this directive.

You recently discussed the situation in Iraq with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Do you see any hope that the Bush administration will reverse course and truly involve the international community in rebuilding Iraq? Or is there a chance the situation will continue to worsen?

I don’t want to speculate on what the Bush Administration will or will not do in Iraq in the weeks and months ahead, but the emerging details of the so-called handover of sovereignty to Iraqis are extremely disappointing. The ever-expanding U.S. role in Iraq and the fact that U.S. troops and contractors remain above Iraqi law make a mockery of Iraq’s sovereignty. Things will surely get worse if we as a nation continue on a unilateral course of action. When Iraqis realize how much of the “handover” is window dressing, their dashed expectations will only increase the levels of frustration and anger directed against the United States.

Faith leaders in the U.S. have a far different vision of how America should act in Iraq and elsewhere around the globe. The leadership of the National Council of Churches and its member communions, along with other faith partners, continue to press toward the day when the United States will take its place among the nations in a cooperative, multilateral and sustainable way.

As you said, I led an international ecumenical delegation in May to meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to express our conviction that lasting peace and security will only come to Iraq when the international community is involved. We said at that time that we hoped President Bush would not just repackage the occupation, but rather welcome significant involvement by the United Nations, and allow the U.N. to function in an independent role. We continue to call for a change in our government’s direction that would make such a course of action possible.

We also are working so that people in our congregations might gain a deeper understanding of the events that are unfolding day by day and that have such a powerful impact on our world. The National Council of Churches has developed and tested a faith-based curriculum on multilateralism that can be used by congregations and other groups. Study groups that use the curriculum will come away with a better understanding of why America cannot afford to “go it alone.” We hope to market the study widely. Look for further developments at www.ncccusa.org.

FaithfulAmerica.org, one of NCC’s projects, is planning on airing television commercials in the Middle East. What is the purpose behind these commercials and when will they air?

We are deeply concerned when high government officials engage in splitting legal hairs in order to justify torture. We cannot be silent in the face of such a deep failure of moral leadership

Beginning June 15, viewers of Arabic-language television Al-Jazeera and Al-Aribiya began seeing our ad, which expresses the sorrow we feel about the abuse, our conviction that the abuse is sinful and that it has been systemic, and our pledge to work to right these wrongs that have been committed in our name. There has been a wonderful response to the ad in the Arab world, and to date some 100,000 Americans have endorsed the ad—and the number is growing. Visitors to the FaithfulAmerica.org site also have given $150,000 to put the ad on the air, and FaithfulAmerica has pledged to keep the ad running for as long as funds keeping coming in for that purpose. We see these responses as a hopeful sign that the cycle of mutual suspicion and dehumanization between the Arab world and the United States can be broken. You can learn more at www.FaithfulAmerica.org.

One of the exciting new projects launched by NCC is the “Let Justice Roll” initiative. What is the purpose behind this effort and how can individual Christians in local communities participate?

Poverty is once again on the rise in the United States, and we think that should be a campaign issue in this electoral season. We are asking the question, “What will you do to end poverty?” of both parties, their candidates and delegates to the party conventions. We are also asking a related question, “Why are low-income people less likely to register and vote than people in other income groups—and what can we do about it?”

Along with the Center for Community Change and a huge array of local partners, the National Council of Churches is pressing these questions in the “Let Justice Roll” Campaign, with events being held in approximately 15 cities this summer and fall—including Boston and New York during the Democratic and Republican Conventions respectively. The campaign is sponsoring a series of nonpartisan public events in each of the cities that will include rallies, worship services and press opportunities. We will seek commitments from local, state and national public figures and delegates to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions that they will work to shape public policies to help meet the needs of the poor. The project also includes support for voter registration, education and mobilization efforts in the cooperating cities—and such efforts will proceed throughout the electoral season.

Let Justice Roll offers great opportunities for faith and community voices to be heard in these cities—and I hope that many of your readers can join us. A list of the cities thus far committed to participate in the project and the primary sponsoring bodies in the several cities can be found at http://www.ncccusa.org/letjusticeroll/index.html.

The NCC will hold it’s General Assembly on November 9-11 here in St. Louis. What is going to happen at this event? How can people become involved with it?

When representatives of the Council’s member communions gather as the General Assembly once a year, it is the most visible expression of the Council as a “community of communions.” It can be a moving sight to see clergy and lay persons from so many different traditions united in worship, celebration, fellowship, and in the work of setting NCC policy on crucially important issues of our times. Our daily schedule for the upcoming Assembly is still developing, but interrelated issues of unity, poverty, peace and war, and protecting God’s creation are always high on our agenda.

The General Assembly, which this year explores the theme “Weave Anew: Unity, Peace and Justice, Hope (Ephesians 4:15-16), is an open meeting and visitors are welcome. Members of the faith community in St. Louis may be particularly interested in public events that are scheduled as part of the Assembly, including a worship service at Christ Church Cathedral the evening of November 9, and an awards banquet on November 10. If you are a young adult interested in what the churches are doing together, you may want to apply to the Stewards Program at the General Assembly, which provides a wonderful ecumenical experience for young adults. (Applications should be received by August 2, 2004.) There is also a day-long pre-Assembly event for young adults on November 8.

Many more details about all the events I have outlined will be available at www.ncccusa.org as we get closer to the General Assembly.

One final question: many of the issues you and NCC deal with are difficult ones. What is it for you about the Christian faith that keeps you hopeful and active during difficult times like these?

In James 1.22 we are encouraged to “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” I would say that throughout its history the NCC and all the people associated with it have tried their best to be faithful doers of the word—and that frequently does require a giant leap of faith. That is true today and is has been true many times in our past. What keeps me hopeful and active in the face of difficult issues is the same thing that has always sustained the ecumenical community: We can act with certainty in an uncertain world because we trust the promise that no matter what happens, nothing can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ. In that conviction is our hope and our strength to persevere.

It's barely a month old, but already it's one of the most successful such Web launches in history. "FaithfulAmerica.org," a new online advocacy service for persons with religious motivations for involvement in civic life, expects to welcome its 100,000th member over the July 4 holiday. Billed as a "new voice that rejects both the dogmatism of the right and the secularism of the left," FaithfulAmerica.org's first major project is a television ad aimed at Arab viewers, featuring statements by American persons of faith — Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim — expressing sorrow for abuses in Iraqi prisons, and pledging "to work to right these wrongs." Visitors to the new site have responded by giving more than $150,000 to run the ad on Arabic-language TV networks. Not aligned with any political party, FaithfulAmerica.org offers its members an easy way to send messages to their elected officials, communicate with each other, sign petitions, and access inspiring sermons and commentaries from religious leaders about moral and spiritual challenges facing our society. Membership is free, and is open to all persons of faith. It is a project of the National Council of Churches, with support from TrueMajority and ResPublica.

- Read more from the National Council of Churches

By Diane Dietz The Register-Guard

While preoccupied with war, the nation has turned away from a fundamental principle of economic fairness embodied in the Constitution and the Bible, a famous New York preacher said in Eugene on Monday.

The nation's Declaration of Independence holds, said the Rev. James Forbes of Riverside Church, "these truths to be self-evident: that all are created equal, are endowed by God with inalienable right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness."

"Well, not so for the poor," Forbes told about 300 middle-aged, middle-class people who took in the lilting sermon at a south Eugene church with rapt attention. "We are not the true America if the promises of at least basic subsistence have been overlooked."

The Rev. James Forbes preaches at a rally kickoff for the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's nonpartisan voter registration drive at the First Congregational Church in Eugene on Monday night. About 300 people attended Forbes' sermon on society's responsibility to fight poverty.

The event, part of a 15-city "Let Justice Roll" tour, meant to rally the faithful to vote on behalf of the poor - and to register as many others as possible to do so, too - is one more sign that the left or progressive wing of the local community is beginning to exercise its muscle this election year.

Full story

Father Jake Stops the World has the story on a new version of the Bible written for, well, people who don't normally read the Bible.

The Southern Baptists are also publishing their own version of the Bible (rumor has it that the Book of Revelations has been renamed “When George W. Bush became President”).

For the record, I read the New Revised Standard Version published by the National Council of Churches. Though I often compare what is in there with other versions. Doing so helps me to understand how different people in different places and times read the Bible and preached it.

Did you know that there are several versions of the Bible? The next time someone tells you it is true because it says so in the Bible ask which version and how it was translated.

The constitutional protection guarantying the separation of church and state has been under assault these last few years.

Those on the right argue that government should be used as a vehicle for promoting faith – through efforts like faith based initiatives which use government funding in (mostly) conservative evangelical churches to operate social service programs and prisons.

There are some on the left who argue that churches should not be allowed to speak out on public policy issues because of their tax exempt status. This line of reasoning ignores that every non-profit, within limits set by the IRS, can speak out on public policy issues. But some believe that the separation of church and state means that churches should be silent on matters of public concern.

Christians have a special responsibility to speak out on matters of social justice. We are called by God to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly (Micah 6:8). To tell people of faith that they cannot speak freely on public policy issues would be a terrible form of discrimination. There are, however, responsible limits that both the church and state should abide by.

The United Methodist Social Principles offer one of the best statements regarding those roles and limits that I know of:

The United Methodist Church believes that the church has the moral imperative to act for the common good. For people of faith, therefore, there are no political or spiritual spheres where their participation can be denied. The attempt to influence the formation and execution of public policy at all levels of government is often the most effective means available to churches to keep before humanity the ideal of a society in which power and order are made to serve the ends of justice and freedom for all people. Through such social action The United Methodist Church generates new ideas, challenges certain goals and methods, and help rearrange the emphasis on particular values in ways that facilitate the adoption and implementation of specific policies and programs that promote goals that are congruent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This task of the Church is in no way in contradiction with our commitment to a vital separation of Church and State. We believe that the integrity of both institutions is best served when both institutions do not try to control the other. Thus, we sustain with the first amendment to the Constitution that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” We live in a pluralistic society. In such a society, churches should not seek to use the authority of government to make the whole community conform to their particular moral codes. Rather, churches should seek to enlarge and clarify the ethical grounds of public discourse and to identify and define the foreseeable consequences of available choices of public policy.

Christians should continue to resist efforts to turn our churches into partisan political campaign centers. No non-profit organization, including houses of worship, should endorse partisan political candidates. That prohibition does not apply to clergy who, like all citizens, have the right to free speech and the right to vote.

We have not only the right but the moral obligation to speak out on important social and theological issues.

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a memorable sermon in 1966 that he called “Guidelines for a Constructive Church.” In it he said:

This morning I would like to submit to you that we who are followers of Jesus Christ, and we who must keep his church going and keep it alive, also have certain basic guidelines to follow. Somewhere behind the dim mist of eternity, God set forth his guidelines. And through his prophets, and above all through his son Jesus Christ, he said that, "There are some things that my church must do. There are some guidelines that my church must follow." And if we in the church don't want the funds of grace cut off from the divine treasury, we've got to follow the guidelines. (That’s right) The guidelines are clearly set forth for us in some words uttered by our Lord and Master as he went in the temple one day, and he went back to Isaiah and quoted from him. And he said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me (Yes, sir) to preach the gospel to the poor, (Yes, sir) he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, (Yes) to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." These are the guidelines.

You see, the church is not a social club, although some people think it is. (Make it plain) They get caught up in their exclusivism, and they feel that it’s a kind of social club with a thin veneer of religiosity, but the church is not a social club. (Make it plain) The church is not an entertainment center, although some people think it is. You can tell in many churches how they act in church, which demonstrates that they think it’s an entertainment center. The church is not an entertainment center. Monkeys are to entertain, not preachers…….

For the guidelines made it very clear that God anointed. (Yes, sir) No member of Ebenezer Baptist Church called me to the ministry. (No, sir) You called me to Ebenezer, and you may turn me out of here, but you can’t turn me out of the ministry, because I got my guidelines and my anointment from God Almighty. And anything I want to say, I'm going to say it from this pulpit. (Make it plain) It may hurt somebody, I don’t know about that; somebody may not agree with it. (Tell them) But when God speaks, who can but prophesy? (Amen) The word of God is upon me like fire shut up in my bones, (Yes, That’s right) and when God’s word gets upon me, I've got to say it, I’ve got to tell it all over everywhere. [shouting] (Yes) And God has called me (Yes) to deliver those that are in captivity. (Yes, sir)

Some people are suffering. (Make it plain) Some people are hungry this morning. (Yes) [clap] Some people are still living with segregation and discrimination this morning. (Yes, sir) I'm going to preach about it. (Preach it; I’m with you) I’m going to fight for them. I’ll die for them if necessary, because I got my guidelines clear. (Yes) And the God that I serve and the God that called me to preach (Yes; Amen) told me that every now and then I'll have to go to jail for them. (Make it plain) Every now and then I’ll have to agonize and suffer for the freedom of his children. (Yes) I even may have to die for it. But if that’s necessary, I'd rather follow the guidelines of God (Yes) than to follow the guidelines of men.

The separation of church and state has been an important part of the success of the experiment of American democracy. I support those who argue that our government should not be promoting religion in our schools and public offices (whose religion should we promote anyway?).

But I ask those who call for Christians to limit their participation in public affairs to understand that doing so goes against our faith and would require that we ignore the call of God. We have a responsibility to act on our faith.

'Fahrenheit 9/11' breaks records

A task force of the United Methodist Council of Bishops has released a study and discussion guide on the Christian response to concerns about safety and security. “In Search of Security” provides an invitation to United Methodists throughout our connection to consider thoughtfully and prayerfully a faithful understanding of security in a post-September 11 world.

Full story

It appears that Ralph Nader’s second nominating convention in Oregon has been another failure. Election officials report that he may not have gathered enough signatures to be on the Oregon ballot this November. The biggest organizing effort behind his convention was coordinated not by progressives but by anti-gay groups and Republicans that hope Nader’s spot on the ballot will pull votes from John Kerry and throw Oregon’s electoral votes to George W. Bush. Nader welcomed the Republican support.

The Rev. Gene Ross, co-minister of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ, has been on the campus of Eden Theological Seminary this weekend. The Central Pacific Conference is the conference that I belong to and Gene and his wife, The Rev. Dr. Pat Ross, are longtime friends. They are also the parents of my longtime friend Jon Ross. Gene is in town for a conference and took Liz and I out for lunch today. We had a great time and very much enjoyed having someone else from Oregon around to visit with.

Support for Permitting Medical Use Is Growing Among Major Religious Denominations

By Bill Broadway

Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, June 26, 2004; Page B07

Several major religious denominations have joined a growing movement to legalize the medical use of marijuana, asserting an ethical responsibility to help ease the pain and other debilitating effects of such diseases as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma.

The United Methodist Church, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ have made statements supporting the controlled use of marijuana for medical reasons.

Full story

Here Liz is at 35 weeks. We have less than 2-weeks until the planned c-section. Take a trip down memory lane and look at all the pictures of Liz since she was 15-weeks pregnant. Have you entered the "name our baby contest" yet? Time is running out. If all goes according to plan it looks like Liz’s sister Sarah will be the winner of the contest to pick the twin’s birth date. I’ve accused Liz of rigging the contest but she denies the charge.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, commented today on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture being commemorated, Saturday, 26 June 2004:

"Although there is no human practice so abominable or so widely condemned, physical and mental torture and other forms of cruel and inhuman treatment are now on the increase and are applied systematically in many countries, to the extent that practically no nation can claim to be free of them. The inhuman treatment of helpless men and women in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad that shocked people all over the world a few weeks ago is a recent and tragic example. Torture in all its forms remains a violation of the absolute gospel value of the dignity of the human person and the sacredness of life that the WCC upholds.

"The sad fact that the horrible practice of degrading people, subjecting them to physical and psychological torture continues to be practised at local and international levels in all the regions of the world, whether in the northern or southern hemisphere, is largely due to the fact that national governments have failed to ratify international norms and standards in order to make them applicable to local and national situations."

Kobia also commended the work of organizations like Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) which struggles "to bring to an end the culture of impunity that plagues many of our societies particularly in the South." ACAT shares the "common objective of the abolition of capital punishment which the members of the WCC see as a significant expression of the Christian belief in the sanctity of life".

In a meeting with leaders of the International Federation of ACATs on 11 June 2004, the WCC general secretary acknowledged the past cooperation between the two organizations and assured them of its continuation.

- from the World Council of Churches

The website of the Clergy Leadership Network was offline for a bit because of a change over with service providers. Now they are back. Check it out.

The other day I wrote US Senator Jim Talent (R-Missouri) asking that he support a raise in the minimum wage. My letter was part of a campaign supported by the United Church of Christ. The senator was kind enough to e-mail me back this afternoon with his answer to my request:

…. the government mandated minimum wage is either irrelevant or harmful to poor people.

Missouri’s senator could learn something from Oregon where the increase in the minimum wage was proven to help people moving from welfare to work by raising their income.

The minimum wage was last increased in 1997. That’s a long time for people to go without a raise.

Our doctor has scheduled July 9th for Liz to have a caesarian section to deliver the twins. Both babies are still breach and that doesn’t look like it will change (hence the need for a c-section). Of course, Liz could still go into labor on her own before July 9th (just two weeks from today), but we’re hoping the girls stay put a bit longer to grow as strong as possible. They’ll be at 37 weeks around the time we deliver.

In the meantime, we continue our movie going marathon as we wait for the babies. We figure we won’t be able to see movies again for at least another 18 years after they arrive.

Today we saw Fahrenheit 9/11. Go see this movie! It was the first film we’ve seen this summer that has a) been packed for a matinee b) received long applause at the end. Bring any of your friends / family who are on the fence about the war and George W. Bush.

Update: See Liz's picture at 35 weeks.

Ralph Nader failed make the Oregon ballot recently when he couldn’t recruit enough voters to attend a nominating convention. He’s trying again this weekend and is getting lots of help with recruitment this time: from the Bush-Cheney Campaign, anti-gay Oregon Family Council, and the anti-government group Citizens for a Sound Economy. Nader’s campaign apparently welcomes the help. The Oregonian reports:

Groups allied with President Bush are encouraging their conservative members to do the seemingly unthinkable: attend a convention Saturday to help put left-leaning independent candidate Ralph Nader on the Oregon presidential ballot.

The groups -- with the encouragement of some Republican political operatives -- are telling their members that Nader would draw votes from Democrat Sen. John Kerry and boost Bush's chances of winning Oregon....

Officials from two groups that have been calling members -- the Oregon Family Council and Citizens for a Sound Economy -- said they had no qualms about trying to help Nader despite opposing most of what he stands for.

"We'd like to take a few votes away from John Kerry if it would be possible," said Tim Nashif of the Oregon Family Council, which has been making hundreds of phone calls to members urging them to help get Nader on the ballot....

"Ralph Nader is undoubtedly going to pull some very crucial votes from John Kerry, and that could mean the difference in a razor-thin presidential election," reads a script used by Citizens for a Sound Economy in its phone calls. "Can we count on you to come out on Saturday night and sign the petition to nominate Ralph Nader?"

Portland attorney Greg Kafoury, who heads the Nader campaign in Oregon, said he saw nothing wrong with the Republican outreach efforts.

"It's a free country," he said. "People do things in their own interest."

That’s Ralph Nader for you: the Republican candidate for president.

320,000 deaths are predicted in Sudan this year, a result of the government-authorized purge of all members of the Zaghawa, Masalit, and Fur tribes by an Arab militia called the Janjaweed. This may sound like genocide to you and me, but the Bush administration is still deciding whether this ethnically motivated mass murder and rape qualifies for that definition. Meanwhile, the world continues to turn its head while members of these tribes, located in the Darfur region, are being methodically slaughtered and their villages razed.

New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof investigated and interviewed some of the victims, including Magboula Muhammed Khattar, a 24-year-old widow who also lost her parents and home to the raiders. The story he tells helps to translate numbing statistics into the personal reality that is the Darfur crisis. Should the U.S. and the rest of the international community intervene in what has already become an ethnic cleansing of grave proportions? One need only ask Ms. Khattar.

from Sojo.net

Read Kristof's recent columns on Sudan

Human Rights Watch is coming to the aid of Atlantic City’s new needle exchange program. New Jersey state officials are trying to shut the program down. In such programs drug addicts are allowed to swap dirty needles for clean ones. These programs help to prevent the spread of HIV / AIDS. Portland’s Outside In, where I served on the staff and board, opened one of the first needle exchange programs in the United States. Because of it Portland has lower than average HIV rates among drug users. Outside In also provides addicts with information on where they can receive drug treatment. Needle exchange saves lives.

No one can confirm the rumor that he then ran into a side room and cried like a little boy.

Full story

CLEVELAND—The executive minister of the United Church of Christ’s Justice and Witness, Bernice Powell Jackson, has been elected as World Council of Churches (WCC) president for North America, joining seven co-presidents from other regions.

Full story

Our mission partners in Australia have asked us to join in prayers for peace on Wednesday, June 30. This date marks the hand-over of authority in Iraq by the coalition forces. Our partners also ask us to pray with them on the Fourth of July for wisdom and restraint on the part of the United States and its leaders.

- from the United Church of Christ

Mark O'Keefe has just been named the new editor of the Religion News Service. O’Keefe once covered religion issues for The Oregonian. The press release announcing his appointment covers some of his more recent work and the role of RNS:

O'Keefe, 43, spent the past four years as a national correspondent covering values and philanthropy for Newhouse News Service, the owner of Religion News Service. In this role, his work appeared in the Newhouse chain's 27 newspapers, as well as regularly on Religion News Service….

Religion News Service is the only secular wire service focused exclusively on religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues. A large worldwide network of correspondents, stringers and columnists delivers syndicated news and opinion daily to more than 100 major daily newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today. In addition to such media organizations as Time magazine, Newsweek, ABC Evening News and PBS, hundreds of award-winning magazines, broadcasters, religious publications and Web sites subscribe to the service.

"Religion has never been as important as it is today, and I expect RNS to continue to set the journalistic standard in chronicling its widespread impact," said O'Keefe….

O'Keefe has won numerous awards for his work, including an Overseas Press Club award for human rights reporting and the Religion Communicators Council's Wilbur Award. He is a six-time finalist for the Religion Newswriters Association's Reporter of the Year award….

Often what the media lacks are editors with recent experience working in the field. That won’t be the case with O’Keefe. He knows what it is to be a reporter and will be a great asset to RNS.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

By Morgan Jarema

The Grand Rapids Press

A group of West Michigan clergy is speaking out against a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would block efforts to legalize gay marriage, calling it "immoral."

About 75 faith leaders from nearly a dozen denominations endorsed a statement to be read at a press conference today, that calls the proposed amendment "unequal, unfair and unjust."

The statement contends the amendment, which could appear on the November ballot, would use the constitution to discriminate against same-sex couples and would eliminate domestic partnership benefits granted by some municipalities and state universities.

Full story

Lots of people send me angry e-mails about my position – as a Christian – that homosexuality is morally compatible with Christianity and in fact is morally equal to heterosexuality. “Homosexuality is morally wrong in the eyes of God,” recently commented Chris on a post of mine where I asserted otherwise. Chris publishes the blog People, books and the glory of Christ. So what does the Bible actually say about homosexuality?

Walter Wink is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. He is also the author of many books including Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination and Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way. His essay, Homosexuality and the Bible, is a great resource for exploring these issues. He writes:

The debate over homosexuality is a remarkable opportunity, because it raises in an especially acute way how we interpret the Bible, not in this case only, but in numerous others as well. The real issue here, then, is not simply homosexuality, but how Scripture informs our lives today.

Some passages that have been advanced as pertinent to the issue of homosexuality are, in fact, irrelevant. One is the attempted gang rape in Sodom (Gen. 19:1-29). That was a case of ostensibly heterosexual males intent on humiliating strangers by treating them "like women," thus demasculinizing them. (This is also the case in a similar account in Judges 19-21.) Their brutal behavior has nothing to do with the problem of whether genuine love expressed between consenting adults of the same sex is legitimate or not. Likewise Deut. 23:17-18 must be pruned from the list, since it most likely refers to a heterosexual prostitute involved in Canaanite fertility rites that have infiltrated Jewish worship; the King James Version inaccurately labeled him a "sodomite."

Several other texts are ambiguous. It is not clear whether 1 Cor. 6:9 and 1 Tim. 1:10 refer to the "passive" and "active" partners in homosexual relationships, or to homosexual and heterosexual male prostitutes. In short, it is unclear whether the issue is homosexuality alone, or promiscuity and "sex-for-hire."

Putting these texts to the side, we are left with three references, all of which unequivocally condemn homosexual behavior. Lev. 18:22 states the principle: "You [masculine] shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" (NRSV). The second (Lev. 20:13) adds the penalty: "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them."

Such an act was regarded as an "abomination" for several reasons. The Hebrew prescientific understanding was that male semen contained the whole of nascent life. With no knowledge of eggs and ovulation, it was assumed that the woman provided only the incubating space. Hence the spilling of semen for any nonprocreative purpose--in coitus interruptus (Gen. 38:1-11), male homosexual acts, or male masturbation--was considered tantamount to abortion or murder. (Female homosexual acts were consequently not so seriously regarded, and are not mentioned at all in the Old Testament (but see Rom. 1:26). One can appreciate how a tribe struggling to populate a country in which its people were outnumbered would value procreation highly, but such values are rendered questionable in a world facing uncontrolled overpopulation.

In addition, when a man acted like a woman sexually, male dignity was compromised. It was a degradation, not only in regard to himself, but for every other male. The patriarchalism of Hebrew culture shows its hand in the very formulation of the commandment, since no similar stricture was formulated to forbid homosexual acts between females. And the repugnance felt toward homosexuality was not just that it was deemed unnatural but also that it was considered unJewish, representing yet one more incursion of pagan civilization into Jewish life. On top of that is the more universal repugnance heterosexuals tend to feel for acts and orientations foreign to them. (Left-handedness has evoked something of the same response in many cultures.)

Whatever the rationale for their formulation, however, the texts leave no room for maneuvering. Persons committing homosexual acts are to be executed. This is the unambiguous command of Scripture. The meaning is clear: anyone who wishes to base his or her beliefs on the witness of the Old Testament must be completely consistent and demand the death penalty for everyone who performs homosexual acts. (That may seem extreme, but there actually are some Christians urging this very thing today.) It is unlikely that any American court will ever again condemn a homosexual to death, even though Scripture clearly commands it.

This is a rather long excerpt from Wink’s essay, but I want to stop here for a moment to relate this last paragraph to a contemporary issue. This past week Southern Baptist leaders re-affirmed their opposition not only to gays and lesbians receiving the civil rights inherent in marriage, but also to legislation designed to protect gays and lesbians from hate crimes. You can really only take such steps if you can devalue the lives of gays and lesbians. Let me return to another section from Wink’s essay:

Old Testament texts have to be weighed against the New. Consequently, Paul's unambiguous condemnation of homosexual behavior in Rom. 1:26-27 must be the centerpiece of any discussion.

For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

No doubt Paul was unaware of the distinction between sexual orientation, over which one has apparently very little choice, and sexual behavior, over which one does. He seemed to assume that those whom he condemned were heterosexuals who were acting contrary to nature, "leaving," "giving up," or "exchanging" their regular sexual orientation for that which was foreign to them. Paul knew nothing of the modern psychosexual understanding of homosexuals as persons whose orientation is fixed early in life, or perhaps even genetically in some cases. For such persons, having heterosexual relations would be acting contrary to nature, "leaving," "giving up" or "exchanging" their natural sexual orientation for one that was unnatural to them.

My cousin Bryan has written in to comment on this blog several times claiming that gays can be cured. A while back he wrote: “Two good, male and female, friends of mine are recovering homosexuals recently married and looking forward to a long happy marriage in accordance (in their words) to God's Word.” Is recovery from homosexuality possible? I would answer there is nothing to actually recover from. A good site to visit that explores this issue in more detail is Religious Tolerance.

Wink’s article goes on to address some other practices the Bible speaks about and their respective penalties.

The law of Moses allowed for divorce (Deut. 24:1-4); Jesus categorically forbids it (Mark 10:1-12; Matt. 19:9 softens his severity). Yet many Christians, in clear violation of a command of Jesus, have been divorced. Why, then, do some of these very people consider themselves eligible for baptism, church membership, communion, and ordination, but not homosexuals?

The Old and New Testaments both regarded slavery as normal and nowhere categorically condemned it. Part of that heritage was the use of female slaves, concubines and captives as sexual toys, breeding machines, or involuntary wives by their male owners, which 2 Sam. 5:13, Judges 19-21 and Num. 31:18 permitted--and as many American slave owners did some 150 years ago, citing these and numerous other Scripture passages as their justification.

There are plenty of other examples like these in Wink's essay. The point is that how we define moral and normative behavior has changed over time and sometimes those changes are for the better. I would not exclude divorced people from church. Would you? Part of Wink's conclusion deals with the authority of Scripture:

I agree that rules and norms are necessary; that is what sexual mores are. But rules and norms also tend to be impressed into the service of the Domination System, and to serve as a form of crowd control rather than to enhance the fullness of human potential. So we must critique the sexual mores of any given time and clime by the love ethic exemplified by Jesus. Defining such a love ethic is not complicated. It is non-exploitative (hence no sexual exploitation of children, no using of another to their loss), it does not dominate (hence no patriarchal treatment of women as chattel), it is responsible, mutual, caring, and loving. Augustine already dealt with this in his inspired phrase, "Love God, and do as you please."

Our moral task, then, is to apply Jesus' love ethic to whatever sexual mores are prevalent in a given culture. This doesn't mean everything goes. It means that everything is to be critiqued by Jesus' love commandment. We might address younger teens, not with laws and commandments whose violation is a sin, but rather with the sad experiences of so many of our own children who find too much early sexual intimacy overwhelming, and who react by voluntary celibacy and even the refusal to date. We can offer reasons, not empty and unenforceable orders. We can challenge both gays and straights to question their behaviors in the light of love and the requirements of fidelity, honesty, responsibility, and genuine concern for the best interests of the other and of society as a whole.

Christian morality, after all, is not a iron chastity belt for repressing urges, but a way of expressing the integrity of our relationship with God. It is the attempt to discover a manner of living that is consistent with who God created us to be. For those of same-sex orientation, as for heterosexuals, being moral means rejecting sexual mores that violate their own integrity and that of others, and attempting to discover what it would mean to live by the love ethic of Jesus.

This is a long post. I’m writing it to hopefully answer (not convert) those who might question why I believe what I believe. I find myself in agreement with Wink’s analysis of the Bible and the related issues of authority. Read Wink's entire essay for yourself and see where it might take you.

Liz's mom, Alice Smith, has started her own blog. Check it out.

Friday we’re planning on hitting the theaters for Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore’s new film which recently won the Best Picture Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Republican operatives have launched a campaign to scare theatres into not showing the movie. The Fahrenheit 9/11 web site bills this film this way:

One of the most controversial and provocative films of the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11. With his characteristic humor and dogged commitment to uncovering the facts, Moore considers the presidency of George W. Bush and where it has led us. He looks at how - and why - Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to 9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and Saudi money had funded Al Qaeda. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows us a nation kept in constant fear by FBI alerts and lulled into accepting a piece of legislation, the USA Patriot Act, that infringes on basic civil rights. It is in this atmosphere of confusion, suspicion and dread that the Bush Administration makes its headlong rush towards war in Iraq - and Fahrenheit 9/11 takes us inside that war to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families. Lions Gate Films will release the film nationwide on June 25th.

Click here to watch the trailer for the film. MoveOn.org is asking people to pledge to see the film on the opening weekend so that those on the right trying to shut it down don't win their fight (thanks to Heather Hyland for pointing out the MoveOn.org link).

The entire idea of there being a “liberal” media is just silly. Media outlets in America are owned by corporate interests and the news reflects those sensitivities rather than a liberal ideological bias. Media Matters for America is a project that attempts to monitor the media and offer corrections to stories that leave out the progressive message. They describe themselves this way:

Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Conservative misinformation is defined as news or commentary presented in the media that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda.

Check out this site and look at some of the interesting stories they’re reviewing. This is a great resource for those who keep track of the media and political new coverage.

Today we had an extra long appointment at the hospital. We went for our normal ultrasound scans (which ended up starting nearly an hour late) and those went fine. One baby is 4 pounds, 14 ounces and the other is 5 pounds, 2 ounces. What we didn’t expect is that we’d be moved to a back room where Liz would be strapped to two fetal heart monitors, one monitor for contractions, and one for blood pressure. This is apparently a routine procedure that no one ever mentioned to us. They’re checking, in part, to find out if you’re in labor, which I can promise we are not. Several hours of tests proved that. The good news is that everything is still looking great.

The conservative political group Citizens United actually ran an anti-Bill Clinton commercial during his interview with 60 Minutes. The attack ad showed pictures from several terrorist attacks during the 1990s, blamed Clinton for them, and inferred that only a president like George W. Bush was fit to fight terrorism. You can watch the ad on their web site. This may be the first time a former president has been attacked in such a partisan fashion when not running for any political office. I might add that the Clinton interview was pretty interesting to watch. Citizens United, for those who do not know their history, has been linked with racially charged political ads and is one of the most fanatical political groups around.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. This is my first father's-to-be day and Liz got me a new shaving kit (how Father's Day is that?) and made a pie. I'm content. This picture is one with my dad, mom, twins sisters, and myself on what looks like a happy day around 1973. My dad passed away several years ago, but I always think of him on days like today and enjoy seeing pictures like this.

Update from the United Church of Christ Our Faith, Our Vote Campaign

Over 200 UCC churches have joined the Our Faith Our Vote Campaign, and the number grows daily! Pentecost Sunday, May 30 was the first UCC Voter Registration Sunday that will be happening across the country in 2004. On Voter Registration Sunday, churches can set up voter registration tables in the Narthex or the Fellowship Hall or can pass out voter registration cards in the worship service. Many UCC congregations will also be organizing voter registration drives in the community at fairs, sporting events and neighborhood festivals.

To participate, you can download the Organizers Kit from this site, set up a table, and use July 4 or any other Sunday to announce your presence in your church and recruit volunteers to work with you on voter registration in the community. Buttons can be sent to you by contacting Jessica Leischner at [email protected]. To get ready for your voter registration drive, you will need to contact your local elections office and get registration forms for your county and state and find out any additional local information that you will need to register voters. The Getting Started document in the organizers kit has everything you need to prepare for voter registration in your church. May God be with you in your important work!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that the the Center for American Progress was read to launch a multi-year Faith and Progressive Policy initiative. This month they held a kick-off for the project which included a conference in Washington, DC that drew such well know religious leaders as The Rev. James Forbes (one of the preachers who participated in the Clergy Leadership Network meeting in May) and The Rev. Bob Edgar, general-secretary of the National Council of Churches. Visit the new web site and read the Religion News Service article on this exciting new project.

On Thursday, the liberal reform group Catholics for a Free Choice released results from a June 2-10 survey of 2,239 Catholics conducted by Belden Russonello and Stewart, a Washington, D.C., polling firm. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed disapproved of bishops' denying Communion to all parishioners who support legal abortion, while 78 percent said Catholic politicians who support legal abortion should not be denied Communion.

Those findings come as Time magazine reports results from a June 2-4 poll of 1,280 Americans, including 500 Catholics. It asked: "Should Sen. John Kerry be denied Communion because he is pro-choice?"

Seventy-three percent of the Catholics answered, "No."

Full story

June would normally be a time I’d be in class. But with the twins coming anytime it didn’t make much sense to sign-up for a class I might not be able to finish. What summer does provide me is the opportunity to read books that aren’t assigned for any class: books that I get to choose and read at my own leisure. Any seminary student will tell you that is a good feeling. So what I am reading this summer? Right now I’m working through two books:

The Social Gospel Today is a collection of essays edited by Christopher H. Evans, associate professor of church history and United Methodist studies at Colgate Rochester Divinity School / Crozer Theological Seminary. During the turn of the last century the Social Gospel was a theological movement – mostly thought of in urban centers – where the emphasis on salvation moved from the individual to the communal (or corporate). Proponents like Walter Rauschenbusch argued that the Gospels called for a social justice movement and not just individual faith. This book expands on those ideas by exploring who was left out of the Social Gospel movement (women, blacks) and how the Social Gospel can be applied to contemporary issues. Right now I’m about a third of the way through this book and enjoying it.

From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 To The Present is 802-page book by Jacques Barzun that looks at the last 500 years of western cultural life. This book was a National Book Award finalist and made The New York Times Bestseller list. During the fall I’ll be taking the second half of church history and I thought this book might be a good introduction. My step-father, Dr. John Thomas, a professor at Linfield College, recommended this book.

I’ve already finished two related books: Williams Sloane Coffin, Jr.: A Holy Impatience by Warren Goldstein and Coffin’s own The Heart Is A little To The Left: Essays On Public Morality. Goldstein gives you the good, bad, and the ugly of Coffin’s complicated life. He writes from the perspective of an obvious Coffin admirer, but Goldstein isn’t afraid to offer criticism when necessary. Both these books are worth reading.

On the right-hand column on this site (near the bottom) are links to some of the other books I hope to get through this summer (time permitting). For pure fun I'm really looking forward to getting Bill Clinton's book next week. What I really ought to spend more time going through today is this.

I must not have prayed hard enough.

The One True b!X's PORTLAND COMMUNIQUE: Bill Sizemore Evades Jail Time

A new documentary has been released on the Clinton years and what is billed as a “ten year campaign to destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton.” The Hunting of the President is based on a book by the same name by Joe Conason and Gene Lyons which was first published in 2000. The film isn’t playing yet in St. Louis, but I read the book when it was released and if the film is anything like the book it will be worth viewing. The authors outline a web of right-wing activists with ties to white supremacists, Republican Party operatives, and the office of the Independent Counsel that were clearly bent on destroying the presidency of Bill Clinton. Was there really a right-wing conspiracy? At the very least there was a concerted effort unlike any partisan campaign in recent times. Watch the film and read the book.

WASHINGTON, DC –United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg made the following statement today on the murder of Paul Johnson Jr.:

"I want to express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the Johnson family. All of New Jersey and America is shocked by Paul Johnson Jr.'s brutal murder and we grieve alongside his friends and family. Mr. Johnson was not only an innocent man, but he was also an ambassador of goodwill who had made many Arab and Muslim friends in his ten years working and residing in Saudi Arabia.

The depravity of this act must be a call to all countries to band together to find and eliminate terrorists and their supporters wherever they hide or find refuge. We must force all nations to confront and reject the growing wave of hatred that is being bred against the West in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.

The Saudi Arabian government has shown too much patience for these terrorist cells and the ideologies of hate they preach. The United States will no longer tolerate Saudi neglect of the extremists and terrorists who live and thrive in the Kingdom. All further relations with Saudi Arabia must be entirely contingent on the Kingdom's progress cracking down, reigning in and snuffing out its terrorist problem. Deeds -- not words -- must be the benchmark of Saudi progress in solving the terrorist problem that threatens its society as much as it threatens our own."

Vermont became the first state in the union to make same-sex unions legal in 2000. Now the Episcopal Church in Vermont has developed a liturgy that recognizes those unions in a church setting. The United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association also perform same sex unions (and marriages where legal). The Associated Press reports:

"We have been living with the legal reality of same-sex unions for over three years," Bishop Thomas Ely said in a statement to be made public Friday. "It is appropriate and timely for the Diocese of Vermont to prepare and use these services for members of our congregations…."

The national church, the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, resolved at its General Convention last year that "local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions."

The convention addressed same-sex unions only; it did not address same-sex marriages. In Massachusetts, which last month became the first state to legalize same-sex marriages, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw has come under fire from some liberals after instructing priests in the diocese that they could officiate at same-sex holy unions but not same-sex marriages.

Rev. Jan Nunley, a spokeswoman for the national church, summed up its current stance this way: "If you're a same-sex couple you can't get married in the Episcopal Church. You can have your relationship blessed in some dioceses of the Episcopal Church. The issue of (same-sex) marriage has not been broached before the General Convention."

This is a very important step in the full recognition of gays and lesbians in the life of the church. Though not a complete step it is one in which the Episcopal Church of Vermont recognizes that there is a spiritual bond between gays and lesbians in committed relationships which many Christians believe God would honor.

Oh, I hope so.

The Olympic Torch passed by the Eden Theological Seminary campus early this evening. Liz and I were there to watch along with many of our friends from the Eden community. A few pictures from the event are posted here. St. Louis was the first U.S. city to host the Olympics.

Dick Cheney promised today to continue lying to the American people no matter how many times people point out he isn’t telling the truth. Reuters reports:

"Hell no!" (an) administration official said when asked if Cheney would retract his statements after the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks found no evidence that Iraq aided al Qaeda attempts to strike the United States.

At least you can say the vice-president is upfront about his dishonestly.

My little site here received its 40,000 hit today. A nice milestone I’d like to note. Thanks for reading.

Total number of hits: 40149

Average per day: 168.69

Today: 899

In the last hour: 45

This week: 1541

The National Coalition for the Homeless has been documenting the rise of hate speech in the United States directed at homeless people. Advocates are now tracking a disturbing trend that is being accepted in mainstream venues including television, major corporate retailers, newspapers and radio. Mainstream media is grossly exaggerating stereotypes or using homeless people as props in comedy routines.

Since 2001, there has been a proliferation of "Bum Videos," in which homeless people are coerced to perform degrading and dangerous stunts for money, alcohol or food. The video producers also use parodies of famous TV shows to mock and demoralize the lifestyles of homeless people. Five different videos have been produced in the past four years: "Bum Fights," "Bum Fights 2," "Bum Hunts," "Bum Show.com," and "Bag Lady Beatings."

In some of the more severe video scenes:

A homeless man drinks urine he perceives is a beer.

A homeless man runs head first into a stack of crates for a nickel.

A homeless man with drug addiction problems sets his hair on fire.

A homeless man rides in a shopping cart down a ramp and crashes into the wall.

A man, pretending to be Steve Irwin of "Crocodile Hunter" fame, calls himself the "Bum Hunter." He chases and tackles some homeless people, while sneaking up on others who are lying down. He sits on top of them, ties their hands and feet together with duct tape and makes remarks as if they were animals ("this one is a fine species," "a small guy like this is very susceptible to predators," "look he has got no teeth, smoking crack deteriorates your gums," and "I want to look in his cart to see what he has stolen"). He also makes degrading comments such as, "if I came in here with a brand new bandage (to fix a homeless man’s arm), he would immediately try to rip it off because he doesn’t know the smell, he thinks it’s new, and we all know that bums don’t wear new clothes, they only wear old clothes."

A homeless man is offered a quarter to drink Windex. He takes a gulp of the bottle for 1 dollar. He is shown vomiting shortly afterwards.

Two men claim to be the "Homeless Pound Transport." They use a rope, a crossbow, a snare, homeless bait, a stun gun and a straight jacket to capture homeless people. Once they capture a homeless person, they put him or her in a locked cage on the back of a pickup truck. Then they drive their victim through the city to the "Homeless Pound" (public mockery).

A man shoots potatoes and apples at homeless people with a "Bum Gun." He knocks down a homeless man on crutches; he shoots one in the head; he shoots another in the back, etc.

Dehumanizing videos like these only add to the trend of violence and mistreatment of people who suffer from homelessness. According to the May 13, 2004 addition of the Las Vegas Sun, Jeanne Corcoran, production manager for the Nevada Film Office, called the people making these videos "cockroaches (who) only come out at night. None of us in government sanction or support this type of exploitation."

Corporations Marketing Homeless Exploitation

Recently, major corporate retailers including Tower Records, Amazon, Borders, Virgin Mega Stores, Target, Best Buy, Blockbuster, Barnes and Noble and Trans World Entertainment have found it acceptable to sell these videos and DVDs in their stores and on the Internet.

The National Coalition for the Homeless, the oldest and largest national homeless advocacy organization in the United States, aims to protect the rights of homeless people. NCH has sent letters, faxes and e-mails asking mainstream retailers to:

1. Immediately stop selling these videotapes or DVDs, and destroy the current inventory.
2. Turn over the profits from the sale of these violent videotapes to an agency of their choosing that serves homeless people.
3. Pledge to never purchase these violent exploitative films that depict homeless
people as props in a voyeuristic display of depravity.

As of June 15, 2004, the retail corporations have responded to NCH’s request accordingly:

Have Stopped Selling Hate Speech:

_ Amazon.com
_ Target
_ Virgin Mega Stores
_ Barnes and Noble
_ Blockbuster.com

Continue to Sell Hate Speech:

_ Best Buy – "Bum Hunts"
_ Tower Records – "Bum Fights 2" and "Bum Hunts"
_ Borders – "Bum Fights 1 & 2", "Bum Hunts" and "Bum Show.com"
_ FYE Entertainment – "Bum Hunts" and "Bum Show.com"

Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change Call For Bush Defeat

The federal panel investigating the 9/11 terrorist attacks has determined that there were no links between Al Qaeda and Iraq. George W. Bush alleged that such a link was a primary reason for invading Iraq. CNN reports:

The panel said it found "no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States."

The report contradicts statements from the Bush administration that Saddam Hussein had ties to al Qaeda.

Bush also came under criticism today from a group calling itself Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change. The group, made up of former officials of the Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations, held a press conference today calling for the defeat of Bush in the November election. The AP reports:

According to the group, Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change, from the start of his presidency, "Bush adopted an overbearing approach to Americas role in the world, relying upon military might and righteousness, insensitive to the concerns of traditional friends and allies, and disdainful of the United Nations."

"Instead of building upon Americas great economic and moral strength to lead other nations in a coordinated campaign to address the causes of terrorism and to stifle its resources, the administration, motivated more by ideology than by reasoned analysis, struck out on its own."

The group accused the Bush administration of manipulating "uncertain evidence" about Iraq's weapons programmes to justify an "ill-planned and costly war from which exit is uncertain".

Among the signatories are William Crowe, a retired admiral who was a chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under president Ronald Reagan (news - web sites), Stansfield Turner, another retired admiral and past director of the Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites), and several former prominent ambassadors.

All this kind of makes you wonder who is going to be left supporting Bush in November.

The Southern Baptist Convention is meeting this week. This is one religious meeting you want to keep an eye on. Already they voted to withdrawal from the Baptist World alliance (because the BWA is too liberal), heard from President Bush (who told the group he would work hard to make sure gays cannot marry), and may consider a proposal demanding that Southern Baptists withdrawal their children from public schools (which are ‘Godless’). Check out the news section of their web site and watch the events unfold.

My mother, Judith Bright, celebrated her birthday this week with her daughters and grandchildren in Hillsboro. This picture is of my nephew Dylan with his grandmother (my mom). Liz and I sent our birthday greetings via e-video and for a limited time you can download the video. My mom will be here before long to visit with her newest grandchildren (whenever the twins make their first appearance). Happy birthday, Mom.

US Rep. Bill Thomas’ office tells me that the "Safe Harbor for Churches" provision in H.R. 4520, American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, was “struck down” yesterday. Good news. The provision, sponsored by Thomas with the support of House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom Delay, would have eroded the concept of separation of church and state by allowing churches to endorse partisan political candidates. The National Council of Churches and two dozen religious denominations opposed the Republican bill. More updates will be posted as they become available.

Update: The Chronicle of Philanthropy now has a story posted about the defeat of the Safe Harbor for Churches proposal on their web site.

The President did something pretty unique last week during his visit to Rome. He complained that American Roman Catholic Bishops were not all behind him and asked if the Pope might lend a helping hand sometime soon. Say, before November. You see, George W. Bush plans to run his campaign on divisive issues like gay marriage, abortion, and prayer in schools. He needs the Pope out there in Rome to call his American cousins and get them on the 2004 Bush campaign bandwagon and quick. National Catholic Reporter broke the story. It is unprecedented for an American president to seek help for a political campaign from a foreign leader – let alone a religious one. My suggestion: let’s skip the fall campaign and let John Kerry be president. Bush, who seems to hate the Constitutional separation between church and state, can have the job he really wants: Pope George the First.

Related story:

Kerry: Bush's Vatican appeal 'inappropriate'

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has just released their annual report on violence against homeless people. From their press release:

Washington D.C. - For five years, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has tracked a disturbing increase in crimes targeting homeless people by young people and severely disturbed individuals. These are well-documented violent attacks on homeless people that result in injury and in many cases death of a vulnerable population.

The hate crimes’ reports, "Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA: A Report on Hate Crimes and Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness," have collected data from news reports and homeless shelters on the number of homeless victimizations that have occurred in the past five years.

The numbers for 2003 show that at least 9 people experiencing homelessness were murdered and another 61 were injured in non-lethal assaults. 131 people have been murdered in the last five years. People living on the streets have been set on fire, beheaded, hunted like animals, and been victims of serial killers. Three examples from 2003 include:

* "Three National Guardsmen were arrested in Medford, Oregon for beating a homeless man with a wooden club on a "mission to clean up the community." They called him a disgrace to his race and claimed to have "white pride."

* "Three men beat Lori Johnson, a 41-year-old homeless woman, with baseball bats in Minneapolis; when she was found she was bleeding from her ears. According to a witness, Johnson screamed during the attacks, "Why are you all doing me like this? I didn’t do anything." Johnson fell into a coma and underwent surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. Several months later, she was experiencing constant headaches, nightmares, and weakness on the right side of her body. She was undergoing intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy at a rehabilitation center. As of July 27, her doctors said Johnson’s rehabilitation could continue for months. Johnson is described as respectful and lovely by a group of ten women who know her."

* "In Downtown Cleveland, four perpetrators, aged 16 to 19, who videotaped the attack, used a 50,000-volt stun gun to shock homeless people in their genitals in downtown Cleveland; they also kicked and reportedly urinated on one, all while laughing. Of the accused, three are juveniles, and were charged with delinquency assault. The one adult, Joshua Langenheim, 19, was charged with six counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of possession of a criminal tool. In the State of Ohio, assaulting a homeless person is not seen to be, by law, a hate crime."

I served on the NCH board of directors and their civil rights work group for several years. This year I helped collect some of the data used in the report – including the above mentioned information from Medford, Oregon.

Check out this report and pay special attention to the action alerts asking for help in the fight to end violence.

As an added resource you can also read my paper Jessica Williams Did Not Have to Die: A Faith Perspective on Violence and Homelessness in America.

“What will you do to end poverty?” A new national alliance of community and faith-based groups wants an answer to that question from public officials, delegates to the Party Conventions and this year’s candidates for public office, especially the presidential candidates. The alliance, “LET JUSTICE ROLL: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty” also will work to register, mobilize and protect voters, especially low-income voters, whose voices must be heard on policies that affect them. "LET JUSTICE ROLL" events are being scheduled in cities across the United States, beginning with Seattle, Wash., June 25-26 and will include events in Boston, Mass., and New York City concurrent with the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. This multi-city initiative is co-sponsored by the National Council of Churches and the Center for Community Change in collaboration with national, state and local partner organizations. Click here for more from the National Council of Churches.

"LET JUSTICE ROLL" Principles and Vision

Poverty is on the rise in the United States, and opportunity for most families is declining. We seek to restore hope and revitalize public policy in communities by bringing our commitment to end hunger, poverty and economic injustice to the national public discussion this election season.

We are told that uncertainty about our jobs and our future is the inevitable cost of our modern, interdependent world, and that government policies need to be less restrictive to allow American business to prosper and “lift all boats.” But we know that even a rising tide does not lift all boats. We know that our voices and energy are needed to make a positive difference in the lives of people who continue to live in poverty.

In the last three decades, economic security has declined for most workers as good jobs (jobs with family supporting wages and benefits) have disappeared. Most families now must work harder and longer to avoid falling further behind, and as a result families are struggling to balance work, raise their children and care for their aging parents. Others among us, because of age or disability, may not be able to work but deserve to be treated with dignity and to have basic needs met.

To be true to our shared values, and to reverse the course we are traveling today, we need to rededicate ourselves to advancing a collective agenda to ensure real access to opportunity and to fulfill our hopes and expectations about work, family, our communities and our future.

In Our Vision...

Everyone will have the tools to have their basic needs met regardless of income, geography, citizenship, or other condition, including

* access to nutritious food * comprehensive and affordable health care * high quality education at every stage of life * accessible and affordable housing

Everyone will have the opportunity to work, be compensated fairly, earn enough to meet their basic needs, and be treated with dignity. This requires policies that promote

* job creation * full employment * the right to organize * a fair minimum wage and a true livable wage and income

Everyone will know that families are given respect and support for their care-giving responsibilities. This includes public and workplace programs that provide

* universal access to pre-kindergarten and childcare programs * improved family and sick leave policies * support systems for those balancing the needs of young children, * elderly parents and other dependents

Everyone will pay a fair share. We advocate a progressive tax policy that rewards work and raises revenue to support needed public investments. Earned income through salaries and wages will not be taxed at a higher rate than unearned investment income.

Everyone will live in a community valued by our society. Whether one lives on a family farm, on a Native American reservation, in an urban center or in any other community, all will live in a healthy environment where affordable housing, food security, public safety and other basic needs are assured. Those who have been excluded or disenfranchised will be embraced and returned to society. Immigrants will be given a path to citizenship. Ex-felons who have paid their debt to society will be able to vote and get and hold a job.

Our vision for our nation is as close to reality as the political will to make it happen. Justice will roll down like a mighty river as good, effective public policy is brought into being.

We are mindful of current policies that require our attention, such as the efforts to fully fund the current welfare legislation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and to work for fundamental changes in TANF legislation, particularly around time limits, higher education opportunities, inflexible work requirements, child care provisions, and accountability of welfare programs, including tracking the impact of programs on reducing poverty rather than just reducing the welfare rolls.

We know from experience that change comes when we take history in our own hands and require our leadership to take action. The knowledge, strength and leadership of the people living the reality of poverty and injustice are essential to the integrity of this task. We will look to them for guidance as we shape a public policy that assures the well being of those living on the margins of society.

Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty is a project of the National Council of Churches Poverty Mobilization Coordinating Committee and the Center for Community Change.

“There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we now have the resources to get rid of it.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.