President Bush wants his presidential library – which will include a “think-tank” that will pay conservative scholars to write nice things the Bush Administration - to be on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Texas but not everybody on campus is happy about it. ThinkProgress reports:

In a December 16 letter to R. Gerald Turner, president of the Board of Trustees, members of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology have urged the board to “reconsider and to rescind SMU’s pursuit of the presidential library.”

We count ourselves among those who would regret to see SMU enshrine attitudes and actions widely deemed as ethically egregious: degradation of habeas corpus, outright denial of global warming, flagrant disregard for international treaties, alienation of long-term U.S. allies, environmental predation, shameful disrespect for gay persons and their rights, a pre-emptive war based on false and misleading premises, and a host of other erosions of respect for the global human community and for this good Earth on which our flourishing depends.

The letter concludes, “[T]hese violations are antithetical to the teaching, scholarship, and ethical thinking that best represents Southern Methodist University.”

“Perkins School of Theology is one of the 13 seminaries of The United Methodist Church,” according to their website and generally has a reputation of producing relatively moderate United Methodist clergy. The president himself is a United Methodist. Why the controversy here? Bush’s own denomination has been opposed to most of his policies. Unlike some denominations, the United Methodist Church has maintained a faithful and prophetic voice. And while no one questions the president’s faith there are many who question his ability to discern God’s will for humanity. Many, that is, except perhaps for the president himself.

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