This Sunday (March 18th), my sermon topic will be “War Is Contrary To The Will Of God” at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (105th and NE Wygant). The service begins at 10 am.
This week marks the 4th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Hundreds of thousands have died since then and the region has been left in chaos. The invasion was opposed by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches and here at home the National Council of Churches USA helped led opposition to the war. Jesus calls on us to be peacemakers but our government has chosen a different, more destructive path.
Last fall the National Council of Churches issued a statement that read in part:
“….united together as the National Council of Churches USA, we call upon the U.S. Government to recognize that the continued presence of occupying forces has not provided meaningful security for Iraqi citizens and only exacerbates escalating violence, and begin an immediate phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Iraq with a timetable that provides for an expeditious final troop withdrawal. And we further call upon our government to link this withdrawal plan to benchmarks for rebuilding Iraqi society, since the reconstruction of infrastructure, the restoration of essential services, and a foundation for economic growth are necessary to nurture Iraqi hopes for a stable future, and to steps to meet the security concerns of all Iraqis, including the more vulnerable, smaller ethnic and religious communities.”
I will join protesters later in the day in downtown Portland calling on the U.S. to withdrawal troops from Iraq.