Over the next several days I will be blogging at the United Church of Christ Blog - providing commentary and analysis as our denomination’s General Synod meets to consider many important issues. Links to these posts will be provided here. Pleased drop by and leave a comment.  Regular posts here will resume in about a week.

UCC Blog Post:  Tear Down The Wall (posted Tues., July 5)

UCC Blog Post:  National Religious Leadership Roundtable Praises UCC General Synod (posted Tues., July 5)

UCC Blog Post:  America Must Have A Moderate Supreme Court Nominee (posted Tues., July 5)

UCC Blog Post:  Reaction From The Same Sex Marriage Vote (posted Tues., July 5th)

UCC Blog Post:  General Synod Votes In Favor Of Same Sex Marriage (posted Mon., July 4)

UCC Blog Post:  Discerning God's Will On Difficult Issues (audio file of my sermon this week posted on Sun., July 3)

UCC Blog Post:  Message To Albert Mohler: Open Up Your Heart And Join Us (posted Sat. July 2)

UCC Blog Post:  Investment vs Divestment (posted Sat., July 2)

UCC Blog Post:  Others Bloggers Weigh In (posted Sat., July 2)

UCC Blog Post:  Divestment Rethoric Heats Up (posted Sat., July 2)

UCC Blog Post:  IRD-Supported Group Calls On John Thomas To Resign (posted Fri., July 1)

UCC Blog Post:  What Is Being Said About The UCC On The Web? (posted Thurs., June 30)

UCC Blog Post:  What Path Should People Take To Ministry? (posted Thurs., June 30)

UCC Blog Post:  Human Rights Campaign Applauds UCC (posted Wed., June 29)

UCC Blog Post:  AP Headline Shows Confusion Over UCC Polity (posted Wed., June 29)

UCC Blog Post:  UCC President Backs Gay Marriage (posted Tues., June 28)

UCC Blog Post:  A General Synod Blog (posted Tues., June 28)

Each day brings new stories of suffering and death among Iraqi civilians and Americans soldiers serving in what has become a quagmire. Millions across the globe warned George W. Bush and Tony Blair that their cause would fail and sadly that prophetic voice – one often spoken by religious leaders from many faith traditions – has proven true. This 4th of July the National Council of Churches USA is urging Christians to sign a new statement expressing opposition to this on-going war – one with no end in sight – and to express support for policies that move us beyond war.

This year our nation is at war as we observe the 4th of July, a day that honors those founders who spoke out for independence from tyranny. Today in Iraq a cruel dictator has been deposed, yet the suffering of the Iraqi people continues. Mandated elections have been held, yet the future of Iraq remains as uncertain as ever. Day by day the cost of this war for the United States, for Iraq, for peace grows clearer. No weapons of mass destruction have been found; no link to the attacks on September 11, 2001 has been shown. It has become clear that the rationale for invasion was at best a tragic mistake, at worst a clever deception.

As people of faith, we believe in the transcendent sovereignty and love of God for creation, and that the responsibility of human beings is thus to pursue justice and peace for all. We also believe that, as the biblical prophets of old, who in faithfulness to God spoke out to a people and a nation they loved, in humility before God we too are to speak to a land and people we love. As religious leaders we invite others who share our affections and dismay to recognize the time has come to speak out.

The time has come to say:

- NO to leaders who have sent many honorable sons and daughters to fight a dishonorable war;

- NO to the violence that has cost over seventeen hundred American lives, left thousands grievously injured, and killed untold numbers of Iraqis whose deaths we are unwilling to acknowledge or count;

- NO to the abuse of prisoners that has shamed our nation and damaged our reputation throughout the world;

- NO to the price tag for this war that has rendered our federal budget incapable of adequately caring for the poorest of our own citizens; and,

- NO to theologies that demonize other nations and religions while arrogantly claiming righteousness for ourselves as if we share no complicity in human evil.

The time has come to say:

- YES to foreign policies that seek justice rather than domination, compassion rather than control;

- YES to an early fixed timetable for the withdrawal of United States troops and the establishment of a credible multinational peacekeeping force;

- YES to the honoring of human rights even for our enemies and for a restoration of our reputation as a people committed to the rule of law;

- YES to spending and taxing priorities that put the poor first, providing health care, housing, employment, and quality education for all, not just the few; and,

- YES to a restoration of truth telling in the public square and to “last resort” rather than “first strike” as the criterion for the use of force to restrain evil.

On the day we celebrate our freedom, we acknowledge that the freedom promised in the toppling of a dictator has been replaced by the humiliation of occupation and the violence of a civil war. The sacrifice of brave men and women has been used to serve policies that have diminished our nation’s prestige and our capacity to be agents of justice in the world.

It is time to speak out that this 4th of July will celebrate the best ideals of our nation for our sake and for the sake of the world.

To comment on or endorse this statement, please click here.

I've added my name.  Will you add yours?

Remember to keep the people of Iraq and the American soldiers in your prayers this coming holiday weekend.

Related Post:  An Open Letter to the President of the United States and U.S. Congress

Related Post:  Bush’s Failure To Follow Just War Principles Gives Just Cause For Voters To Oust Him In November

Press Release from Church World Service

NEW YORK / BANDA ACEH - Nearly six months after December's deadly tsunami struck, assistance to people whose lives were torn asunder in Indonesia's Aceh Province still revolves largely around sanitation and access to water and food, reports humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS).

But concurrently, and in coordination with the Indonesian government, Church World Service's Indonesia staff and other aid agencies are working to assist survivors in re-establishing livelihoods.

CWS Associate Director for International Emergency Response Programs Donna Derr says, "Church World Service has joined with the UN, the affected countries' governments and with other non-governmental organizations to do what special UN envoy for tsunami relief former President Clinton has referred to as "to build back better.'"

Derr cites as an example Church World Service's current assessment of livelihood needs and possible future provision of fishing boats in Aceh Besar region and says CWS is already providing fishing boats to fishermen in Meue Village, Trieng Gadeng Sub district (Pidie). In many villages where boats were lost, fishermen are forced to share fishing boats.

Livelihoods and commerce are recovering in incremental steps. In one village, Church World Service worked with the Indonesian Livestock Department to raise the quantity of the village's delivery of breeding chickens from 400 to 500.

Across the affected region, while aid workers coordinate livelihood meetings and shelter work groups, others continue to deliver goods to the field.

But Derr says, "a major focus continues to be the health and psychosocial needs of children. Supplemental feeding programs are continuing to be an important part of our assistance."

Church World Service, whose largest international program is in Indonesia, began responding immediately after the disaster struck in December. "Language and understanding culture and customs are not a challenge for our indigenous staff," says Derr, "so our teams in Aceh have been able to provide direct help efficiently and sensitively for affected residents."

Derr says the CWS Health and Nutrition Team and the CWS Mobile Clinic are continuing to monitor food deliveries and feeding programs and to work with community health centers who were initially over-run by the needs of a scattered, injured, and traumatized population. Capacity has improved with the delivery of health kits, mosquito nets, mattresses and blankets.

The agency's medical team trains local health centers in how to treat malnutrition, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and cases of worms.

Working through local groups and volunteers, CWS is providing psychosocial support to those still suffering from traumatic stress and therapeutic play activities for affected children.

Revolving-Fund Programs Help Build Businesses and Feed Back into Communities

In some communities, CWS teams are developing a program of community support, in which CWS will provide community-based organizations with revolving funds to support their businesses. In return, the beneficiaries are required to share some of their profits with the rest of the community.

Cash-for-Work Water and Sanitation Projects Provide Temporary Income

CWS teams report that water and sanitation facility installations provide cash-for-work programs now, but while those projects are vital now, they are temporary. "Mainly," says Derr, "people are still looking for work to replace the jobs they once maintained yet may have forever lost."

CWS Indonesia team members work in a rotation that takes them to remote villages, across unrepaired roads. It is an effort that takes time but continues to serve disaster victims, some of whom, the team reports, are still in need of food supplies.

The details of just one week's efforts are a microcosm of the impact of the work, the step-by-step focus, and persistent levels of need:

• Eight villages assessed for livelihood programs.

• Relief kits distributed to 377 people in one location and to nearly 1,500 in another.

• Water and sanitation projects reviewed in two locations in Banda Aceh, 25

• locations in Meulaboh; assessments made in six others; future interventions scheduled in two locations in Nias.

• In Meubolah, supplementary feeding for 70 mothers and 98 children in one camp.

Waiting to rebuild their lives, the displaced population also waits to rebuild its homes. Residents in Gunung Sitoli, the capital of Nias, have been asked by the Indonesian government not to construct permanent structures pending a redesign of the city. The government has said that any new structures will be taken down. The Nias District Reconstruction Agency will focus first on the needs of education, transportation, and health sectors.

Recently in Medan, donor countries met for a summit on the Nias reconstruction. UN agencies, several embassies, foreign consulates, foreign and local non-governmental agencies, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and others met to allocate funds and to coordinate which agencies would do what. Now, agencies are looking to partner with other agencies whose proposals match their own, so that rehabilitation can get underway.

Thus far, Church World Service has received cash and in-kind contributions totalling more than $16.5 million for tsunami response efforts across the region. Some $12 million - amost three-fourths of the contributions received - has been utilized in providing aid or transferred to the field for on-going relief and recovery efforts.

Church World Service is seeking additional support for its tsunami recovery efforts. "We are focusing at this point on mid- and long-term recovery needs," says Donna Derr, "and we know this is going to take time, across all of the affected areas."

Contributions may be sent to: Church World Service, Attn: Tsunami Recovery, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. Contributions may also be made online or by phone at 800-297-1516.

Press Release from the Interfaith Alliance

Washington, June 20, 2005--Following the passage of an amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives prohibiting law enforcement from carrying out its duties to remove a Ten Commandments display in Indiana. Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of The Interfaith Alliance, warned that this extreme act of “congressional activism” should be recognized as such by the Senate through a resounding defeat.

“For over two hundred years—since the landmark Marbury v. Madison decision in 1803—civics students in our nation’s schools and jurists alike, the American people have recognized the courts as the final arbiter of the Constitution,” said Rev. Gaddy.  “Rep. Hostettler’s ‘congressional activism’ is nothing short of radical because this amendment seeks to override the power of our courts within our constitutional system of checks-and-balances.  I hope and expect that cooler heads will prevail in the Senate and affirm the separation of powers that have been a bulwark of our democracy for over 200 years. Who named Rep Hostettler as the national theologian on the Supreme Court?”

Last week, as the House debated an appropriations bill for the Departments of State, Justice and Commerce (H.R.2862), Rep. Hostettler (R-IN) introduced an amendment to prohibit any funds from being used to enforce Russelburg v. Gibson County.  A federal court in that case ruled that a courthouse in Rep. Hostettler’s district containing a Ten Commandments display violated the First Amendment and had to be removed.  During the debate, Rep. Hostettler stated that the ruling was unconstitutional, and inconsistent with “the Christian heritage of the United States.”

Following the court ruling, Rep. Hostettler wrote President George W. Bush, asking for support to deny law enforcement from carrying out the order.  The matter was referred to the U.S. Department of Justice, which informed Hostettler that law enforcement officials are obligated to enforce court orders under federal law.  President Bush has said that he will uphold the court’s ruling that Rep. Hostettler seeks to defy.

“Congressman Hostettler is attempting to re-write the separation of powers that has held this nation in balance for over 250 years,” said Rev. Gaddy. We are pleased President Bush remains committed to a nation of laws and that attempts by Congress to defy the law regarding the public display of religious documents, such as the Ten Commandments, breaks the law and supports government endorsement of a particular religion.”

Rep. Hostettler sponsored a similar amendment regarding a Ten Commandments monument in Alabama in 2003 that passed the House but was rejected in the Senate.

Dr. Gaddy concluded “This amendment is another attempt by a member of Congress to stop the courts from standing up for the First Amendment and the constitutional principles that define the separation of powers between the three branches of our government. We stand firmly in support of freedom for and from religion for people of all faith traditions in this, the most religiously diverse nation on earth.  We remind Congress that despite Rep. Hostettler’s declaration that the ruling was unconstitutional and inconsistent with "the Christian heritage of the United States," our nation remains committed to religious freedom, unhampered by the establishment of any religion.

Related Link:  Letter To Rep. Hostettler

Related Post:  Congressman John Hostettler Accuses Democrats Of "Demonizing Christians"; Forced To Retract Remarks

I’ve been asked to provide “commentary and analysis” during General Synod for the fledgling blog the United Church of Christ publishes as part of their news service. General Synod begins on Friday but my posts will start closer to mid-week. If you are a delegate or visitor at General Synod and you have reaction to the events happening in Atlanta please send me an e-mail. I’ll be looking for story ideas and your thoughts and insights will be greatly appreciated.  When I start posting there I'll leave a message on this site to direct readers along.

It would be hard to ignore all the press the week about Billy Graham’s final crusade in New York City. Graham has always been a perplexing figure to me. I grew up watching his telecasts during my childhood, berated my father (a television executive) for airing those broadcasts when I was a teen, and felt compelled to go hear the old evangelist when he came to Portland when I was in my mid-20s.

You can debate a lot of Graham’s theology and his politics (his relationship with Richard Nixon and remarks about Jews have always been particularly troubling). But you cannot simply put Graham into the category of the religious right and be satisfied. He is more complex, more honest, and more Gospel-centered than the politician-preachers (see Albert Mohler and Franklin Graham) that seek to emulate him.

Take this story as an example: when the civil rights movement was heating up in the 1950s religious leaders were caught up in the debate. Many southern leaders – particularly Baptists – sided with segregationists. Graham, when he opened his first New York City crusade in 1957, he invited none other than Martin Luther King Jr. to give the opening prayer. Christianity Today reports:

"A great social revolution is going on in the United States today," Graham said as he introduced King. "Dr. King is one of its leaders, and we appreciate his taking time out of his busy schedule to come and share this service with us tonight."

This show of solidarity was lost on no one. Fundamentalist patriarch Bob Jones Sr. fired back to defend segregation against King and warn Graham of the consequences of associating with the civil-rights leader. "Dr. Graham has declared emphatically that he would not hold a meeting anywhere, North or South, where the colored people and the white people would be segregated in the auditorium," Jones said, "and I do not think any time in the foreseeable future the good Christian colored people and the good Christian white people would want to set aside an old established social and religious custom."

Graham used this moment in history to challenge people of faith to look beyond old understandings and to embrace Biblical concepts of justice. It was not a message many Christians wanted to hear but Graham knew it was a message they needed to hear. He should be remembered for this along with everything else.

Progressive Christians of Northern New Mexico is a new group formed about six months ago, according to an article in the Los Alamos Monitor.  They're holding events on environmental justice, what it really means to be pro-life, and are working in partnership with other ecumenical and interfaith organizations.  Good news for New Mexico! 

Anglicans have endorsed a resolution calling for divestment from companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine. Religion News Service reports:

London, June 24 - Anglican churches around the world, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, were urged Friday (June 24) to join a growing church-based movement to divest from Israeli companies that support the Palestinian occupation.

The Anglican Consultative Council, a global policy-setting panel for the 77 million-member Anglican Communion, unanimously approved a statement urging divestment that was drafted last year by the Anglican Peace and Justice Network.

The Presbyterian Church USA adopted a similar policy last year and the United Church of Christ will be considering a divestment resolution this summer. The World Council of Churches has urged Christians to consider divestment as a tool for putting pressure on the conservative government currently in power in Israel to improve the human rights of Palestinians. Many Jewish groups have critical of the divestment movement.

Related Post:  Jewish Group: Church Divestment Campaigns Not Anti- Semitic

A new United Church of Christ congregation is set to open this fall in California:

With a defiant message and a mission of unity and reclamation, the Rev. Bonnie Tarwater of Del Mar is planning to open a new church that will work for progressive causes.

"I think people are religiously and spiritually hungry," she said about her plans to open God Is Love Church, a satellite project of the Community Congregational Church of Pacific Beach, United Church of Christ. "It seems to be the right thing and the right time. People are interested."

Click here to read the full story.

When support for a war dwindles and a president’s poll numbers tank what is a political adviser to do?

If your name is Karl Rove and you work for George W. Bush you question the loyalty of the Americans who dare question your failed policies. The Washington Post reports:

In an unusually incendiary public attack on the political opposition, Karl Rove last night suggested that liberals sympathize with the enemy and are intent on endangering American troops.

"Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," Rove said

In the days after 9/11, I signed on to the statement Deny Them Their Victory: A Religious Response To Terrorism. This is what we actually said:

First, we must find a word of consolation for the untold pain and suffering of our people. Our congregations will offer their practical and pastoral resources to bind up the wounds of the nation. We can become safe places to weep and secure places to begin rebuilding our shattered lives and communities. Our houses of worship should become public arenas for common prayer, community discussion, eventual healing, and forgiveness.

Second, we offer a word of sober restraint as our nation discerns what its response will be. We share the deep anger toward those who so callously and massively destroy innocent lives, no matter what the grievances or injustices invoked. In the name of God, we too demand that those responsible for these utterly evil acts be found and brought to justice. Those culpable must not escape accountability. But we must not, out of anger and vengeance, indiscriminately retaliate in ways that bring on even more loss of innocent life. We pray that President Bush and members of Congress will seek the wisdom of God as they decide upon the appropriate response.

Click here to read the full statement which was signed by over 3,000 prominent religious leaders across the nation.

Counseling sober restraint where the Bush Administration is involved is not an act of disloyalty. After all, this is the same administration that would later take us into a disastrous war based on deception.  Had the president used sober restraint after 9/11 the American people would have been safer and the world better off.

Rove should either apologize to the American people for his remarks or resign his position.

There is more on this story at The Daou Report.

Reprint from UCC.org

Although General Synod doesn't begin officially until July 1, at least two delegates are already en route—by bicycle!

The Rev. David Quinn of Nazareth, Pa., is biking 810 miles to Atlanta to raise funds for his friend and colleague, the Rev. Karen Kresge, who is in need of a lung transplant. Pledges of support can be made by contacting the UCC's Penn Northeast Conference at [email protected].

Also, Eric. C. Smith (pictured above), one of the General Synod's assistant moderators, is visiting dozens of churches while biking to Atlanta from Freeport, Maine. Follow his prayerful pedaling online at www.comelisten.org. (Note: Eric is writing a blog on his journey). 

The Department of the Air Force released a report today investigating charges that evangelical Christian officials and students at the Air Force Academy inappropriately used their positions to proselytize. Several students, independent observers from Yale Divinity School, and at least one Air Force chaplain serving at the Academy brought the issues of religious intolerance to light. The Air Force report downplayed the charges:

The HQ USAF team found a religious climate that does not involve overt religious discrimination, but a failure to fully accommodate all members’ needs and a lack of awareness over where the line is drawn between permissible and impermissible expression of beliefs.

Click here for the PDF file containing the report.

Seven specific incidents of possible intolerance will be investigated further, reports The New York Times.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which had called for an investigation of the charges, released a statement expressing cautious optimism.

"This report is not perfect, but it is an important first step," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "It acknowledges the extent of the problem and promises changes. It is now incumbent upon the Air Force to make certain that promise is fulfilled."

On April 28, Americans United sent a letter and a 14-page report to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Air Force officials detailing allegations that Academy staff and cadets have used coercive tactics to promote evangelical Christianity at the institution.

Since the report's release, Americans United has received more complaints from former and current Air Force cadets regarding the mixing of church and state at the Academy. The allegations have also drawn national press attention. Capt. MeLinda Morton, a former Lutheran chaplain at the Academy, told USA Today of pervasive proselytizing on behalf Academy staff, describing the situation as "malfeasance in the chaplaincy here."

Lynn emphasized that AU will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with members of Congress to make certain that all religious and philosophical points of view are welcome at the institution.

"I wish the Air Force Academy had been more forthcoming in admitting that religious intolerance does exist at the Academy," said Lynn. "Members of our military are charged with defending our way of life, which includes religious liberty. It would be ironic indeed if the Air Force failed to protect that basic right for Academy cadets.

"We intend to remain involved to ensure that the basic constitutional rights of all cadets are respected," Lynn concluded.

This evening I read the Air Force’s report and believe – based on the Yale report and other accounts – that the issues are, as Lynn states, being downplayed by the military. That’s unfortunate. The systemic problems at the Air Force Academy will not dissipate without additional review. It would be appropriate for the Congress to monitor implementation of the report’s recommendations with public hearings.

Related Post:  Congressman John Hostettler Accuses Democrats Of "Demonizing Christians"; Forced To Retract Remarks

Related Post:  Proselytizing At Air Force Academy Must End

Message from President Nelson Mandela and The One Campaign:

Could the G8 summit on July 6th be an historic opportunity for America to lead the world - and save millions of lives?

Nelson Mandela thinks so:  He's calling on the world's leaders to act now to end AIDS and extreme poverty. 

In a new video on ONE.org, the former President of South Africa and hero in the struggle against apartheid asks the G8 nations for an unprecedented deal on debt, aid and trade for people in the world's poorest countries.

Will you join this call and sign the ONE letter to President Bush today?

If you've already signed the ONE Declaration, this is the next step you can take to fight global AIDS and poverty.  The ONE letter asks the President to support three bold commitments at the G8 summit of world leaders on July 6th - more and better international assistance, debt cancellation and trade reform. 

Please sign the ONE letter and then ask three friends and family members to join you.

Act today to send President Bush to the G8 Summit carrying the compassion, justice and generosity of millions of Americans.  ONE signature, added today as you sit at your office, church or school, could help the poorest in the world overcome AIDS and extreme poverty - and bring hope to a generation.

Related Post:  Jubilee USA Encouraged By G-8 Agreement for 100% Cancellation of IMF, Multilateral Debts

Related Post:  Pentecost "Day of Action" Against Poverty: The One Campaign

A resolution which would have placed Congress on record opposing "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" at the Air Force Academy brought the following response from John Hostettler (R-Indiana):

Mr. Chairman, the long war on Christianity in America continues today on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

But like a moth to a flame, Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians.

Hostettler's remarks are simply despicable, degrade the strong faith of the many religious Democrats in Congress, and totally misrepresent the views of Democrats who value the religious pluralism in our nation.

The congressman was forced to retract his remarks. He did not, however, actually apologize for making them.

Proselytizing at the Air Force Academy is a serious concern. A chaplain on campus, for example, has been accused of instructing “cadets to try to convert classmates by warning that they ‘will burn in the fires of hell’ if they do not accept Christ.” Jewish students and mainline Christians have complained about the abusive behavior. Click here to learn more.

Last year people associated with the president’s campaign claimed democrats planned to ban the Bible. Senate Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist took part in a rally sponsored by the religious right this spring in which Democrats who opposed the president’s judicial nominees were accused of being “against people of faith.”

These Republicans continue to misuse the Christian faith for their own partisan political purposes and in the process seem to confuse Jesus’ teachings with their own personal lust for power.

Leaders of the religious right are gearing up for the 2008 elections. USA Today reports:

WASHINGTON — Leaders of conservative Christian organizations plan to jointly interview Republican contenders for the 2008 presidential nomination, perhaps even endorsing one of them — steps that could expand their already considerable political influence.

"We'd like to try to stay together," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said at a breakfast with reporters Wednesday. The ad hoc group includes "free thinkers" and "strong personalities," he says, but they might unite behind a candidate who "unquestionably" best represented their views and priorities.

Gary Bauer, president of American Values, said in an interview that the sit-down sessions, likely to begin after the 2006 elections, would be "a very effective way to nail down where people are on cultural issues." He said candidates have become "very astute" at answering written questionnaires in ways that avoid making firm commitments.

Those who plan to participate include leading figures of the Christian right: James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation, the Rev. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association, Perkins and Bauer. Others also would join them.

The religious right and the Republican Party have unquestionably merged. Their leaders will do or say nearly anything – even question the faith of other Christians – to win elections. The good news: God is not a Republican…. or a Democrat. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Related Post:  Revenge Of The Religious Right

Related Post:  The Religious Right Gets Ready To Rumble

There is an awful good chance that President Bush will be afforded his first opportunity to make an appointment to the United States Supreme Court this summer. People for the American Way is urging the president to choose consensus and not confrontation when making such an appointment:

President Bush will face the choice of whether to honor the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that emerged in the Senate to avert the nuclear option – and follow the precedent set when each of his three most recent predecessors made their first Supreme Court selection – and nominate someone who will be supported by most senators in both political parties, or to heed the demands of his party’s ideologues and embroil the nation in further partisanship, controversy and division, distracting the country from other pressing issues. For the good of the country and the Supreme Court, President Bush should choose bipartisan consensus over confrontation.

Click here to read the full statement.

Hold on to your seats. This could be a wild summer.

Related Post:  Deal Kills "Nuclear Option" Supported By Religious Right; Allows More Bush Nominees To Move Forward

Not everyone who writes into this web site posts their comments. Some people simply send me an e-mail expressing their thoughts. Tonight I thought I'd give you - the readers of this blog - a chance to see a little of the feedback I'm getting (good and bad).

I found your blog while searching for articles about Brett Kavanaugh, one of the current administration's nominees to the D.C. Circuit. (I agree completely with your assessment.) I've been reading blogs for over 2 years, and yours strikes me as one the finest and most thoughtful I've seen. I look forward to reading it regularly.

- June 19, 2005

As a Christian, I forgive you.

- June 14, 2005

If this is your Dribble. We can see why you are so upset with the Minute man project. They are raining on your Pocket book. You have aligned yourself with one Morris Dees. Now that is a virtuous man. Yeah right. The two of you are of the same small minded Pea brained why of thinking. I am neither part of any White Supremacist group or any anti-immigration group. In fact I work, as a pastor, with inner city minorities in East L.A. and Sepulveda CA for 21 years. I worked with Illegals and legals alike. Even they know that this latest crop of illegals is different. Unlike the Two of you I had to work in contruction to maintain my lifestyle and support my ministry. My hands are not Baby-but soft. I think that your main concern is that the minute men may take away your source of identity. That would be to bad. Change your focus

- June 11, 2005

My wife and I joined FCUCC a couple of weeks ago. We moved to Portland last year from Virginia, and while we were looking for a new church, I ran across your posting:

http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/chuck_currie/2004/11/first_congregat.html

which really encouraged me to check it out. It was really hard for us to find somewhere that expressed Christianity the same way we do, so thanks for the help.

- June 8, 2005

You and your site are a disgrace to the Christian Faith. If you are representative of United Church of Christ seminarians, then I can only conclude that you're denomination is doomed. I'll be praying that you and your ilk won't be able to lead too many people astray. Feel free to go ahead and banish me from your site, but don't worry as I won't be back.

- June 7, 2005

Last year my wife and I decided to return to church, but could not bring ourselves to go back to the Unitarian denomination. After some research we came to what was basically a coin-flip between UCC and the Episcopalians.

Well, the Episcopalians won that flip—but I’ve been noticing the great work you guys have been doing ever since. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Episcopalian church (we are being confirmed this weekend), including its liturgy and relatively liberal philosophy. But UCC has been so dynamic with the “God is Still Speaking” campaign, the commercials and the continued political involvement you note on your web page.

I’m sorry you will be leaving St. Louis when you finish at Eden Seminary. I’m glad to know you were here.

- May 13, 2005

I stumbled upon your website and simply couldn't believe what I had found -- a religious blog that actually promotes tolerance, progressive ideas, compassion and liberal thoughts and ideas. The mainstream media simply refuses to represent those who call for such dialogue in society.

Deep down, I truly believe that God is all about love. And we simply need to remember what it means to love eachother again. Thanks for making my day.

- May 11, 2005

I have long regarded the Religious Right as just short of FASCIST in their approach to dogmatizing American government and policy. Keep up the good work; you are touching people and connecting with thousands you'll never see.

- May 10, 2005

The Rev. Dr. Norman J. Kansfield has been found guilty by his denomination and suspended from ministry for conducting a marriage ceremony for his daughter and her partner. The New York Times reports:

SCHENECTADY, N.Y., June 17 - In the first trial of a minister in 100 years, the general assembly of the Reformed Church in America found Friday night that the Rev. Dr. Norman J. Kansfield, a leading Protestant theologian, had violated church law by officiating at the marriage of his daughter, Ann, to her partner, Jennifer Aull, a year ago.

The delegates also voted to suspend Dr. Kansfield, 65, from the ministry until he changes his views to fall in line with church doctrine, and to strip him of his standing as a professor of theology in the church.

Dr. Kansfield said the decision was "going to be very hard to deal with.

"My life," he said, "has been the ministry." But he was encouraged that at least one-third of the delegates - those who did not vote against him - were willing to consider a "far more open stance on the inclusion of gay people."

Rev. Kansfield has paid a high price for following his call from God to minister to all. Courage and conviction – and criticism – are the hallmarks of faithfulness. My prayer is that he be returned to ministry and that all of our churches one day ask God’s forgiveness for how gays and lesbians have been treated by those who claim the title Christian.

Related Post: Homosexuality and the Bible

Related Post: The Rev. Norman Kansfield: A Good Dad & A Good Christian

That didn’t take long.

A few days ago I wrote that a resolution the United Church of Christ will debate concerning the divinity of Jesus would provoke a reaction from the religious right.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a leading figure in the religious right, weighed in on the resolution on his blog today (he links to this site in his post):

The resolution proceeds to remind the denomination that the UCC Constitution states that the body "claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers." Accordingly, the resolution "provides an opportunity for General Synod to unashamedly, unabashedly proclaim that the UCC is a Christian denomination where Jesus is Lord."

Believe it or not, the resolution has attracted significant opposition, and some observers do not expect it to pass. Consider this reaction from a New Jersey pastor: "Religiously speaking, it sounds like apple pie," commented Rev. Raymond Kostulias of the First Congregational Church of Park Ridge. Nevertheless, he's not a supporter of the statement. He described the resolution as having "a judgmental quality to it that implies very strongly that those who do not agree with us are condemned or damned or hopeless -- and that's exactly the thing that UCC is against."

Well, Rev. Kostulias, that's what the Apostles and the early chuch called the defining line between orthodoxy and heresy -- between genuine faith and a false gospel. A denomination that cannot stand together in affirming the Lordship and deity of Jesus Christ is a denomination that has set itself against Scripture and the faith of the Christian Church.

Mohler’s interpretation of the resolution is misleading. He bears false witness to the United Church of Christ. Why would we actually oppose such a resolution?

The UCC respects freedom of individual conscience, and there are no "tests of faith" mandatory on our 1.4 million members, but we do honor the historic testimonies of our spiritual ancestors as they explored the Bible and applied its insights.

The resolution as worded would create a “test of faith” and in doing so would violate our church polity. In short, the resolution is an attempt (which I hope will fail) that seeks to make the UCC adopt a fundamentalist view of scripture that is common in Mohler’s denomination. Click here to learn more.

Mohler is a polarizing figure in the religious right. He has come under fire for declaring that Roman Catholicism was a false religion. Mohler was also one of the speakers at the anti-democracy rally Justice Sunday.

Under this leadership the Southern Baptist Convention has changed dramatically. Theological moderates and liberals have left the church in droves (taking many historic churches with them). Their denomination has fully aligned themselves with the Republican Party and taken an active role in advocating a partisan political agenda. Missionaries are required to sign statements of faith that commit people who sign them to following Mohler’s teachings. Many missionaries have quit. In fact, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship – a new moderate Baptist group – formed in response to this conservative take over of their denomination so that Baptists who did not share the ideological political views of the Southern Baptist Convention would have a spiritual home.

When former Republican United States Senator John Danforth of Missouri took issue with the religious right yesterday in The New York Times it was Mohler and his colleagues (James Dobson, etc) he was discussing.

The United Church of Christ is a denomination quite obviously committed to the Christian faith. We are not, however, a doctrinal church. Our members are not required to sign pledges that align us with one theological school or another. We trust our members to be faithful disciples and feel forcing dogma on them does nothing to further that discipleship. We put our faith in God before we put it in human tests of faith.

Related Post:  Albert Mohler Says Preaching Jesus’ Theology Of Open Table Is “Diabolical” On The Part Of The United Church Of Christ

Related Post:  Albert Mohler: Jewish Voices Don't Count

Related Post:  Albert Mohler: Gay Marriage Is Just Like Terrorism

Press Statement from Jubilee USA Network

US Debt Group Rejects Harmful Conditions Additional Countries Must Meet to Qualify; Proposal Must Be Expanded Beyond HIPC Initiative

WASHINGTON – As G-8 Finance Ministers concluded their meeting in London, Jubilee USA Network was encouraged today by the apparent agreement reached by the G-8 for 100% cancellation of IMF and multilateral debts for some heavily indebted countries, but insisted all impoverished nations must be included in the deal. Though 18 countries will receive immediate cancellation, the Network demanded that the G-8 also provide immediate cancellation to other impoverished nations without forcing them to implement harmful economic policies as part of the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Initiative.

“The G-8 proposal for 100% debt cancellation for some poor nations to the IMF and other international lenders is an important first step, but the deal must be expanded to include all impoverished countries, not just those eligible for the HIPC Initiative,” said Neil Watkins, National Coordinator of Jubilee USA Network. “Debt cancellation must come without subjecting these countries to devastating economic conditions.”

The G-8 agreement for multilateral debt cancellation apparently includes a deal for 100% cancellation of debt to the World Bank, IMF, and African Development Fund for 18 “completion point” HIPC nations. The proposal would establish an important precedent, long advocated by Jubilee USA Network, that poor countries must receive 100% cancellation of their debts to multilateral creditors.

Jubilee USA Network is concerned, however, that the eligible nations represent only a small portion of the countries that require immediate 100% cancellation; for instance there are 62 low-income countries that need debt cancellation to meet the MDGs, and 50 countries in the JUBILEE Act, a bill Jubilee USA supports in Congress. Many other nations suffer under a burden of odious or illegitimate debt.

Jubilee USA Network expressed strong concerns that the use of HIPC Initiative criteria to determine which countries beyond the initial 18 receive debt cancellation is misguided as it requires countries to implement devastating economic policies, that have not been proven to increase per capita income growth or reduce poverty. Jubilee USA called on the HIPC Initiative and harmful economic conditions attached to debt cancellation to be abandoned and all impoverished nations to receive 100% debt cancellation.

Jubilee USA Network further notes that action along the lines apparently agreed by the G-8 on impoverished country debt would provide an important first step towards the Jubilee vision of a world where external debt no longer diverts resources from impoverished people or constrains policy choices. Jubilee USA Network will continue to work for debt cancellation for more countries (such as impoverished countries not included in this deal, middle income countries with large impoverished populations and those with odious/illegitimate debts) and creditors (such as the InterAmerican Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, bilateral, and private creditors) not included in this year's initiative in the years ahead.

Jubilee USA Network is the US arm of the international movement working for debt cancellation for impoverished nations. Jubilee USA is a network of over 70 religious denominations, labor groups, environmental organizations, and community and advocacy groups working to break the chains of debt. For more information, see www.jubileeusa.org .

Related Post:  Micah 6:1-8: A Sermon For Jubilee Sunday

The Rev. John Danforth, a former Republican United States Senator from Missouri, writes today in The New York Times:

People of faith have the right, and perhaps the obligation, to bring their values to bear in politics. Many conservative Christians approach politics with a certainty that they know God's truth, and that they can advance the kingdom of God through governmental action. So they have developed a political agenda that they believe advances God's kingdom, one that includes efforts to "put God back" into the public square and to pass a constitutional amendment intended to protect marriage from the perceived threat of homosexuality.

Moderate Christians are less certain about when and how our beliefs can be translated into statutory form, not because of a lack of faith in God but because of a healthy acknowledgement of the limitations of human beings. Like conservative Christians, we attend church, read the Bible and say our prayers.

But for us, the only absolute standard of behavior is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we find that the Love Commandment takes precedence when it conflicts with laws. We struggle to follow that commandment as we face the realities of everyday living, and we do not agree that our responsibility to live as Christians can be codified by legislators.

When, on television, we see a person in a persistent vegetative state, one who will never recover, we believe that allowing the natural and merciful end to her ordeal is more loving than imposing government power to keep her hooked up to a feeding tube.

When we see an opportunity to save our neighbors' lives through stem cell research, we believe that it is our duty to pursue that research, and to oppose legislation that would impede us from doing so.

We think that efforts to haul references of God into the public square, into schools and courthouses, are far more apt to divide Americans than to advance faith.

Following a Lord who reached out in compassion to all human beings, we oppose amending the Constitution in a way that would humiliate homosexuals.

For us, living the Love Commandment may be at odds with efforts to encapsulate Christianity in a political agenda. We strongly support the separation of church and state, both because that principle is essential to holding together a diverse country, and because the policies of the state always fall short of the demands of faith. Aware that even our most passionate ventures into politics are efforts to carry the treasure of religion in the earthen vessel of government, we proceed in a spirit of humility lacking in our conservative colleagues.

Click here for the full article.

Danforth is an Episcopal minister.  He also served briefly as United Nations Ambassador.

A group of United Church of Christ seminarians from Andover-Newton Theological School (one of the seven UCC seminaries) is concerned about the pronouncement going before the UCC’s General Synod in July that would open up multiple paths to ministry. The resolution would create a mentorship program that candidates for ministry could go through instead of seminary.

These seminarians at Andover-Newton want to make sure that the Master of Divinity program at each of our seminaries is affordable and accessible, state that the pronouncement is too ambiguous, are concerned that the pronouncement does not address the issue of smaller churches not being able to afford seminary trained ministers, and are “concerned about the lack of seminarian voice within the work and ministries of our denomination.”

They've set-up a web site – Ministry Issues – where you can learn more.

This issue has been discussed some here on the campus of Eden Theological Seminary (a question about the pronouncement was even on my final exam this spring in UCC Polity). I’m more comfortable with the pronouncement moving forward than some others. However, I believe the issues raised by the Andover-Newton folks are serious and well thought out. Those at General Synod would be wise to listen to their voice.

Related Post:  General Synod to consider endorsing 'multiple paths of preparation' for ordination

Press Release from the National Council of Churches USA

New York, June 16, 2005 -- The National Council of Churches USA has welcomed bi-partisan legislation introduced in Congress today urging President Bush "to announce a plan for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year."

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) introduced the legislation.

NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar urged churches to participate in a grassroots campaign to encourage members of Congress to support the resolution.

"The development of an exit strategy for Iraq is long overdue," Edgar said. "It is time for the Administration to inform the American people as to when we will leave this war-torn country. While we are pleased that this legislation has been introduced, we call on all people of faith to contact their Members of Congress and urge them to pass it."

In a recent op-ed piece sent to U.S. media, Edgar and two other peace activists stressed the importance of a resolution that clarifies U.S. policy on when the war will end.

"It is of the utmost importance for the U.S. Congress to make this official. A declaration would ease growing concerns about U.S. imperial ambitions in the region and fears that the U.S. desires to secure the region's oil fields against the growing energy appetites of China and India," the op-ed piece said.

The other authors of the piece are Joe Volk, Executive Director, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Jim Winkler, General Secretary, Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church.

According to a Gallup poll released last week, three-quarters of Americans support a withdrawal of some or all troops starting immediately.

"The administration's policy in Iraq is failing," said former Congressman Tom Andrews (D-Maine). "There is no light at the end of the tunnel, only the lights from oncoming trains in the form of daily suicide bombings and ambushes. It is time to start bringing our men and women in uniform home."

The NCC is part of a national coalition urging an end to the war. The coalition, which includes MoveOn.org, True Majority, Sojourners, Working Assets and the National Organization of Women, is planning a national grassroots outreach campaign encouraging Members of Congress to sign onto the bi-partisan resolution.

"Iraq's future will be determined by how the political struggle among its factions plays out. The U.S. military occupation only complicates, and defers resolution of that struggle," said Susan Shaer, Executive Director of Women's Action for New Directions. "Meanwhile, over 1,700 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Many tens of thousands of Iraqis have also died," she said.

"It is a truism that there are no longer any good options in Iraq," Andrews added. "The question is how long will U.S. policy makers pursue a failing policy at an unacceptable cost, human and financial. It is time the Congress demand a plan for a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces."

Paying taxes for government services is a civic responsibility and should be viewed as part of a Christian's commitment to the "common good," according to a resolution to be debated at next month’s (United Church of Christ) General Synod in Atlanta.

The tax code should also be progressive with the heaviest burden on those with the financial means, according to a proposed resolution -- “For the Common Good” -- sponsored by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries, one of the Church’s four Covenanted Ministries.

Full story

This post has been updated

In the coming weeks you’ll read a lot about the United Church of Christ in the media. Our General Synod begins July 1st in Atlanta and many of the issues considered will be difficult and controversial. I’ve written about several of those issues – including gay marriage and divestment from companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine. But there are other issues that will also cause a stir in the media and among critics of the UCC in the religious right.

One headline you’ll likely see will read something like:

United Church of Christ Rejects Divinity of Jesus

In fact, that came close to being the headline today in one New Jersey paper.

A small group of UCC members are pushing a resolution declaring support for the divinity of Jesus. The resolution reads in part:

The greatest issue facing our denomination is whether or not to acknowledge the Lordship and divinity of Jesus, which is the most basic of all Christian teachings. A pastor or church cannot deny the divinity of Jesus and claim to be Christian. Our status as a Christian denomination and our loyalty to Jesus as Lord needs to be clarified since it is well known that there are UCC pastors and churches that do not adhere to the Lordship and divinity of Jesus, so much so in fact that the UCC is often referred to as “Unitarians Considering Christ.” It is highly detrimental to the health and growth of UCC churches and extremely embarrassing for UCC pastors and members to be viewed as non-Christians. This resolution provides us with the opportunity to vigorously dispel any notions that we allow non-Christian and/or anti-Christian doctrines, while at the same time providing us the opportunity to boldly declare and celebrate that we are indeed a Christian denomination requiring that all of our pastors and churches adhere to the most essential, indispensable Christian doctrine of all, namely that Jesus is Lord.

Click here to read the full text of the resolution.

If the proposal were adopted clergy and seminarians would have to declare support for this interpretation of Scripture and tradition.

The Rev. Albert W. Kovacs of Woodbridge told The Record and Herald News that the resolution was needed because in the UCC:

We have significant numbers of clergy who don't believe in God.

I called Rev. Kovacs today and asked him if he could name any UCC pastor or church that didn’t believe in God. He said there might be some “Unitarians up in New England” but he could not name any. His comments are untrue and shameful and cannot be backed up with facts.

What the backers of this resolution are actually after is a fundamentalist interpretation of Scripture and it is true that such an interpretation is widely rejected in our denomination. The UCC is also not a creedal or doctrinal church.

The United Church of Christ embraces a theological heritage that affirms the Bible as the authoritative witness to the Word of God, the creeds of the ecumenical councils, and the confessions of the Reformation. The UCC has roots in the "covenantal" tradition—meaning there is no centralized authority or hierarchy that can impose any doctrine or form of worship on its members. Christ alone is Head of the church. We seek a balance between freedom of conscience and accountability to the apostolic faith. The UCC therefore receives the historic creeds and confessions of our ancestors as testimonies, but not tests of the faith.

The UCC was formed by a merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (E & R) and the Congregational Christian Churches (CCC) in 1957.

Ask one UCC church what doctrine means to them and you’ll get a different answer than that of another UCC church across town. You’ll more than likely receive different answers even among members of the same church. The historic cultural and religious differences in our founding denominational bodies have created great diversity of theological thought in the local churches of the UCC. Our fore-parents opposed slavery and owned slaves, believed only in infant baptism and only in adult baptism, and were open to the ordination of women and opposed to the ordination of women. “In matters of worship, and in all other matters, the United Church of Christ is the inheritor of this history with all its splendor and shame and is responsible for appropriating now the great lessons this history is able to teach,” states the UCC Book of Worship.

Robert S. Paul writes in his book Freedom with Order that “the history of the UCC prevents it from having any single fixed pattern of ecclesiology as part of its essential dogma.” As Paul notes, however, this lack of a fixed pattern of ecclesiology does not mean we are not united. When the UCC launched the “God Is Still Speaking” advertising campaign in late 2004 it was noted that of the over 2,000 congregations that took part in the initial phase of training sessions on how to benefit from the advertising the churches were equally divided between former E & R churches, CCC congregations, and new UCC churches formed after the 1957 merger. Churches that “opted-in” to the campaign did so with the understanding that the commercials that aired (which included images of gays and lesbians attending church) represented the welcoming nature of the UCC. Paul writes there are at least seven areas were there is widespread agreement in the UCC:

1. We do have, first, a historical priority to follow a form of church government that gives to each and every member his proper respect and due; and second, an ecumenical priority to adopt a form of the church that will enable us to press toward the ultimate unity of all Christians.
2. This ecumenical priority also means that we should treat all forms of the church arising from the traditional authorities with seriousness
3. We are concerned less with the exact pattern (or rather, patterns) of the church in the New Testament than with the spirit that permeated the New Testament churches.
4. Although we do not feel bound necessarily to follow the shape that the church has developed in history, we recognize that this constitutes a valuable testimony to the way in which Christians have tried to put themselves corporately under the Spirit of God.
5. There must be freedom in church structures to adapt ecclesiastical forms to meet the needs of the institutional church in each succeeding age.
6. Human rationality is not an absolute authority, but it is a God-given gift, and we would hold that it may be applied to the needs of ministry and evangelism in any age, as long as it is made to serve the ends of the gospel and does not become an end in itself.
7. The most important principle that arises from UCC history is that ecclesiology should be governed by Christology and theology.

The General Synod of the UCC meets every two years. It is “the biennial meeting of the United Church of Christ. Delegates from Conferences, Covenanted Ministries, and a broad range of interest groups meet every two years to consider the business of the church and its relationship with the wider world. Because every UCC congregation is self-governing, its resolutions speak ‘to’ but not ‘for’ the local church,” according to the UCC web site. The events of General Synod often test the cohesiveness of the denomination. Conservatives have bemoaned that delegates at General Synod have put the UCC on record supporting such causes as gay rights and stem cell research (to name two recent issues). Others in the UCC have hailed the prophetic voice that many feel emerges from General Synod each year. The competing theologies at work in the UCC will be tested again this year as the church debates different resolutions. Since the 1957 merger the UCC has seen membership decline and many churches have left the denomination to become independent or to join more conservative fellowships. Some argue the reason for this decline is because of the “liberal” bent of the UCC. However, the decline has also been noted in other mainline churches and in the Roman Catholic Church (which has become more conservative on social issues).

Louis H. Gunnemann quotes in his book The Shaping of the United Church of Christ Reinhold Niebuhr as saying that the creation of the UCC was “a landmark in American religious history.” There is no debating that the UCC has been and continues to be one of the most interesting and creative churches in the United States. But without a shared ecclesiology can the denomination last? Or is our ecclesiology simply a respect for differences in a tradition that solidly believes than an on-going encounter with the Holy Spirit informs our faith? The divisions in the UCC are real and should not be ignored. At the same time, however, it should be celebrated and noted that this experiment in ecumenism has in many ways thrived and become firmly planted. After all these years since the merger there is growing evidence – as seen in the large numbers of churches opting-in to the God Is Still Speaking campaign – that there is growing unity among our churches along the lines of the principles that Paul noted in his 1987 book.

It is quite likely that the resolution asking the UCC to affirm Jesus’ divinity will be defeated. Does that mean that the UCC does not follow the teachings of the Bible (or more specifically Jesus)? Hardly. What the defeat of this resolution will mean is that we respect that our members have different theological understandings about who Jesus was and what it means to follow Jesus and we welcome the conversation.

Update:  Delegates at the General Synod of the United Church of Christ passed an excellent re-written version of the "divinity" resolution.  The adopted resolution takes out the section that most concerned me (the part which would have required clergy and seminary students to profess one understanding of Jesus over others) and re-affirms that the UCC "continues to claim as our own the ecumenical faith that Jesus Christ is both human and divine, our Lord, Sovereign and Savior."  You can read the full resolution here.  Our General Synod delegates took a poorly written resolution and transformed it into something we can all agree with. 

Our family and friends have been asking when we'll be moving back in Oregon and now we have a better date in mind.  My final class will end December 19th and that means we should be back in Oregon by Christmas.  Our three years in St. Louis have moved in many ways pretty quickly.  We're looking forward to coming home.   

United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries Action Alert

In late May, the House of Representatives voted 238-194 in bipartisan support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, a bill that would revoke restrictions placed on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research by President Bush in 2001. A companion bill, S. 471, was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA). President Bush has vowed to veto the bill. Embryonic stem cell research could alleviate pain and suffering for the millions of people who struggle with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, Alzeimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses. Contact your senators and urge them to support the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005.

Related Post: Support For Embryonic Stem Cell Research Is A Christian Position

The religious right group Family Research Council sent out another misleading e-mail to their supporters today.  It stated:

When FRC accused Senate Democrats who were obstructing President Bush's judicial nominees of a "filibuster against people of faith," liberals hastened to either deny or obscure the fact that conservative Christians were being specifically targeted. But now, an escalation of hysterical rhetoric and threats on the part of pro-homosexual groups is making even clearer that their intention is not just to defeat, but to silence, people with traditional values….

Statements like this are meant to inflame people on the right – and it works. Violence against gays and lesbians has increased over the last year and the rhetoric of the religious right is one of the reasons. 

Judicial nominees whose names were sent to the senate by the president have not been opposed because of their faith but because of their opposition to civil rights and health care options for women. Many Christians – Protestant and Catholic – have joined with other people of faith to oppose the radical agenda of the religious right and the nominees they would hope to place on the courts.

However, the tactics of the religious right on this issue should be of concern to all Americans.

The editors of The Christian Century wrote on May 17th:

After listening to James Dobson and his evangelical Christian colleagues talk about controlling the federal judiciary through the Republican majority in Congress – to the extent of punishing judges and defunding courts – one can’t help recalling the events in 1930s Germany. The National Socialists removed judges who didn’t go along with the party program. Law became what they party said it would.

Dobson, speaking on his radio show it April, imagined political change proceeding this way: “The troublesome Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco could be abolished and then staffed by different judges immediately.” He complained that “Congress has not had the political gumption to take any such action.” House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has encouraged such views: “We set up the courts. We can unset the courts. We have the power of the purse.”

Dobson seems not to realize that an independent judiciary is essential to the rule of law. As one prominent jurist explains: “If we are to be a nation of laws and not of men, judges must be impartial referees… By insulating judges from external retaliation and from internal temptations of ambition [by life appointment and irreducible salary], the framers hoped that the judiciary would be free of pressure not only from the government by also from the people.” These words are not from the left-wing fringe; they belong to archconservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

In our democratic nation people are free to choose who they want to model their lives after and follow. Do the leaders of the religious right want to be remembered as faithful followers of Jesus or as those who adopted the rhetoric and tactics of the Nazi Germany? It looks like they have already made their choice.

Related Link: Holy War

Faith blogger Bill Tammeus, a columnist for The Kansas City Star, has an article out today on religion blogs that has been distributed by the good folks at Knight Ridder Newspapers. He was kind enough to mention my site. Thanks, Bill.

We affirm our belief in the One God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

We agree that the Christian and Muslim traditions are unambiguous on the sanctity of human life and on the protection of all forms of creation, including the environment. We believe in the dignity of all human beings and their roles as trustees and humble custodians of the earth and their responsibility for the needs of future generations.

We believe that chemical, biological and particularly nuclear weapons do not discriminate between combatants and non-combatants and inevitably destroy innocent human life, even as they destroy other forms of life such as animals and vegetation, cause irrevocable damage to the environment for many generations to come and cause human suffering and disease. Therefore, we hold that these weapons are contrary to our religious and ethical principles.

We agree that the ideal response to the nuclear threat is a total and universal ban on all such weapons, including low yield tactical nuclear weapons, their development, production, possession, acquisition, deployment, use, and the threat of use. We hold further that any weakening of the nuclear "Non-Proliferation Treaty" is a setback for world peace.

We agree that all nations, without exception, must abide by international treaties, agreements and other international covenants of which they are signatories.

We further agree that the possession of nuclear weapons is an unacceptable risk for the human community in these times and is a continuing threat to the entire planet and its fragile ecosystem. The risk of theft of nuclear weapons or materials by non-state actors for nuclear terrorism as well as the continuing risk of accidental use of nuclear weapons by nation states themselves makes even the possession of nuclear weapons a danger to God’s creation.

We agree that the enormous resources spent on nuclear weapons can be put to much better use to deal with the problems of poverty, disease and ignorance and to promote a peaceful pluralistic civil society, free of hate and prejudice.

We encourage engagement on the part of civil society in the debate and policy making decisions relating to nuclear weapons.

We therefore believe that the common position held by both of our traditions, expressed as the sanctity of human life, leads us inexorably to say that the only real security for the world and the most responsible position for people of faith in our two traditions is to call upon the United States and other countries of the world to, gradually and in a verifiable manner, finally eliminate these weapons from the face of the earth.

Endorsers

• Organizations are listed for identification purposes only.

Dr. Asma Afsaruddin, Muslim
Associate Professor, Dept. of Arabic & Islamic Studies, University of Notre Dame
Sadida Athaullah, Muslim
Board of Directors, Muslim Peace Fellowship
Dr. Jamal Badawi, Muslim
Islamic Society of North America
Rev. Kay C. Barckley, United Methodist
Deacon, University Temple United Methodist Church, Seattle, WA
Rev. Lawrence R. Bolick, United Church of Christ
Director of Spiritual Life, Abernethy Laurels of United Church Homes and Services of Southern Conference UCC, Newton, NC
Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock
Director, Faith Voices for the Common Good
Chuck Currie, United Church of Christ
Seminarian, Central Pacific Conference UCC, Portland, OR
Rev. Bob Edgar
General Secretary, National Council of Churches
Mohamed Elsanousi, Muslim
Director of Communications and Community Outreach, Islamic Society of North America
Dr. Muneer Fareed, Muslim
Associate Professor, Dept. of Near Eastern & Asian Studies, Wayne State University
Dr. Neal F. Fisher, United Methodist
President Emeritus and Senior Scholar in Theology, Garrett-Evangelical Theolgical Seminary
Rev. Dr. Donald P. Flick, United Church of Christ
Taylorsville, North Carolina
Rev. Barbara Green, Presbyterian
Executive Director, Churches' Center for Theology and Public Policy
Rev. Debra Haffner, Unitarian Universalist
Dr. Scott Haldeman, Presbyterian
Assistant Professor of Worship, Chicago Theological Seminary
Rabia Terri Harris, Muslim
Coordinator, Muslim Peace Fellowship
Imam Yahya Hendi, Muslim
Muslim Chaplain, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C
Dr. James E. Hug, S.J., Roman Catholic
President, Center of Concern
Dr. Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad, Muslim
Founder of the Africana Islamic Institute, Camden, New Jersey
Dr. Sherman Jackson, Muslim
Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Dept. of Near Eastern Studies University of Michigan
Dr. Ted Jennings, United Methodist
Professor of Biblical and Constructive Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary
Dr. Nazir Khaja, Muslim
Chairman, Islamic Information Service, CA
Rev. Richard Killmer, Presbyterian
Program Director, Churches' Center for Theology and Public Policy
Dr. Charles Kimball, Baptist
Professor of Comparative Religion, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Pastor, Washington, DC
Ibrahim M. Abdil-Mu'id Ramey, Muslim
Director of the Disarmament Program, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Anna Rhee, United Methodist
Board of Directors, Churches’ Center for Theology and Public Policy
Dr. Louay Safi, Muslim
Executive Director, Islamic Society of North America
Muhammad Shafiq, PhD, Muslim
Imam/Executive Director, Islamic Center of Rochester, NY and Executive Director, Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue, Nazareth College, Rochester, NY
Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Muslim
Chairman, Fiqh Council of North America
Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, Roman Catholic
President of the Board of the Churches' Center for Theology and Public Policy
Rabbi Daniel Swartz, Jewish
Family Educator, Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, MD
Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, United Church of Christ
President and Professor of Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary
John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ
General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. E. Valentin-Castanon, United Methodist
Director of Civil and Human Rights, UMC General Board of Church and Society
Joe Volk, Religious Society of Friends
Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Dr. Jim Walsh
Executive Director, Managing the Atom, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Peter Weiderud, Church of Sweden
Director, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, World Council of Churches
Rev. Nathan D. Wilson, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Minister, Clintonville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Paris, KY
Dr. Christine Wing, Presbyterian
Member of South Presbyterian Church, Dobbs Ferry, NY

Add Your Endorsement

Religious leaders of all faiths are invited to endorse this statement. While it was originally developed by Christians and Muslims, leaders of other faiths are invited to join them in affirming the principles expressed in the statement. To endorse the statement, click here.

Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry held a bill signing ceremony this week at an evangelical church school with representatives of the Family Research Council and the American Family Association. Both groups are radical right-wing organizations. The bills signed by the governor limited health care options for young women and placed a constitutional amendment before Texas voters banning same-sex marriages. Perry used the occasion to suggest that gays move out of state:

When a television reporter asked him how the proposed amendment might affect gay veterans in Texas — one of the groups protesting outside the Calvary school — Perry replied, “Texans made a decision about marriage, and if there’s a state that has more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that’s a better place for them to live.”

Perry’s outrageous comments are a gross betrayal of American values. No elected official should sugguest that an entire class of citizens move. Perry's views are also a betrayal of the Christian faith. He signed the bill in front of a crowd organized by the religious right but his actions and words were in direct opposition to the teachings of Jesus who spoke of radical hospitality.

Gay Dallas lawyer Ed Ishmael called on Perry to apologize, calling the governor’s remark “outrageous.”

“I am a Texan, and I’ll not let the likes of Rick Perry tell me to leave this state,” Ishmael said in an e-mail statement.

Randall Ellis, executive director of the Texas Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby, also called on Perry to apologize.

“It is shameful that the Governor would ask a group of veterans to leave Texas,” Ellis said in a statement released Tuesday.

“Real Texans honor the sacrifice and service of all our veterans. If Rick Perry will attack those who are fighting and bleeding for our country in Iraq for his own political reasons, then who is next?”

Texas has an abundance of leaders questioning the fundamentals of democracy. Tom Delay and John Cornyn made comments this spring that seemed to both encourage and excuse violence against judges. Perry himself used rhetoric against judges when signing the bills.

"Activist judges have used the bench to advance a narrow agenda," the governor said, adding that the measure defining marriage as a sacred bond between a man and a woman "places it beyond the reach of activist judges."

Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued a statement critical of the rally. Perry’s campaign had planned to film the bill signing and sent out an e-mail stating “we want to completely fill this location with pro-family Christian friends who can celebrate with us." The only non-Christian invited was Rabbi David Stone of the Beth Yeshua Messianic Jewish Congregation in Fort Worth. The “group believes that Jesus was the Messiah, a tenet heretical to traditional Jews,” reported The New York Times.

Related Post:  Homosexuality and the Bible

Residents of Wahkiakum County and Puget Island, Washington fighting the placement of a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility on the Columbia River – an environmental nightmare waiting to happen - have a new organizing tool: a blog. Visit Wahkiakum Friends of the River.

Related Post: Help My Mom Save The Columbia River & Puget Island

Next month the General Synod of the United Church of Christ will meet. On the agenda are two resolutions calling on the UCC to either study the issue of divestment of resources from companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine or to actually begin such a divestment program immediately (click here and here for background). Jewish groups in the United States have largely been critical of such efforts. However, at least one prominent Jewish group backs such efforts. Jewish Voice for Peace has defended a similar divestment initiative undertaken by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.. Here is their statement:

With some 10,000 members and supporters, and a board of advisors that includes high-profile American Jews and Israeli peace activists, Jewish Voice for Peace is one of the largest and oldest grassroots Jewish peace organizations in the United States.

For years, through its call to suspend military aid to Israel until it ends its occupation of Palestinian lands, Jewish Voice for Peace has been part of a large movement calling for material pressure on Israel. That movement is growing, with others joining in the effort to resist funding the occupation while maintaining a positive relationship with the Israeli people.

In July, 2004, the Presbyterian Church made a decision to investigate selective divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation. As a result, a number of mainline Jewish organizations have called on Christian organizations to oppose divestment. All the while, the actual content of the Presbyterian Church’s decision has been misreported as a decision to divest from Israel. In fact, the PCUSA merely decided to investigate divestment from companies, both American and Israeli, that profit from the occupation.

At JVP, we fully support selective divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. This includes American companies like Caterpillar who profit from the wholesale destruction of Palestinian homes and orchards. It also includes Israeli companies who depend on settlements for materials or labor or who produce military equipment used to violate Palestinian human rights.

We believe that general divestment from Israel is an unwise strategy at this time. We believe that economic measures targeted specifically at the occupation and the Israeli military complex that sustains it are much more likely to produce results.

However, we absolutely reject the accusation that general divestment or boycott campaigns are inherently anti-Semitic. The Israeli government is a government like any other, and condemning its abuse of state power, as many of its own citizens do quite vigorously, is in no way the same as attacking the Jewish people.

Further, it is crucial not only to criticize the immoral and illegal acts of the Israeli government, but to back up that criticism with action. Socially responsible investing, divestment, and boycott campaigns have proven to be effective tools for both individuals and institutions working to make governments accountable to international human rights standards. The mere fact that some groups have chosen different or more aggressive tactics from us does not necessarily make them anti-Semitic.

Each year, US corporations receive an alarming subsidy from US taxpayers, primarily in the form of US military aid to Israel. The total amount of US aid given to Israel since 1949 represents the largest transfer of funds from one country to another in history. Seventy-five percent of US military aid to Israel must by law be spent in US corporations, making corporations, not Israel or Israelis, the primary recipients of US aid. This means that US corporations are primary beneficiaries of Israel’s continued and brutal military occupation of Palestinian lands.

The lopsided American foreign policy may seem to be in Israel’s interest, but it actually works to the detriment of the Israeli people. Continued militarization of Israeli society increases the exposure of Israeli women and children to violence in their daily lives, and has helped lead the country to economic crisis. At the same time, this unbalanced US foreign policy has devastated the Palestinians. Americans of conscience must work to balance that policy in favor of a peaceful solution. It is not discriminatory that Americans working for a just peace focus their attention on Israel’s occupation and take concrete steps to end it, like divesting from companies profiting from Israel’s occupation.

Neither the US nor Israel will change their policies in favor of peace through their own goodwill. This is not the way of governments. Tangible pressure must be brought to bear if policies promoting a better future are to take root. The time has come for groups to bring that pressure to bear.

We salute the Presbyterian Church for their courage in taking on this critical human rights issue, and are grateful for the visionary leadership of the Sisters of Loretto and the Sisters of Mercy who insisted on holding the Caterpillar Corporation to account for their sale of weaponized bulldozers to Israel.

And we remind the many groups that are alarmed by the Presbyterian Church’s actions that the best way to stop the growing divestment movement is to eliminate its root cause -- Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. We call on all Americans of conscience to join the Presbyterian Church, the Sisters of Loretto, Sisters of Mercy, Jewish Voice for Peace and countless other groups in taking tangible steps to create a better future for Israelis and Palestinians together.

How would I vote?

I support the effort to study the divestment issue further. However, I have come believe that before the UCC goes on record supporting divestment there should be a period of further engagement between our denomination and leaders in Israel. The concerns of Jewish peace groups like the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism – which argues divestment now will only polarize the situation further – should be taken seriously. But Jewish Voice for Peace should be applauded for having the courage to speak out on behalf of peace and to correctly assert that the divestment movement is not anti- Semitic.

Resolution #1: Calling for a Study of Divestment of Church Funds from Companies that Profit from the Perpetuation of Violence and Injustice in Israel and Palestine

Resolution #2:  Selective Divestment from Companies Involved with Israel’s Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the Building of the "Security Fence," and the Israeli Settlements Within the Palestinian Territory

Eden Theological Seminary will be the site this week of a program sponsored by the Fund For Theological Excellence designed to help people explore their call to ministry.

ST. LOUIS - The Fund for Theological Education is looking for a few good ministers.

The Atlanta-based program will host 110 students from 16 denominations at an event in suburban St. Louis next week, aimed at helping them decide if they want to pursue life in the Christian clergy.

The fund's work to attract the best and brightest may be more important than ever: A large numbers of pastors are preparing to retire, there's a declining image in some quarters about going into the ministry, and high amounts of seminary debt may keep young people from pursuing a religious life, said Melissa Wiginton, the fund's director of ministry programs.

When young people determine if they are meant to be in the clergy, they often don't have friends wrestling with the same issues, Wiginton said.

That's part of the reason why the Fund for Theological Education, which awarded more than $450,000 this year to undergraduates and divinity students, also began bringing its scholars together in recent years for an annual conference. The excellence in ministry conference will be held Wednesday through Sunday at the Eden Theological Seminary in the St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves.

Click here to read the full story.

The average seminarian leaves with over $30,000 in debt for positions that often pay little. Programs like those offered by the Fund For Theological Excellence can be of tremendous value.

If you’re a member of the United Church of Christ and feel you have been called to ministry please visit Ask The Question for information.

Evangelical Christian and best selling author Rick Warren is advocating that the United States become more involved with the global fight against poverty. “I deeply believe that if we as evangelicals remain silent and do not speak up in defense of the poor, we lose our credibility and our right to witness about God's love for the world,” says the author of The Purpose Driven Life. ““It is a moral issue … a compassion issue … and because Jesus commanded us to help the poor, it is an obedience issue!” Click here to read more.

Warren’s advocacy is notable because of the lack of involvement in anti-poverty efforts by many evangelical Christians. Evangelical groups like Focus on the Family and the Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) prefer that evangelical Christians focus on abortion and homosexuality. Issues concerning poverty are either notably absent from the agenda of these religious right organizations or they go so far as to defend economic policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the “least of these.”

This evening we had a small group of friends from Eden Theological Seminary over for dinner.  It was a chance for us to say good-bye to Aaron and Carrie.  Aaron graduated from Eden last month and has been called to a UCC congregation in North Dakota.  Pictured here are (left-to-right) Meredith Anderson, Scott Elliott, Aaron Roberts and myself.  Meredith and Aaron were two of the other Eden students on the study seminar to Southern India that I took two summers ago.  Scott is the only other Oregonian among the current group of students at Eden.  Below are Carrie (left) and Liz.  We're going to miss having Aaron and Carrie around.

Action Alert from Clergy and Laity Network

The second phase of the Break the Silence Bus Tour will kick-off Sunday evening, June 12 in Chicago, at the Rainbow-Push Headquarters. The full details are below.

If you would like to volunteer to be part of the a local host committee please contact Zev Kanter, our Washington Coordinator.

Bus Tour Day 1: Sunday, June 12
Chicago, IL - 2:00 PM event, 4:00 PM rally and bus tour sendoff at Rainbow Push Headquarters, 930 E. 50th St., Chicago

Bus Tour Day 2: Monday, June 13
Indianapolis, IN - 11:30 AM rally at Central Christian Church,
701 N. Delaware, Indianapolis

Lexington, KY - 6:30 PM rally at Red Mile Club, Red Mile Road, Lexington

Bus Tour Day 3: Tuesday, June 14
Columbus, OH - 11:30 AM rally location TBD

Pittsburgh, PA - 7:00 PM rally at Holy Cross Episcopal Church,
7507 Kelly St., Pittsburgh

Bus Tour Day 4: Wednesday, June 15
Cleveland, OH - 4:30 PM rally at First United Methodist Church,
3000 Euclid, Cleveland, OH

The Bus Tour will energize and rally the progressive people of faith against a government that pursues war instead of peace, abandons a stewardship of the environment and repudiates economic justice for the poor, while creating a group of local  interfaith leaders who will develop an ongoing local progressive religious presence in politically important states.

Possible and invited speakers include: Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Barack Obama, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Lexington Mayor Theresa Isaac, Kentucky State Representative Kathy Stein, Dr. Glenn Hinson, and Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell.

Check back here soon to find updated information on Bus Tour stops and dates. Or you can visit Building the Beloved Community or DriveDemocracy for the latest on the bus tour.

An Op-Ed by

Bob Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of Churches
Joe Volk, Executive Director, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jim Winkler, General Secretary, Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church

Having invaded and occupied Iraq, the United States must not abandon the Iraqi people. And U.S. military forces and bases must withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.

We call on the Congress to go on record that it is the policy of the United States not to remain in Iraq as a military presence.

In September 2002, when it was clear the U.S. was moving toward war with Iraq, we called together faith leaders to organize opposition to the war. It was and remains our belief that there was no connection between al-Qaeda and Saddam's Baathist regime and we believed it was necessary to allow United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq to do their job. Moreover, we believed the invasion of Iraq would be a catastrophe.

Over the following six months, opposition to the war grew dramatically. At the end of December 2002, we led a group of American church leaders to Iraq as "humanitarian inspectors." We discovered Iraq did not want war and was in a shambles as a result of a decade of punitive U.N. sanctions and the impact of depleted uranium weapons used by the U.S. in the first Gulf War.

In February 2003, we sent delegations of U.S. leaders to London, Berlin, Rome, Paris and Moscow to meet with Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, Pope John Paul II, and senior aides to Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin.

On February 15, 2003, 10 million people marched against the war in 600 cities across the globe in the largest anti-war demonstration in human history. On March 6, we coordinated prayer vigils for peace in 6,000 locations around the world. Still, the U.S. military invasion happened and the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate.

The United States military has been occupying Iraq and effectively controlling the political situation for more than two years. In May the Congress voted final approval for tens of billions of dollars to fund the Iraq war and occupation. Military leaders tell us that U.S. troops will be needed in Iraq for years to come. We believe there is a way to change this dynamic, to shift the discussion from troop strength and weapons to how the U.S. may responsibly withdraw.

In the midst of this turmoil and tragedy, surely we can all agree that the United States does not intend to remain in Iraq indefinitely or establish permanent military bases.

While the situation in Iraq remains volatile and the possibilities of a Western-style democracy appear increasingly remote, President Bush has repeatedly stated that the U.S. has no plans to stay in Iraq.

Therefore, now is an important time for the Congress to go on record with a declaration that it is the policy of the United States not to remain in Iraq. Such a declaration requires no timetable -- it simply establishes that the official policy of our nation is to eventually depart from Iraq.

It is of the utmost importance for the U.S. Congress to make this official. A declaration would ease growing concerns about U.S. imperial ambitions in the region and fears that the U.S. desires to secure the region's oil fields against the growing energy appetites of China and India.

Oil and gas production in Iraq is expected soon and then will begin a steady decline. As energy demand increases throughout the world and the supply of fossil fuels declines, we face the possibility of endless warfare and instability. Surely there is a better way.

The oil and gas fields of the Middle East, the Caspian Sea basin and Central Asia are of vital importance from a geo-strategic point of view. Might this be the reason the U.S. is reluctant to leave Iraq?

Wouldn't it be better to pursue new U.S. energy policies to liberate us from dependence on Middle East oil? Wouldn't it be more responsible of us to protect our grandchildren from a big power war later this century rather than begin now to prepare them to fight that war over declining reserves of fossil fuel?

Let's ask Congress to set U.S. policy in the direction of energy independence and the prevention of the next big power war. Let's make it possible for our grandchildren and the world's grandchildren to live in peace, unafraid.

Summer is in full swing. The thunderstorms that chased me home from church today proved that. For the moment this means that I’m free from class work. All I have to juggle is full time ministry over the summer months, fatherhood for twins, and being a good husband. In between all that I’m picking up books to read.

Madam Secretary by Madeleine Albright is the first one I’ve started. Albright has an amazing life story. She fled her home in Eastern Europe when the Nazis came and later sought sanctuary in the United States after the U.S.S. R. consolidated their power in Albright’s native Czechoslovakia. Albright grows from a child refugee into a political player who eventually becomes United Nations Ambassador and the first woman Secretary of State. I’ve made it through the first few chapters and find it well written and a really gripping story.

Next on my list is The Making of American Liberal Theology: Imagining Progressive Religion (1805-1900) by Gary Dorrien. This book is the first in a three volume set. I’ve encountered Dorrien’s work in several seminary courses and enjoy his books. You will too if you like historical views of theology - and how it connects to our contemporary views of God.

I have less than two weeks to make it through these books.  Then I’ll be taking a two-week break from my church work to attend the Summer Preaching Institute at Aquinas Institute of Theology here in St. Louis. It looks like a solid program.

Anyone have reading suggestions for later in the summer?

Note: This article first appeared in United Church News.  The General Synod of the United Church of Christ will be meeting July 1 -5 in Atlanta.  You'll be able to watch the event live at www.ucc.org. 

By J. Bennett Guess
June-July 2005

While dozens of significant issues await delegates at this year's General Synod in Atlanta, the "3Ms" are emerging as the summer's most debatable and potentially divisive subjects — marriage equality, ministerial ordination and the Middle East.

Already, dozens of secular news reports have touched on two of the three topics: opposing resolutions on same-gender marriage and proposals calling for divestment from companies viewed to be profiting from violence in Israeli and Palestinian Territories.

However, another more-internal decision — a pronouncement calling for multiple paths of preparation for ordained ministry — is one that could top the Synod's list of important actions, so believes the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president.

MARRIAGE: Which relationships should be sanctioned, blessed?

Synod delegates will be asked to consider three vastly different marriage-related resolutions. One would explicitly define marriage as between one man and one woman; another would endorse full religious and civil marriage equality for same-gender couples; and a third would invite the church into a deliberate time of prayer and discernment on the matter.

The full marriage equality proposal comes from the UCC's Southern California–Nevada Conference, which overwhelmingly passed a similarly worded statement at its 2004 annual meeting, where Conference leaders also were instructed to bring the measure to General Synod.

"Ideas about marriage have shifted and changed dramatically throughout human history, and such change continues even today," reads the opening line of the proposed resolution, which goes on to spell out historical, theological and biblical rationale for affirming both civil and religious recognition of same-gender marriage.

The proposal marks the first time the church's General Synod has been asked to address the issue of marriage equality outright and, if approved, would make the UCC's General Synod the first mainline Christian body to endorse civil and religious marriage for same-sex couples.

The Rev. Libby Tigner, associate minister at First Congregational UCC in Long Beach, Calif., and a spokesperson for the Conference, says marriage equality is both a legal and religious issue that should be acted upon by General Synod.

"We believe that all people are created equal in the eyes of God and should be treated equal by our governmental bodies," she says. "This is a justice issue."

The proposal is certain to be met with opposition from some UCC members, pastors and churches. Already, eight geographically diverse congregations have joined together to offer a counter resolution calling the church "to embrace the scriptural definition of marriage."

"Throughout the scriptures, marriage is always defined as being between one man and one woman," the counter resolution states. "We find examples of those who violated God's natural moral order to their own detriment, but God's standard and definition remained constant."

The Rev. Brett W. Becker, pastor of St. Paul UCC in Cibolo, Texas, who authored the one-man, one-woman resolution, says he believes the UCC should be prophetic in its defense of "traditional, biblical marriage."

"We are the United Church of Christ and I'd like to see us be faithful to the teachings of Jesus," Becker says. "[Jesus] says point blank that fornication is a sin — and it's a wide term that applies to all sexual behavior outside of marriage between a man and a woman."

The Southern California–Nevada proposal argues that, throughout history, marriage has been an evolving institution. It describes earlier times when polygamy was biblically normative, women were considered property and interracial marriages were not only taboo but illegal.

"Ideas about marriage have shifted and changed dramatically throughout human history," it reads. Becker, however, claims otherwise in his resolution: "The scriptures never define marriage as being anything other than the union of one man and one woman."

Says Becker, speaking about his proposal, "We should be loving toward all people, regardless of what issues they are dealing with, and if we truly love someone we will encourage them to avoid those things that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus."

A third document, brought by the Central Atlantic Conference, takes a more-cautious approach by asking the church "to enter into prayer, study and conversation" about marriage equality, including a review of "cultural practices, economic realities, political dynamics, religious history, and biblical interpretations."

Asked for comment, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, said he would not make a statement about the proposals until he has had time to listen to different perspectives.

MINISTRY: Multiple paths to ordination?

General synod will consider a possible "pronouncement" — a weighty statement that calls the church to its highest levels of conversation, action and implementation — concerning the adoption of multiple paths of preparation for "forming and preparing" ordained ministers. The long-anticipated, widely-vetted document makes a case that regional training and mentoring can be effective models, in some settings, for educating persons for ordination.

Like most mainline Protestant churches, the UCC has predominately adhered to a European model of educating its clergy: four years of college, followed by three years of seminary.

"The heart of this issue," says the Rev. Richard Sparrow, "is that, as we live into our goal of becoming a multiracial, multicultural, open-and-affirming, accessible-to-all church, the one-size, 4-plus-3 educational path does not adequately address the leadership needs of the UCC in all of its settings."

Sparrow, who leads the denomination's parish life and leadership ministry in Cleveland, says the pronouncement underscores the church's commitment to maintaining a highly educated clergy, but allows room for the possibility that there can be other effective ways to equip persons for ordained leadership.

"What it calls for is a deeper discernment of preparedness for ministry on behalf of our [Association- level] committees on ministry," Sparrow says. "It calls for a renewal and study of the [candidate's] in-care process as a time of formation and discernment. Committees on ministry are being called to a deeper understanding of their primary task, which is to concern themselves with the gifts, training, skills and abilities of those authorized for ministry."

Already, Sparrow points out, the UCC's Manual on Ministry outlines ordination criteria that includes the phrase "or its equivalent." However, he says, the church has had difficulty discerning, much less embracing, the word "equivalent."

"The grassroots of the church has been asking for this for 15-plus years," says Sparrow, who considers himself to be an advocate of the process, not the pronouncement itself.

The proposal does not call for a restructure of the church's three forms of authorized ministry: ordained, licensed and commissioned. More so, it opens up the possibility that licensed ministers — those who serve as pastoral leaders but often lack the formal "4-plus-3" education — could be ordained.

"We understand that for some individuals and some congregations that licensed ministry will continue to be sufficient," Sparrow says. "But for others, ordination will not be automatically barred based on formal education alone."

"We need leaders who understand and have a passion for the UCC," he says, "and that's not only a matter of 'knowing' but of 'loving' the church."

The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, underscores the pronouncement's sweeping significance, saying, "While other resolutions have sparked interest because of their controversial nature, nothing the Synod does this summer will be more important than considering the ministry issues pronouncement. Nothing less than the capacity to provide leadership to many of our congregations in rural or transitional urban communities is at stake."

In November 2004, the UCC's Council for Theological Education, which includes the UCC's seminary presidents, among others, released a joint letter stating: "We agree that the traditional, seven-year, college/seminary path will and should continue to be the path for many persons. Indeed, we think it will and should be that for most persons seeking ordination."

However, the council recognized that other paths may be needed, even though deep consideration will need to be given to the specifics of these alternatives and their implementation.

"We also agree that other options must be developed to meet the needs of a changing church," the statement continued. "We believe that, in order to be truly effective, these options will need extensive further development, review and monitoring. In particular, we believe that the equivalency the church seeks should not be located in the preparation process but in the unique qualifications of the candidate for ordination."

Thomas agrees, saying, "Formal theological education in the seminaries of the church should, I believe, remain normative for the future of the UCC. But the diverse cultural and demographic contexts of many of our communities will require that exceptions be made."

Thomas says, if the pronouncement passes in July, then "the real work will just begin."

"The national setting, the seminaries, the Conferences and our church and ministry committees will need to begin developing the multiple paths to ordination called for," Thomas says, "and we will need to begin working on ways to help persons called to ministry discern not what will be the most convenient path to ordination for them, but what will be the most appropriate."

Thomas says the proposal will require money to support theological education in multiple settings.

"Access to theological education, in our seminaries or in yet-to-be-developed Conference-based programs is a justice issue for the church," Thomas says. "The question must not be how can a candidate pay for his or her education, but how can the church take both the financial and the educational responsibility for equipping persons for ministry."

MIDDLE EAST: Can the church leverage its portfolio for peace?

General synod will consider two resolutions that call for the church to use its economic leverage to express disapproval of companies allegedly profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

A proposed resolution brought by a coalition of six congregations in Hawaii, Montana and Washington calls for "a study of divestment of church funds from companies that profit from the perpetuation of violence and injustice in Israel and Palestine."

A second proposal sponsored by the Penn West Conference asks for selective divestment from firms "involved with Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the building of the 'security fence,' and the Israeli settlements within the Palestinian Territory."

If approved, the UCC would follow in the path of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) which last year voted to begin a study of divestment from such companies.

The Rev. Alan N. McLarty, Penn West Conference Minister, told the Los Angeles Times that the proposed resolution seeks to "affirm that God seeks shalom, peace, that will bring health and wholeness to all people in the Mideast."

Penn West's resolution affirms Israel's right to exist, condemns violence on both sides of the conflict and notes that the UCC has passed resolutions condemning anti-Semitism. The proposal also explicitly names Caterpillar Inc. as a candidate for divestment, arguing that it is profiting from the perpetual violence in the Middle East.

"[Caterpillar's] purpose-built machines have enabled, and are still enabling, the Israeli Defense Force to destroy increasingly more Palestinian homes and olive orchards," the measure reads. "One of these machines was instrumental in the deliberate crushing to death of the young American peace volunteer Rachel Corrie in Gaza on March 16, 2003."

The Presbyterians and United Methodists are also reportedly considering a "corporate social responsibility" campaign against Caterpillar. The Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) also could consider economic leverage resolutions regarding Israel/Palestine at upcoming national assemblies.

The divestment effort is being met with widespread disapproval from Jewish organizations. Earlier this year, when the UCC/Disciples' Global Ministries published an online study document entitled "The Palestinians, Israel, and the Churches' Economic Leverage," the Anti-Defamation League responded with a letter on Feb. 8 complimenting the balance of the church's background piece but criticizing the idea of "divestment as formal church policy."

"While you go to great lengths to demonstrate the many ways economic 'leverage' might be employed to encourage the peace process, there is precious little else," the letter stated. "We question why there are no alternatives … ."

The UCC Pension Boards, located in New York, issued a statement on its website on April 22, saying it "shares the goals of a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, strengthening the Palestinian economy and preserving interfaith relationships" and "believes there is room for a variety of strategies among the UCC's settings, as well as our ecumenical and interfaith partners, united in seeking a common goal."

The Pension Boards, however, says a "full range of possibilities" should be explored "before the church commits to any particular course of action."

"The Pension Boards understands that many of our members do not want to profit from certain corporate activity," the statement says. "… However, we view divestment — the intentional sale of stock — as a 'last resort' strategy, to be considered only after a corporate engagement or shareholder activism approach has failed."

A third proposed resolution on the Middle East, "Tear Down The Wall," sponsored by Wider Church Ministries, calls upon the Israeli government to cease construction and dismantle the massive security barrier the separates the Israeli and Palestinian territories and calls for reparations to those displaced by its construction.

SYNOD SNAPSHOT

Here's the rundown of proposed items facing General Synod XXV when it gathers July 1-5 in Atlanta:

Proposed pronouncement

Ministry issues: Forming and preparing pastoral leaders for God's church. Calls upon Associations and Conferences to make available multiple paths of preparation for ordained ministry appropriate to the diverse needs of the church, including traditional seminary education, regional theological formation programs and mentoring.

Proposed bylaws changes

From Executive Council: Create distinct Executive Council apart from Office of General Ministries board to provide fairer distribution of EC members representing the four Covenanted Ministries; reduce size of four Covenanted Ministry boards from 56-58 to 40 each (with 30 being designated as General Synod delegates); clarify process when incumbent executive is seeking subsequent term; clarify ecumenical representation at Synod; reconstitute Cleveland's Common Services Corporation board to be comprised of representatives of its user bodies (Covenanted, Associated and Affiliated Ministries).

Proposed resolutions to be referred directly to an implementing body

1. A call for environmental education and action (Northern California-Nevada, Rocky Mountain, Connecticut and Central Pacific Conferences) Calls for implementation of programs that inspire education and action in the areas of environmental justice and protection.

2. Called to wholeness in Christ: Becoming a church accessible to all (Minnesota Conference) Urges development of accessibility and inclusion plans in support of Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

3. Supporting congregations and providing guidance for stewardship of God's creation during the coming period of declining fossil fuels (Peace UCC, Duluth, Minn.) Urges exploration of how to respond to predicted decline in future oil and natural gas supplies and asks for programs in churches to promote sustainable alternatives.

Proposed resolutions to be referred directly to a General Synod committee

1. Another world is possible: A peace with justice movement in the UCC (Justice and Witness Ministries) Supports building a denomination-wide "peace with justice movement" that embodies a multi-issue and multiracial, multicultural approach to justice and peacemaking.

2. Calling on the UCC to declare itself to be a "fair trade" denomination (Group of individual delegates) Urges the UCC to become a "fair-trade denomination" striving to offer fair trade coffee and other products and official church meetings and official church-related institutions.

3. Calling for a study of divestment of church funds from companies that profit from the perpetuation of violence and injustice in Israel and Palestine (The Church of the Crossroads UCC in Honolulu, along with five other congregations in Hawaii, Montana and Washington) Calls on the UCC to study the desirability and efficacy of divesting church funds from companies that may be profiting from the perpetuation of violence and injustice in Israel and Palestine.

4. Establishing representative and senatorial Synods (South Dakota Conference) Proposes that every other biennial gathering of General Synod be comprised only of two voting delegates from each Conference, Covenanted Ministry and Executive Council in an effort to limit the church's Synod-related financial expenditures.

5. For the common good (Justice and Witness Ministries) Calls church to uphold the common good as a foundational ideal in the United States and reject the notion that government is inherently more unwieldy or inefficient than other democratic institutions. Reaffirms the obligations of citizens to share — through taxes — the financial responsibility for public services benefiting all citizens.

6. For the International Criminal Court (Potomac Association, Central Atlantic Conference) Calls for informed advocacy in support of the International Criminal Court, urges the U.S. President to restore the signature of the United States to treaty establishing the Court.

7. In support of equal marriage rights for all (Southern California–Nevada Conference) Affirms equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender and affirms equal access for all persons to the basic rights, institutional protections and quality of life conferred by the recognition of marriage. Also, calls on congregations to prayerfully consider adopting wedding policies that do not discriminate against gay or lesbian couples and on UCC leaders to communicate the resolution to legislators and urge them to support equal marriage rights.

8. In support of fair and just compensation for lay employees of the UCC (Central Atlantic Conference) Calls on UCC employers to commit to providing lay employees an annual contribution of no less than three percent of compensation toward retirement benefits.

9. In support of ministries to our campuses of higher education (Central Atlantic Conference). Urges Local Church Ministries to provide more resources to UCC ministries in higher education and to reinstate and retain a fulltime staff position supporting campus and student ministries.

10. Marriage equality (Central Atlantic Conference) Calls on UCC to pray, study and dialogue about marriage, including possibility of equal access to civil marriage.

11. Marriage is between one man and one woman (St. Paul UCC of Cibolo, Texas and seven other congregations from New Jersey, Indiana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) Declares that marriage is not to be conferred on bigamous, polygamous or same-sex unions, or on any union of human and animal, but is to be between one man and one woman with no exceptions.

12. Promoting peace for all in the Sudan (Justice and Witness Ministries, Wider Church Ministries) Calls on the Sudanese government to end violence against civilians. Also, calls on the U.S. government to intensify efforts with the United Nations to seek a comprehensive peace in Sudan. Asks UCC members to contribute generously to humanitarian relief.

13. Religious freedom for Native Hawaiian prisoners (Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches and Hawaii Conference) Calls on Hawaiian law enforcement agencies and governmental representatives to grant native Hawaiian prisoners in Watonga, Okla., the right to practice their native religions. 14. Saving Social Security from privatization (Justice and Witness Ministries) Calls for legislative advocacy opposing privatization of Social Security.

15. Selective divestment from companies involved with Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the building of the "security fence," and the Israeli settlements within the Palestinian Territory (Penn West Conference) Asks UCC's corporate social responsibility ministry to begin process of divestment from companies involved with Israel's occupations of the West Bank and Gaza, the building of the security barrier and the Israeli settlements within Palestinian territory.

16. Tear down the wall (Wider Church Ministries) Calls upon the Israeli government to cease construction and dismantle security barrier marking the separation of Israeli and Palestinian territories. Also, calls for reparations to those displaced by its construction.

17. The UCC is a Christian church (St. Paul UCC of Cibolo, Texas, and seven congregations from New Jersey, Indiana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) Declares UCC is a Christian denomination where Jesus is Lord and requires all ordained, commissioned and licensed ministers, as well as "students in care," to profess that Jesus is Lord.

18. The Cross Triumphant as the symbol of the UCC (The Congregational UCC of Candia, N.H., and seven congregations from Illinois, Ohio, Texas and Indiana) Reaffirms the Cross Triumphant as the central symbol of the UCC.

Related Post:  United Church Of Christ Will Debate Resolutions On Israel And Gay Marriage During General Synod 

Related Post:  Should The United Church Of Christ Take A Risk And Embrace Gay Marriage? 

Related Post:  Should The United Church of Christ Consider Divestment From Israel?

From the National Council of Churches:

Washington, D.C. June 7, 2005 -- With fervor and conviction, religious leaders from Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist traditions, urged more than 1,000 participants in yesterday's first Interfaith Convocation on Hunger at the Washington National Cathedral to advocate for the end of hunger in the United States and abroad.

"There is a new day dawning in this country. God has made it possible in our time for us to end hunger," declared The Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, which is one of the sponsors for the "Hunger No More" event. "This is an age old dream but it is also an urgent opportunity," he said.

In his keynote address, The Most Rev. Njongonkulu W.H. Ndungane, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, called on people of faith to speak loudly and clearly to end hunger with the goal of food for everyone being a human right.

"We must put all our weight behind the growing momentum for change," said Bishop Ndungane "Now is the time -- we have an unprecedented opportunity to make a difference."

Bishop Ndungane also questioned the increasing number of hungry people in the world while the world economy continues to grow. Calling this phenomenon a matter of political will rather than lack of resources, he urged participants not to allow politicians to "escape" without doing something to end hunger.

National Council of Churches' General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, Associate General Secretary for Justice and Advocacy, the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell and Church World Service Executive Director, the Rev. Dr. John McCullough, were among the national and international religious leaders who gathered for the event. Also gathered were leaders of several NCC member denominations including: Bishop George Walker, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; Bishop Mark Hanson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Jim Winkler, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church; Dr. William Hobgood, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Bishop Vicken Aykazian, Armenian Church of America; The Most Rev. Frank Griswold, The Episcopal Church; Rev. Dr. Cliff Kirkpatrick, Presbyterian Church (USA); Rev. Dr.Stephen Thurston, National Baptist Convention of America; Bishop Lawrence Reddick, III, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; Rev. Dr. John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ; Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey, Alliance of Baptists; and Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Reformed Church in America.

"We cannot be at peace until all of our brothers and sisters in the United States and around the world hunger no more," Edgar declared.

Related Link: Blair asks U.S. religious leaders to push for debt relief, aid to Africa, and global climate change

The Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ – representing UCC congregations in Oregon, Idaho and parts of Washington – has endorsed a resolution in favor of gay marriage that will be considered at the UCC’s General Synod next month. This is the conference that I am affiliated with. Click here for the story.

Related Post: Should The United Church Of Christ Take A Risk And Embrace Gay Marriage?

Here is some good news out of California:  Redlands United Church of Christ is doing their part to build a more just world by working to start a new program to help parolees make the transition from prison into the community.  The program will work to help people finds jobs, for example, and the local police chief is hopeful the church's work will will cut down the number of parolees who end up back in prison.  Letting people out of prison without any hope for a better future does nothing to cut crime or to make communities safer.  I hope their effort is a great success. 

United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries Action Alert

The Senate will vote this week on two nominees to the federal judiciary following the May 23rd Senate compromise agreement on the filibuster rule. The bipartisan compromise guarantees a vote on Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor, two judges with very troubling records in the area of civil rights, worker rights, environmental protections, and reproductive choice. Your voice is urgently needed to oppose these nominees who may be appointed for lifetime positions on the federal bench.

Although Janice Rogers Brown has a compelling personal history in overcoming significant obstacles in her life, it is her record that is most relevant to the confirmation vote on her nomination. Many of the nation's top African American civil rights leaders have expressed opposition to Brown's nomination because her record as a California Supreme Court justice demonstrates a disturbing hostility toward affirmative action, civil rights, the rights of individuals with disabilities, and workers.

During her tenure Judge Brown attempted to deny the government authority to enact economic and environmental regulations and to hold corporations accountable for injuries to workers and consumers caused by their products and practices. She argued in one case that the First Amendment protects the use of racial slurs in the workplace, even when it constitutes illegal racial discrimination. She suggested in an opinion that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination, is unconstitutional.

William Pryor, a staunch states' rights advocate, has worked to limit the ability of Congress to enforce civil rights laws and has called for the repeal of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. In a letter opposing Judge Pryor's nomination, prominent civil rights leaders wrote, "[Pryor's] disdain for the Voting Rights Act cause us to conclude he is unsuited for the federal bench." Judge Pryor has also called the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision "the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history."

The extreme positions and activism of these nominees makes it highly unlikely that they will serve the common good in a fair and independent way, upholding the protections of the Constititution. Contact your senators and urge them to vote no on the nominations of Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor for the federal judiciary. To send a fax or e-mail message, click here.

Related Link: SaveOurCourts.org Report on Janice Rogers Brown

Related Link: William Pryor Unfit To Judge

Related Link:  Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism: Urge Senators to Oppose the Nominations of Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor

This evening Liz and I attended a fundraiser for the Missouri chapter of NARAL. Oregon’s annual NARAL silent action and dinner was always on my calendar before coming to seminary (and will be again once we move back). But we were glad to help support the cause in our temporary home. Missouri’s governor is rabidly anti-choice and pro-choice advocates in Missouri have a difficult task. If you’re looking for a good cause to support consider giving to NARAL or the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (I’m a member of their seminarian group).

Related Post:  Can Christians Be Pro-Choice? Yes.

Eden Theological Seminary (a seminary of the United Church of Christ and the place I make my home) is going through some rough financial times. Investments for the seminary have declined with fluctuations in the stock market and are not providing the kind of revenue needed for the operating budget. A much needed capital campaign for Eden brought in well over the $18 million goal set just two years ago. Enrollment for the school is also up. But the lack of resources for the operating budget has forced staff cutbacks and the consideration of higher tuition costs. UCC students receive scholarships from Eden currently that amount to about 75% of tuition. The cutbacks in staff are personally difficult – obviously – for those who have lost their jobs and for the Eden community as a whole. Please hold our seminary in your prayers.

The anti-UCC web site www.UCCtruths.com is putting their own spin on the story. A headline on their site blares out “Eden Theological Seminary hemorrhaging money.” The real truth behind this story is that the board at Eden has made responsible and prudent decisions in the face of a hostile economy that will ultimately provide for the health of the seminary. Those decisions have been painful. But the seminary should be recognized for working towards the long-term health and future of the school. Future generations will likely receive the same high quality education that Eden has provided to distinguished alumni from generations past such as Reinhold Niebuhr, H. Richard Niebuhr, and Walter Brueggemann. Current students today benefit from a distinguished faculty that carries on a solid tradition of quality theological education.

Why would ucctruths present the story in such a way? They happily claim that they are in “no way affiliated with the United Church of Christ... and we are proud of that.” Eden is proud to be a seminary of the UCC. Our community believes in the mission of the UCC. That is why our students have come to Eden – to dedicate ourselves to the church. We draw strength from the prophetic tradition of the UCC. Ucctruths, which draws frequent praise from fundamentalists groups like Biblical Witness, shows distain for that tradition. But with a name like “ucctruths” don’t you think they’d be responsible enough to present a truthful and accurate picture of the faculty, staff, students and alumni that work each day to build up the church and carry on the mission of Eden Theological Seminary? Ucctruths does a disservice to the church and to those at Eden who have lost their jobs with such a misleading and un-truthful picture.

Click here to make a donation to Eden.

Related Link:  Higher Education Endowment Gains in FY04 Not Enough to Offset Prior Losses

There has been serious trouble brewing at the US Air Force Academy for sometime. Evangelical Christians – officials at the military school and students– have been charged with proselytizing. The Constitutional separation of church and state forbids such activity. An investigation is underway but there are real concerns the academy is trying to whitewash the incidents. The Washington Post ran an editorial today explaining the situation:

THE REPORTS OF the religious climate at the Air Force Academy are unsettling: A chaplain instructs cadets to try to convert classmates by warning that they "will burn in the fires of hell" if they do not accept Christ. During basic training, freshman cadets who decline to attend after-dinner chapel are marched back to their dormitories in "heathen flights" organized by upperclassmen. A Jewish student is taunted as a Christ killer and told that the Holocaust was the just punishment for that offense. The academy's head football coach posts a banner in the locker room that proclaims, "I am a Christian first and last. . . . I am a member of Team Jesus Christ."

Though there are disputes over the specifics of some of these cases, academy officials don't disagree that there has been a problem on campus with religious tolerance. They argue that they recognized and responded to it promptly, instituting training programs for students and faculty alike. But critics say the response was belated and grudging, treating the problem as one of a few instances of insensitivity by out-of-line cadets rather than, as they see it, a broader culture of intolerance fostered from the top down.

A task force appointed by the Pentagon to examine the religious climate on campus reported last week to acting Air Force Secretary Michael L. Dominguez about its findings, and a public report is due soon. Although the task force's work should not be judged in advance, it is of concern that the group doesn't seem to have spent much time with those who have been most outspoken about the issue. Mikey Weinstein, a 1977 academy graduate who says his cadet son has been harassed for being Jewish, said his only contact with the task force was a phone call asking him to stop criticizing it. Capt. MeLinda Morton, a chaplain who spoke out against what she considers strident evangelizing on campus, said she was interviewed for a scant 15 minutes on the task force's last day of investigation. A Yale Divinity School professor who helped flag the religious problems at the academy was never contacted.

Click here to read the full editorial.

Religion News Service reports that “an executive with Focus in the Family, a conservative Christian oganization based in Colorado Springs, described the campaign against evangelicals at the Academy as ‘a witch hunt.’”  We'll be hearing a lot more from the religious right about this issue.  They seem fully committed to ignoring the facts and using the issue for their own purposes.

Kristen J. Leslie, Assistant Professor in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Yale Divinity School, was the professor who helped to bring some of these issues to light. She and several Yale Divinity students spent a week at the academy and during that short time observed and learned of several instances that were troubling.  Yale reports:

As an example, the YDS team cited exhortations at general Protestant worship services, which included not only evangelicals but other Protestants as well, for cadets to go back to their tents and remind compatriots that those not “born again” will “burn in the fires of hell.” Leslie and her students urged a reconsideration of worship dynamics in favor of an approach “focusing on aspects of ecumenical teamwork and developing an appreciation of spiritual diversity.” The YDS team's observations stood alongside reports from other groups and individuals that made claims such as:

• Commandant Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, a born-again Christian, sent an e-mail to cadets saying, “The Lord is in control. He has a plan... for every one of us.”
• Faculty members have introduced themselves to their classes as born-again Christians and have encouraged their students to become born-again during the course of the term
• A “Christmas Greeting” published in the Academy newspaper was signed by 300 Academy personnel who declared a belief that “Jesus Christ is the only real hope for the world” and that there is “salvation in no one else.”
• A banner hanging in the Academy football team locker room said, “I am a Christian first and last... I am a member of Team Jesus Christ.”
• Although Christian students are able to obtain “non-chargeable” passes to attend religious study sessions off campus on Sundays, Jewish or Seventh-Day Adventist cadets are unable to obtain such passes to worship off-campus on Saturday.

These are clearly serious issues. Congress should follow up on the academy’s investigation with one of their own – where those who have raised these concerns can be heard.  "Cadets need to know that they can serve the Air Force, and their country, even if they haven't signed up for Team Jesus Christ," states the Washington Post.  Amen.

Related Link:  Memorandum to Air Force Academy Explaining Concerns From Yale Divinity School

Related Link:  Report of Americans United for Separation of Church and State on Religious Coercion and Endorsement of Religion at the United States Air Force Academy

The proposed new organization Christian Churches Together in the USA which had planned to formally announce their formation this September has decided to hold off, reports The Chico Enterprise Record:

A national celebration of Christian unity tentatively planned for September won't be held then.

Religious leaders who have been trying to bring together many Christian groups, including liberals and conservatives, decided this week it's too soon to officially launch the new ecumenical group they're calling Christian Churches Together.

They're holding off mainly because black denominations are not ready to join the movement, two church officials told the Enterprise-Record Friday….

Bishop McKinley Young of the African Methodist Episcopal Church said he and other representatives of black churches have felt Christian Churches Together, by including conservative groups, would "not have the capacity to be responsive on the issues of peace and justice."

Also, many African-American leaders are happy with the National Council of Churches and fear Christian Churches Together could turn out to be a rival group, he said.

It seems unlikely Christian Churches Together could take strong stands on poverty and against the war in Iraq as the National Council of Churches has done, he said. The Catholic Church and most evangelical churches do not belong to the council.

Young noted that he hasn't been involved directly with Christian Churches Together for about a year. He was on its steering committee for some time, but then another bishop from his denomination took his place.

One of the benefits of the National Council of Churches and smaller ecumenical groups such as Churches Uniting In Christ is that they are racially diverse. The benefit of the new Christian Churches Together is that it would represent mainline churches, evangelicals, and Roman Catholics. But the group made a good decision not to move forward until their leaders can earn the trust of the African-American denominations. There is no place for a whites-only ecumenical group.  My prayer is that we can find a way to bring all Christians to the table sometime soon.  CCT holds great promise if everyone has a place.

Related Post:  Christian Churches Together in the USA

This past week Dr. John Thomas (far right), my step-father, was named the new vice-commander for Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 71.  Tommy (middle) Thomas, John's brother, was sworn in as the new commander.  Read more.

When you look up extremist politician in most any dictionary you'll find Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. He is one of those guys who prays for unborn babies and then cuts health care and educational spending for actual live children.

Now he is bringing back a symbol to the state sure to inflame emotions in this racially divided community: The Confederate Flag.

You remember this good old symbol of slavery, don't you?

The NY Times reports:

Gov. Matt Blunt of Missouri has ordered that the Confederate battle flag be flown Sunday at a state cemetery where former rebel soldiers were buried, a move denounced by black leaders.

A spokesman for Governor Blunt, a Republican, said the flag would fly at the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site in Higginsville for a Confederate Memorial Day service. But the spokesman said Mr. Blunt also supported a review of whether it would be appropriate to fly the flag regularly at the site.

The flag had flown daily at the Higginsville site until it was ordered down in 2003 by the administration of Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat.

No one needs time to study that the Confederate Flag - the flag of racism and treason - has no place in America today. Blunt has shown his true colors with this move.

Related Post:  Matt Blunt For Governor Gun Control Protest