By GAYLE WHITE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 08/14/04When the Rev. Joyce Myers-Brown had to decide what image she wanted to project, she didn't examine her wardrobe. She looked over her collection of well-worn protest signs.
She narrowed her choice to two: "Regime Change Begins at Home" vs. "War Is Not the Answer."
At lunchtime Friday, she was at the corner of 14th and Peachtree streets holding "War Is Not the Answer," which, she said, "I think is the very basic message for a Christian in today's world."
Myers-Brown, a United Church of Christ minister, is proud of the label "liberal Christian."
"I wouldn't feel that I was living up to . . . my faith if I were not speaking out about things that are hurting people and killing people and destroying nations," she said.
During this year's presidential race, more people from the center-left of the religious spectrum are joining Myers-Brown, 67, in bringing their faith to bear in the public discourse. Some are spurred by concern about the war in Iraq and by what they see as a growing gap between rich and poor. Many complain that in today's politics, "religious" has become synonymous with "conservative." They look back nostalgically on a period 50 years ago when religious voices drove the civil rights and anti-Vietnam war move- ments.
This is a pretty good article and worth the read. It includes statements from The Rev. Albert Pennybacker (Clergy Leadership Network) and The Rev. Paul Sherry (former General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ). Give it a look.
