The Rev. David Fischler, pastor of First Moravian Church of Greensboro, North Carolina, writes the blog Ecumenical Insanity. This week he has used his blog to attack the National Council of Churches (NCC) and the United Church of Christ over the crisis in the Sudan.
He mistakenly asserts that neither the National Council of Churches nor the United Church of Christ has been outspoken over the genocide taking place in Darfur.
Fischler is upset that these church bodies haven't issued statements critical of the recent UN report on the Sudan. Many feel the UN report should have called the crisis in Darfur a genocide - something NCC has done.
“The lack of response from pretty much all the mainline denominations and the National Council of Churches makes one wonder if protecting the UN's reputation is more important to the peace-and-justice bureaucrats than protecting besieged Africans,” Fischler writes.
Most of NCC's leadership is traveling in the Middle East this week.
Over the course of the crisis FaithfulAmerica.org, NCC’s online advocacy arm, has been a champion of the cause. NCC is also part of the Save Darfur Coalition and has made several statements on this issue. The Rev. Bob Edgar, NCC's executive, was even arrested protesting to draw attention to the issue. UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries has also addressed the issue. Are our churches doing enough? The truth is no one is. One of the big obstacles is the White House.
The Bush Administration, according to Human Rights Watch, is “creating a deadly delay for the people of Darfur by attempting to block the U.N. Security Council from referring Darfur atrocities to the International Criminal Court.” The White House is opposed to the international court for fear charges could be brought against US officials. "The Bush administration seems willing to sacrifice Darfur's victims to its ideological campaign against the court,” said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch.
The web site of Fischler’s Moravian Church of North America has no information listed regarding the crisis (according to a Google search). Fishcler’s home church web site also makes no mention of the crisis.
What to call the crisis isn't the issue. How to deal with the crisis is.
To argue that mainline churches are ignoring the crisis speaks more to Fischler’s own ideological campaign against NCC and the UCC than anything else. His postings are making him a favorite of the conservative anti-UCC website UCCtruths.com. But he is doing nothing to further the cause of the people of Darfur. Constructive advice instead of partisan attacks based on false information would do more justice.
Those looking to make a difference can click here to find resources. This is an issue everyone should be concerned about.
Related Post: Darfur Genocide Continues
