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The Prince Of Peace Calls The National Council Of Churches To Seek Justice

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, took aim today at critics who claim that the council is too political:

August 9, 2005, Washington – In remarks today at the Progressive National Baptist Convention’s (PNBC) 44th Annual Session in Detroit, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, told the gathering of Baptist pastors, ministers and lay leaders that it is the priorities and commandments of Christ rather than partisan politics that leads the NCC to advocate for peace, ending poverty and protecting God’s creation.

"There are those who try to dilute our witness and mislead our friends by suggesting that the National Council of Churches is a partisan, left-leaning organization,” said Rev. Edgar. "But you know who it is that calls us to pursue peace, fight poverty and injustice, and care for the earth. It is the Prince of Peace who each day of his life showed his bias for the poor and prayed to the Creator who gave us this beautiful world,” he said.

The NCC has come under fire in recent months for advocating for good environmental stewardship, working to end poverty and for calling for a plan to reduce U.S. military presence in Iraq.

In an interview Rev. Edgar said of the issues in which the NCC focuses, “These are not liberal or conservative issues but issues for which God has called us as Christian believers to take responsibility.”

PNBC, which is made up of more than 2,000 churches and 2.5 million members globally, is one of the member denominations of the NCC. With an expected attendance of more than 10,000 for the Annual Session being held this week, the PNBC plans to vote on resolutions that address numerous social issues including the need for universal healthcare, establishment of a living wage, proposed changes in Social Security, the U.S. boycott of Cuba and the war in Iraq.

Edgar may have given NCC’s critics ammunition this month with a fund raising letter that sounded more political in tone that might have been appropriate for a church council. But his stance that Christians are called by God to seek justice is the correct one. Unfortunately, groups like the Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy distort and twist that message for their partisan political purposes.

Bob Edgar preaches a Gospel-centered message that the least of these cannot be left behind. He demands that we pay serious attention to Scripture over issues of war and peace. Christians can be proud of his work and that of the National Council of Churches.

Related Link: Hardball On Holy Ground

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The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, took aim today at critics who claim that the council is too political:

August 9, 2005, Washington – In remarks today at the Progressive National Baptist Convention’s (PNBC) 44th Annual Session in Detroit, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, told the gathering of Baptist pastors, ministers and lay leaders that it is the priorities and commandments of Christ rather than partisan politics that leads the NCC to advocate for peace, ending poverty and protecting God’s creation.

"There are those who try to dilute our witness and mislead our friends by suggesting that the National Council of Churches is a partisan, left-leaning organization,” said Rev. Edgar. "But you know who it is that calls us to pursue peace, fight poverty and injustice, and care for the earth. It is the Prince of Peace who each day of his life showed his bias for the poor and prayed to the Creator who gave us this beautiful world,” he said.

The NCC has come under fire in recent months for advocating for good environmental stewardship, working to end poverty and for calling for a plan to reduce U.S. military presence in Iraq.

In an interview Rev. Edgar said of the issues in which the NCC focuses, “These are not liberal or conservative issues but issues for which God has called us as Christian believers to take responsibility.”

PNBC, which is made up of more than 2,000 churches and 2.5 million members globally, is one of the member denominations of the NCC. With an expected attendance of more than 10,000 for the Annual Session being held this week, the PNBC plans to vote on resolutions that address numerous social issues including the need for universal healthcare, establishment of a living wage, proposed changes in Social Security, the U.S. boycott of Cuba and the war in Iraq.

Related Link: Hardball On Holy Ground