Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

Steeplejacking: How The Christian Right Is Highjacking Mainstream Religion

Sheldon Culver and John Dorhauer, two of my clergy colleagues in the United Church of Christ, have just published an important new book that outlines how conservative political organizations are seeking with intention to destroy mainline denominations in an effort to silence prophetic Christian voices on issues ranging from peace and justice efforts to global warming.

Steeplejacking: How The Christian Right Is Highjacking Mainstream Religion looks specifically at how well financed groups like the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) and their affiliates, such as Biblical Witness Fellowship, work to drive wedges between local congregations and their national denominations.  As Culver and Dorhauer report, IRD and BWF even seek to bring churches out of the United Church of Christ and other mainline bodies and into more conservative alliances.  This book is worth taking note of.      

Related Post:  Institute on Religion on Democracy Report Written By Bush Campaign Worker

Related Post:  The Marriage Of David Horowitz And The Institute on Religion and Democracy

Read the comments on this post from the UCC Discussion Boards

Sudan Sanctions Long Overdue

Over the last few years the ongoing genocide in Darfur has captured little notice.  Evangelical Christian groups and Jewish organizations, along with groups such as the National Council of Churches USA, have been among the most vocal in keeping attention focused on that part of the world.  It is good news this week that the president is imposing sanctions on Sudan to help stop the violence but, as Human Rights Watch asks, why has it taken this long?

(New York, May 29, 2007) – Today’s US announcement imposing economic sanctions against Sudanese government-controlled companies and certain individuals is welcome but long overdue, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations Security Council and the European Union to immediately impose similar sanctions against Sudan.

Human Rights Watch said that the UN and EU sanctions should include not only travel bans and asset freezes on individuals, but also significant economic sanctions on companies affiliated with the Sudanese government. 

“Individual sanctions should not be limited to mid-level government officials but should certainly include senior Khartoum policymakers,” said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director of Human Rights Watch. “The Security Council has in the past failed to impose meaningful sanctions on senior Sudanese leaders, who should no longer be exempt from scrutiny.” 

While welcoming the US steps to impose economic sanctions against 31 additional companies associated with the Khartoum government, Human Rights Watch also called on the European Union, following the G-8 meeting next week, to adopt similar economic sanctions unless Sudan has consented to the full “hybrid” force authorized by the Security Council and the African Union for Darfur. 

“In recent months, EU leaders have pledged to halt further human rights abuses in Darfur,” said Takirambudde. “Concerted multilateral action is urgently needed to compel the Sudanese government to end its abusive polices in Darfur and accept the immediate deployment of the full AU-UN protection force.”

Visit SaveDarfur.org to learn more about what we can do.

I cannot help but continue to feel we would all have done more (or be doing more) if the people involved were white instead of African blacks. 

Related Post: Is It Ok That They’re Dying Because They’re Just Black People?

MySpace

I'm not sure why but I have a MySpace page. All the sudden super models want to be my "friend."

Religious Leaders React To Media Matters Report

As mentioned on this site earlier today, Media Matters for America has released a new study that noted:

• Combining newspapers and television, conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed in news stories 2.8 times as often as were progressive religious leaders.

• On television news -- the three major television networks, the three major cable news channels, and PBS -- conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed almost 3.8 times as often as progressive leaders.

• In major newspapers, conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed 2.7 times as often as progressive leaders.

Reaction to this new study has come from many different progressive Christian leaders and organizations.

Faith in Public Life released a statement with the following comments:

"The overwhelming presence in the news media of conservative religious voices leads to the false implication that to be religious is to be conservative, and worse, that to be progressive is to lack faith or even to be against faith. Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “People of faith have long been, and will continue to be, active leaders on progressive causes for justice. Our faith compels it.”

“I have long felt the media have given Americans a distorted view of what people of faith believe. This research from Media Matters proves that. I hope both the print and electronic media in this country will now seek the balance so many of them profess to have as they continue to report issues of religion and its impact on our society, government, and the American culture,” said Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA.

“The media have a vital responsibility to represent the fullness of Catholic social teaching in what needs to be a broad and rich debate about the role of religion in public life,” said Alexia Kelley, Executive Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. “Catholic leaders who speak to the moral dimensions of an unjust war, the dignity of the human person, the growing gap between rich and poor, and global warming, speak from the heart of our Catholic faith. They must not be routinely passed over for strident commentary from culture warriors.”

“This report clearly indicates what we've always suspected -- that the media prefer to see the world through a simple lens, a casualty of which is that the right and the conservative voice can often take control of the conversation,” said Rev. Dr. Jim Forbes, host of the Air America program The Time Is Now. “So what do we do now? Those of us on who call ourselves progressives need to speak out and be heard.”

"Unfortunately, much of the secular and religious media are stuck in the habit of secular-left/religious-right bipolar reporting, and they're failing to see that the religious and political landscape isn't that simple anymore, if it ever was," said Brian McLaren, Board Chairman for Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

The absence of mainline and progressive religious voices was the entire reason I started this blog in 2003.  We need to have our voice heard.  People like Pat Robertson don't represent the majority of Christians but you'd have a hard time making television producers and newspaper editors understand that.   Those of us in the progressive religious community need to be aggressive in courting the press - not just on a national level but in our local communities where many of the most important issues play out.   

"Religious Progressives Left Behind?"

Action Alert from Media Matters

Media coverage of religion has increased significantly since the 2004 elections. Unfortunately, the coverage has presented a skewed picture of religion in America -- one in which religious conservatives are the experts on mainstream issues. I'm sure you agree this is a far cry from reality. The fact is we live in a country in which 90 percent of our people identify themselves as religious, with conservatives representing only a small portion of that large religious community.

In a new Media Matters for America report -- "Left Behind: The Skewed Representation of Religion in Major News Media " -- we document the media's coverage of religion since the 2004 elections. What we found was a dramatic oversimplification of the public debate and a consistent skewing of coverage in favor of conservatives.

» Read the Reports and Take Action!

Here are some of the key findings from our new report -- they highlight the disparity in coverage between progressive and conservative religious leaders.

In a 2006 study by the Center for American Values in Public Life, 90 percent of Americans identified themselves as religious. But according to a postelection survey in 2004, only 32 percent of Americans identified themselves as conservative.

• Combining newspapers and television, conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed in news stories 2.8 times as often as were progressive religious leaders.

• On television news -- the three major television networks, the three major cable news channels, and PBS -- conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed almost 3.8 times as often as progressive leaders.

• In major newspapers, conservative religious leaders were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed 2.7 times as often as progressive leaders.

» Read the Reports and Take Action!

It's important for us to recognize where the news media turn when talking about religion because it has dramatic implications for both the issues discussed and the outcome of the debate. When conservative religious leaders dominate the airwaves, so do their issues and their perspectives, even when they aren't a priority for the majority of Americans.

For instance, more than eight in 10 Americans agree that too many leaders use religion to talk about abortion and gay rights and don't talk enough about more important things like loving your neighbor and caring for the poor. That opinion is held consistently across virtually every religious tradition. But because of the media's preference for far-right conservative religious leaders over progressives, abortion and gay rights are presented to the public as the key religious issues of the day.

The news media need to hear from you.

As we approach the next presidential election, we can expect another spike in coverage of the intersection of politics and religion. We can't afford to allow the dominance of conservative religious views to continue while progressive religious voices are left behind.

» Read the Reports and Take Action!

Memorial Day 2007

No matter what you think about the Iraq War we all pause as citizens this Memorial Day to remember those Americans who have given their lives in service to their nation.

Click here to visit CNN’s site chronicling the lives lost to date.  It is important for us to remember that these Americans are more than just numbers in a casualty count but were real people with families and loved ones left behind.

As an Oregonian, I give special thanks to those from my state who have died.

“This Memorial Day gives us a chance to reflect on the Oregonians who are currently serving our country overseas,” said Governor (Ted) Kulongoski. “As we keep our soldiers serving abroad in our thoughts and prayers, we should also take a moment on this day to honor the countless Oregonians who have served our country with such dedication and courage and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.” 

My prayers are with all the families grieving losses this Memorial Day and with those seeking to end this conflict so that no more Americans or Iraqis perish.  These best way to honor Americans in Iraq would be to bring them home.

A Podcast Sermon on Acts 2:1-21: Come, Holy Spirit, Come

This morning at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ we celebrated Pentecost.  Our Scripture readings included Psalm 104:24-34,35b and Acts 2:1-21.

Use the below link to download the podcast of my sermon for your iPod or personal computer.

Download ParkrosePentecost.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Message of the Presidents of the World Council of Churches at Pentecost 2007

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from Heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they where sitting. Divided tongues, as a fire, appeared among them. And a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2:1-4 NRSV).

The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that there is a new dispensation of the Grace of God, renewing the Old Covenant. This new law is also granted through a marvellous experience, an impressive rush of wind and fire, which is granted not just for one people in particular but for all people in all times so that all tongues can speak of the wonders of God.

The Feast of Pentecost thus reminds us of the emergence of the Church as a community of faith called to live out a new covenant in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Spirit. Pentecost marks the fulfilment of the promise made in the Old Testament and by Jesus. The Spirit calls, empowers, shapes and forms the confession, life and hope of the individual Christian and the Christian community so that they give witness to all nations in the world.

Pentecost confirms that the Spirit of God never stops moving, from the beginning to the end, it is the Spirit's dynamis that drives the history of the universe, of this world, of every community of believers everywhere in the world.

This feast of Pentecost is called in some traditions Trinity Day, because the appearance of the Holy Spirit reveals to us something profound about the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Church in its prayers and hymns for this day honours and praises all the three persons of the Holy Trinity who participated in the descent of the Holy Spirit - God the Father, who sent the Holy Spirit; God the Son Jesus Christ, who, in communion with the Father, promised to his people the gift of the Holy Spirit; and God the Holy Spirit, who descended on that first Pentecost in tongues of fiery flame.

In the words of St Gregory the Theologian: "The Holy Spirit always was, and is, and will be, neither beginning nor coming to an end, but always ranked and numbered with the Father and the Son". We believe that the Holy Spirit that called the Church into being continues to sustain and inspire the Church. This Church, the People of God, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Spirit, is the central concern of the ecumenical movement. We are called, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to work for its unity and to be together in bringing God's love and reconciling power to God's world.

On this day of Pentecost we are challenged to discern the signs of God's Holy Spirit calling together our divided churches. What does the Spirit say to the churches this Pentecost as we seek to be faithful to Christ's prayer that ‘all may be one'? While we are assured that the preservation and unity of the Church are ultimately in God's hands, we know that we are called to co-operate, here and now, with the Spirit by using our gifts to preserve unity and to bring together separated churches so that the world may believe.

Today we experience difficult times. The world around us seems to take us back to the chaos and disorder described in Genesis in fearful images "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep..." (Gen 1:2) We need to remember that the effects of the Spirit's work are both eschatological and social and God calls us now in the power of his Spirit to be churches together acting for the healing and transformation of our world.

May the Church of Jesus Christ, brought together in the power of the Holy Spirit, never fail to praise the Lord in every part of the world with joy and with the psalmist cry continually - "Come, Spirit of God, and renew the face of the earth" (Ps 104:30).

The Presidents of the World Council of Churches

Archbishop Dr Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania

Mr John Taroanui Doom, Maòhi Protestant Church, Tahiti

Rev. Dr Simon Dossou, Protestant Methodist Church in Benin

Rev. Dr Soritua Nababan, Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP), Indonesia

Rev. Dr Ofelia Ortega, Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba

Patriarch Abune Paulos, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Rev. Dr Bernice Powell Jackson, United Church of Christ, United States of America

Dr Mary Tanner, Church of England, Great Britain

Bobby

Tonight I watched the award winning film Bobby. The movie chronicles Robert Kennedy’s final day in 1968 and the lives of some of those he touched. RFK has always been a political hero and (unfairly perhaps) I judge other candidates for public office by his leadership. Of course, I was not yet born when the senator was killed. But in reading of his history what has always impressed me most was his willingness to change course and to try new ideas when policies and ideas failed the challenges of the moment. He was an early architect of the war in Vietnam who became a chief critic. During his brother’s administration he was uneasy about the political impact of the civil rights movement but by the time of his death he had become the moral heir of Martin Luther King, Jr. He campaigned in 1968 to bring an end to a disastrous war and to bring reconciliation to a nation deeply divided along racial and economic lines. Our time echoes his. The most cynical among us will say that politicians cannot bring change but I believe differently. There is still a chance that our political system can produce leaders capable of inspiring the nation to heal the rifts that continue divide us and to end another immoral war. What will it take? All of us. The people of the nation. Once again we need to look past our own cynicism and engage in the political system knowing that it is broken and with a goal of fixing it. Soon I plan to add my voice to one of the presidential campaigns. It won’t be because I think the candidate I have chosen is perfect but because I believe that candidate has shown some of the same moral courage that Robert Kennedy, another imperfect person, did. And it won’t be because I think a president can solve every problem. Hardly. In fact, I think the issues we face today are as much a spiritual crisis as a political one. But democracy will wither away unless we all participate. So I will participate and hope that the forces of progress win this time.  I hope everyone who has been disappointed in the past will join the fight again in 2008.  There is so much at stake.

Your Voice Needed In Salem To Protect Health and Human Services

Action Alert from Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Weds. May 30th is Health and Human Services Advocacy Day at Oregon State Capitol.

The state budget plan currently under consideration in Salem leaves critical health and human service programs for families and low-income Oregonians short-changed. Another $166 million is needed to adequately restore funding for health care and human services programs.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is urging you to come to Salem on Weds. May 30th for Health Care and Human Services Advocacy Day.

We will meet in Room 350 at 11:00 am for briefings on critical Human Services programs, and then set off in teams to meet with key legislators.

If you can attend, or if you would like more information please email Kevin Finney at [email protected].

If you cannot attend please call the offices of your state senator and representative at 1-800-332-2313. If you are not sure who your legislators are, the operator can tell you.

Please tell your legislator to restore funding for human service programs before they go home. Tell them that another $166 million is needed for human service funding beyond what is in the "Ways and Means Co-Chairs" budget.

In particular, more funding is needed for:

• Oregon Health Plan Standard
• Community Mental Health programs
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
• Drug and Alcohol Addiction programs
• Employment Related Daycare
• Funding for programs for Seniors and the Disabled

JOIN US IN SALEM ON WEDS. MAY 30TH

Meet in Room 350 from 11 - 12:30 for a briefing to include:

• A conversation about the Human Service needs over and above the co-chairs budget.
• A conversation about revenues available to meet human service needs.
• Update on human service program conversations.

Then meet with your Legislator and others to make your own and our collective case for human services!

Thank you for your support. With your help we can make this lift up the needs of Oregon's most vulnerable.

Obama On Iraq Funding Bill: In His Own Words

Senator Barack Obama voted yesterday against the new funding bill for the Iraq war - one that does not set firm deadlines for ending the conflict.  In his own words: 

“This vote is a choice between validating the same failed policy in Iraq that has cost us so many lives and demanding a new one.  And I am demanding a new one.”

“We must fund our troops.  But we owe them something more.  We owe them a clear, prudent plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else's civil war.  We need a plan to compel the Iraqi people to reach a political accommodation and to take responsibility for their own future.  It's time to change course.”

“I opposed this war in 2002 precisely because I feared it would lead us to the open-ended occupation in which we find ourselves today.”

“This President has led us down a disastrous path and has arrogantly refused to acknowledge the grim reality of this war, which has cost us so dearly in lives and treasure.”

“After he vetoed a plan that would have funded the troops and begun to bring them home, this bill represents more of his stubborn refusal to address his failed policy.”

“We should not give the President a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path.”

“With my vote today, I am saying to the President that enough is enough.  We must negotiate a better plan that funds our troops, signals to the Iraqis that it is time for them to act and that begins to bring our brave servicemen and women home safely and responsibly.”

We need thinking like this in the White House.

Feeding Those Who Are Homeless Should Not Be A Crime

This is happening all over the country and religious leaders are right to fight it:

A group of Central Florida religious leaders wants the city to stop arresting those who feed the homeless in Lake Eola Park and other public places and wants to meet with Orlando's mayor to discuss the issue.

The goal of Concerned Clergy for Compassion is "to stop the criminalization of taking care of the homeless," said the Rev. Matt Blowers of The Harbour Church, which is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church and Brethren in Christ denominations.

"If city officials think it's an issue, it's a civil issue, not a criminal issue."

The coalition is made up of clergy and lay members representing about 20 Protestant, Jewish and Muslim congregations plus the Catholic Diocese of Orlando.

They say they were moved to action by the arrest, under a city ordinance passed last summer, of an activist for exceeding the limit on the number of homeless people who can be fed at one time.

Feeding hungry people is a crime...  Can you imagine the path we've had to walk down as a society to get to this point?

And So The War Goes On

The U.S. House of Representatives voted this afternoon to continue funding the war in Iraq without setting any deadlines for ending the conflict. Now more Americans will die and more Iraqis will die and nothing will be the better because of it. We find ourselves in an endless cycle of war and death and our political leaders cannot find a way out.

So let me restate here a plan for ending the war that I have endorsed that is being advanced by The Rev. Tony Campolo, Rabbi Michael Lerner and many other religious leaders:

First, we propose that American and British troops be replaced by an international police force composed of those who better understand the Iraqi culture. Leaders in Saudi Arabia proposed such a solution almost three years ago. Americans and Brits are not only devoid of any grasp of the language and the religion of the Iraqi people, but are defined by many Muslims as a Christian army that has invaded a sacred Islamic land. Our army’s presence is perceived by many in the Muslim world as a rebirth of the medieval crusades.

Second, we propose that the United States appropriate $50 billion to rebuild the towns and cities that the invasion of Iraq has left in shambles. This would be a small price to pay, considering the $2 billion we are presently spending every week in order to keep this war going.

Third, we propose that our president go before the United Nations and ask the world to forgive America for what we have done to Iraq, and how we have set back efforts for world peace. He should point out that he is asking forgiveness on behalf of almost all Americans – because we overwhelmingly lent support to the invasion of Iraq some four years ago. He should further point out that our original intentions were good! We Americans were told that we were invading in order to remove the threat of what we thought were Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Repentance of this kind is necessary because we need to re-establish our moral standing in the world, and confessing wrongdoing is a start for doing that. It is not weakness to admit that we did wrong, especially when the whole world knows that we did. Now is the time for us to live out that verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

If you are willing to support this proposal, go to www.tikkun.org/iraqpeace. You will find an expanded version of this proposal there, along with an opportunity to sign on with us. Do it now, because time is short and the days are filled with evil (Ephesians 5:16).

Across the globe religious leaders – including the Vatican, the World Council of Churches and most national protestant and orthodox bodies – opposed the war from the very beginning. We have to keep working to bring peace because the Republicans and Democrats in Congress seem unable to imagine anything but war.

Report: Falwell Student(s) Planned To Bomb Protesters At Funeral

Jerry Falwell was laid to rest today. But this controversial figure – a defender of racial segregation in the 50s, opponent of equal rights for women in the 70s, supporter of Apartheid in South Africa in the 80s, and opponent of equality for gays and lesbians in the 90s – leaves a legacy that today nearly included terrorism. ABC News reports:

…Campbell County authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several homemade bombs in his car.

The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service...

There were indications that there were others involved in the manufacturing of these devices and we are still investigating these individuals with the assistance of ATF [Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms], Virginia State Police and FBI. At this time it is not believed that these devices were going to be used to interrupt the funeral services at Liberty University," the Campbell County Sheriff's Office said in a release.

Three other suspects are being sought, one of whom is a soldier from Fort Benning, Ga., and another is a high school student. No information was available on the third suspect.

Falwell preached hate and division his entire life while Jesus taught us to love our enemies. 

What a sad and pathetic end to Falwell’s story.  But no one should be surprised.

Pro-Choice Clergy To Get More Support

This week the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) announced a new project to support pro-choice clergy:

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice has established the Reverend Howard Moody Clergy Consultation Fund to assist pro-choice clergy to provide counseling and spiritual support to women who have an unwelcome pregnancy or have had a reproductive loss. The new education and training fund was announced May 19 at the 40th anniversary celebration honoring the historic Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion and Reverend Moody, an American Baptist minister and a founder of the Clergy Consultation Service….

Hundreds of trained Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice clergy counselors have helped women consider all options-abortion, parenting, adoption-and women and men who are struggling with such reproductive losses as miscarriage, stillbirth, adoption, and infertility. The fund will support the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice's 20-year-old RCRC All Options Clergy Counseling program and 2-year-old Pastoral Counseling for Reproductive Loss program.

Click here to learn more about RCRC.

Rev. Bob Edgar To Head Common Cause

The Rev. Bob Edgar, out-going general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, will become the new president of Common Cause:

Robert William (Bob) Edgar, the general secretary of The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), and a former congressman who represented eastern Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1987, was elected president and chief executive officer of Common Cause by the organization's National Governing Board. Edgar succeeds Chellie Pingree, who stepped down in February.

"With devastating consequences, powerful special interests distort and disrupt the democratic process in ways that shift political power away from the American people," Edgar said. "I look forward to carrying on (Common Cause founder) John Gardner's vision of Common Cause as a people's lobby both in Washington, DC and in the states."

"Bob Edgar brings to Common Cause an outstanding record of leadership and service," said Martha Tierney, interim chairwoman of Common Cause's National Governing Board. "He has a demonstrated ability to inspire people to think and work creatively. We are thrilled he will be focusing his efforts on issues such as campaign finance reform, government ethics and election and media reform that mean so much to Common Cause."

Edgar, 63, comes to Common Cause with a rich and long history of public service and leadership. In 2000, he took office as general secretary for the National Council of Churches USA, a 50-year-old organization representing 35 member communions and their 45 million members who work to promote unity and justice. 

Under Edgar's leadership, the Council focused on major initiatives that included overcoming poverty, protecting the environment, fostering interfaith understanding and working for peace worldwide. He came to the Council from the Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, Calif., where he was president from 1990 to 2000.

Edgar was elected to the US House in 1974, the first Democrat since before the Civil War to represent the heavily Republican 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, an area outside of Philadelphia. Part of the Watergate class in Congress that helped pass sweeping ethics and campaign finance reforms, he led efforts to improve public transportation, fought wasteful water projects and authored the community Right to Know provision of Super Fund legislation. He also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated the deaths of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and President John F. Kennedy.

Edgar ran for the US Senate in 1986, losing to Republican Sen. Arlen Specter. He grew frustrated in that race with the undue influence of money in politics and became an active supporter of clean elections and campaign finance reform, issues that have been Common Cause's hallmark.

Edgar has served on Common Cause's National Governing Board since 2005. He also serves on the boards of Independent Sector, another organization founded by Common Cause founder Gardner, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, an independent non-profit organization Congress uses as a resource for environmental and energy issues.

Edgar has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., and a master of divinity degree from the Theological School of Drew University in Madison, NJ. He also holds four honorary doctoral degrees.

He has received awards for his work from a number of national organizations, including the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America and the National Taxpayers Union.

As president and chief executive officer, Edgar will oversee all program activities, finances and communications for Common Cause, a non-partisan citizen lobby with more than 300,000 members and supporters. Common Cause has a 35-year history of helping citizens to effectively engage in the political process through reform advocacy on issues such as campaign finance reform, government ethics, election reform and media reform.

Common Cause will be well served by Bob's leadership. It has been a pleasure for me to work with NCC while Rev. Edgar has been the general secretary and I've enjoyed the times he has agreed to be interviewed for this blog.

Alberto Gonzales Must Resign

Day after day we learn more about the unethical and perhaps illegal behavior undertaken by U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. Like many in the religious community, I opposed his nomination to serve in the Justice Department because of his record as White House counsel. But as support for the attorney general falls away from Democrats and Republicans alike in Congress he retains the support (at least today) of his most important constituent: the president of the United States. George W. Bush, who promised in taking office to govern under the highest ethical standards, has appointed some of the most ethically challenged officials in modern history. Gonzales must resign to restore at least a little bit of dignity to our government. If not, Congress must force him out the door.

A Podcast Sermon On John 15:14-24: We Are All One

During worship this morning at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ our Scripture readings included Psalm 97, John 15:14-24 and Acts 16:16-34.

Proceeding the sermon those members from Parkrose UCC who attended the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ shared briefly with the congregation their reflections on the two day event.

Use the below link to download the podcast of my sermon and those reflections for your iPod or personal computer.

Download ParkroseCPCReflections.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Related Post: 2007 Annual Meeting of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ Ends With Communion   

Related Post: Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ Asks UCC General Synod To Consider World-Wide Poverty & Debt

Related Post: Day One Of The 2007 Annual Meeting Of The Central Pacific Conference Of The United Church Of Christ

Related Post: Live From First Congregational UCC In Salem, Oregon! 

2007 Annual Meeting of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ Ends With Communion

This afternoon the second and final day of the 2007 General Assembly of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ ended as it began: with worship.  The Rev. John Thomas and The Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo presided over the communion table.  Communion, for those not familiar with the UCC, is one of the two sacraments we practice.  From the UCC website:

In the sacrament of Holy Communion, also called the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, meaning "thanksgiving," Christians hear, taste, touch and receive the grace of God revealed through Jesus Christ in a unique way. Communion is:

• a joyous act of thanksgiving for all God has done, is doing, and will do for the redeeming of creation;
• a sacred memorial of the crucified and risen Christ, a living and effective sign of Christ's sacrifice in which Christ is truly and rightly present to those who eat and drink;
• an earnest prayer for the presence of the Holy Spirit to unite those who partake with the Risen Christ and with each other, and to restore creation, making all things new;
• an intimate experience of fellowship in which the whole church in every time and place is present and divisions are overcome;
• a hopeful sign of the promised Realm of God marked by justice, love and peace.

During the day delegates from UCC congregations across Oregon and Idaho attend workshops and Rev. Thomas (pictured here along side The Rev. John Gantt, CPC interim minister) spent several hours talking with delegates about the future of the denomination and both of the problems and opportunities we face as a church.  Delegates also adopted a resolution on global debt relief (more here) and offered blessings for all those attending the UCC General Synod in June.  We also had the chance to thanks those who have served on the many different conference committees and our board.  I think all of us who attended return to our churches tomorrow renewed to do God's work. 

Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ Asks UCC General Synod To Consider World-Wide Poverty & Debt

Today in Salem, Oregon the 2007 Assembly of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ passed a resolution calling on the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, meeting in June, to recognize 2007 as a Sabbath Year, "in response to the Biblical call to cancel debt without conditionality and proclaim Jubilee for impoverished countries today.” The resolution states in part:

“Proclaim liberty throughout the lands and to all the inhabitants thereof, it shall be a jubilee for you” (Leviticus 25:10). Right community relationships occupy the center of economic and social life in the Bible. Deuteronomy 15 and Leviticus 25 (and others), call for canceling debts and righting of relationships every 7 years, and a “Jubilee every 50th year. They announce the release of those enslaved because of debt, rest for the land and the people, redistribution of the land, and the restoration of right-relationships.

Why is this issue important?  Jubilee USA reports:

"Must we starve our children to pay our debts?"
Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania

In the world's most impoverished nations, the majority of the populations do not have access to clean water, adequate housing or basic health care. These countries are paying debt service to wealthy nations and institutions at the expense of providing these basic services to their citizens. The United Nations Development Program estimated in 2003 that 30,000 children die each day due to preventable diseases. Debt service payments take resources that impoverished countries could use to cure preventable diseases. Debt cancellation frees up resources to reverse this devastating reality.

They Are Already Paid
These nations have already paid back their debts time and again. The debt crisis set in when interest rates skyrocketed and compound interest made repayment impossible.

• FACT: From 1970-2002, Africa received some $540 billion in loans and paid back $550 billion in principal and interest. Yet Africa remains today with a debt stock of $295 billion.

Strings Attached
The conditions that come with new loans and debt relief hurt the poor. Debt relief under the current program keeps essential human services, like primary health and education and access to safe water, out of reach of the impoverished majority.

• FACT: Debt relief is conditioned on requirements that countries limit government spending, private basic services, and/or change trade and investment rules.

Don't Owe
Much of the debt is a result of "bad faith" lending including:

• The practice of pushing loans on developing nations because banks had too much money and had to lend it
• Knowingly lending to corrupt governments for political purposes
• Lending with conditions ensuring profits return to the creditors

Some debt also resulted from stolen wealth or loans that served the purposes of the elite and not the people. Other debt resulted from irresponsible projects that failed to serve a greater purpose or caused harm to the people or the environment.

This is why debt campaigns from around the world say, "Don't Owe, Won't Pay!"

The Bible Tells Us So
Texts in both the Hebrew Scriptures and throughout the New Testament call for debt cancellation and the righting of relationships every seven years with a super Jubilee every 50th year. 

The practice of debt cancellation can also be found in history among early Pagan kings. The Qu'ran also challenges debt by harshly criticizing usury.

"Proclaim liberty throughout the lands
and to all the inhabitants thereof,
it shall be a jubilee for you."
Leviticus 25:10 

Debt Cancellation is Adding by Subtracting
Debt cancellation allows countries to access their own resources for poverty eradication. Savings from debt service can now be allocated for health care, education, fighting HIV/AIDS and more.

• FACT: Experts estimate it would take an annual commitment of $18 billion a year to reverse the AIDS crisis in Africa that claims 7,000 lives a day. Sub-Saharan Africa pays almost $13 billion in debt service to the wealthy nations and institutions every year. Just do the math.

Debt Sucks
Debt sucks the natural resources out of a country, forcing countries to become dependent on international creditors for more aid and new loans. 

"Debt is tearing down schools, clinics and hospitals and the effects are no less devastating than war." - Dr. Adabayo Adedeji, African Center for Development Strategy

Debt is a New Kind of Slavery
International debt slavery means that countries are caught in a debt trap that they can't escape. The debt trap is composed of economic conditions that take away a country’s sovereignty and freedom. When countries are enslaved by debt they can't improve the lives of their citizens nor gain control over their own futures. 

"Every child in Africa is born with a financial burden which a lifetime's work cannot repay. The debt is a new form of slavery as vicious as the slave trade." - All Africa Council of Churches

Debt Relief Lessens Dependence on Foreign Aid
Currently, our foreign aid frees up money for countries to pay back their debts to other wealthy nations and international banks. Debt cancellation would help ensure that new funds can be used effectively for poverty eradication, ultimately lessening countries’ dependence on aid.

• FACT: Africa pays more in debt service than it receives in aid, new loans and assistance.

Debt Cancellation Gets Results
The small amount of debt cancellation given so far has achieved startling results, including more than doubling school enrollment in Uganda, vaccinating five hundred thousand children in Mozambique and adding three more years of schooling for Honduran children. But much more must be done!

• FACT: After debt relief and the elimination of school fees, 1.5 million children returned to school in Tanzania almost overnight.

You Have the Power
Ordinary Americans, working with partners around the world, can generate the political will needed to achieve full debt cancellation. The United States has the most influence of any nation over creditors and international banks. Our Congress could leverage full debt cancellation for impoverished countries. However, they won’t act unless they think you care.

• FACT: The progress Jubilee USA has made so far toward debt cancellation could never have happened without the concern and action of people like you. You have the power to make freedom from debt a reality. Join us today!

Take Action now or Contact Us to get involved.

Download the "Why Drop the Debt?" Fact Sheet: Page One and Page Two.

Day One Of The 2007 Annual Meeting Of The Central Pacific Conference Of The United Church Of Christ

Today has been along one for the people of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ.  We gathered for nearly 12 hours for the first day of our two-day 2007 Annual Meeting at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Salem.  Events like this have their ups and downs.  You sit through hours and hours of financial and committee reports (though I'm happy to report our conference has much good news to share this year on many fronts).  But you also get to hear inspiring Gospel-centered messages about the work our congregations are and should be doing (such as the one given today by The Rev. John Gantt, our interim connference minister).  You're also afforded the opportunity to spend time with friends from around the region - reminding ourselves once again that our churches are not isolated bodies but part of something much larger.  Tonight we were quite fortunate to hear from The Rev. John Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ.  Check out these photos from some of the proceedings:

The Rev. John Thomas joins some of the members from Parkrose Community United Church of Christ.  Pictured here are The Rev. Charlie Ross (pastor emeritus), Rev. Thomas, myself (in the background), Jean Johnson, Camey Pugsley, and Bob Senseney.

Some of the clergy and members of Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ.

Rev. Thomas urged those gathered to listen to the "Still Speaking God" as we seek to discern God's will for the church in this new age.

Before the evening ended we heard from the grown children of a few of the first pioneers of the United Church of Christ.  This year the denomination celebrates our 50th anniversary.

Finally, we ended our evening in song. "Somebody's got to heal the broken, it might as well be me" was the refrain from our closing hymn.  Watch the short video.

Related Link:  Live from First Congregational UCC in Salem!

Live From First Congregational UCC In Salem, Oregon!

Today and tomorrow the people of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ are holding our 2007 Annual Meeting at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Salem, Oregon.  Nearly two hundred members of UCC congregations across Oregon and Idaho are here.

The Rev. John Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, will provide the keynote address tonight.

The Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo, executive minister of the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries, is also with with us.  Linda is from Oregon and is the only Oregonian among the UCC's elected officers.

Over the course of the next two days we will hear reports, attend workshops, worship together and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Church of Christ.

I'll be blogging some of the gathering and hope to provide podcast interviews with some of the people gathered here.

Stay tuned.

Hate Begets Hate: Anti-Gay Protesters to Protest Falwell Funeral Because Falwell Not Anti-Gay Enough

Few people offered up more hateful rhetoric about gays than the late Jerry Falwell.  After all, he even found a way to blame them for 9/11.  So in one of the great ironies of life the Westboro Baptist Church (www.godhatefags.com) has announced they will protest Falwell's funeral:

WBC to picket the funeral of Rev. Jerry Falwell - at Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia - in religious protest and warning: "God is not mocked!,, Gal. 6:7. God Hates Fags! & Fag-Enablers! Ergo, God hates Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and all such Arminian heretic preachers - from fundamentalist evangelicals to openly gay Episcopalians and pedophile Catholics - all of whom have created the Satanic Sodomite Zeitgeist wherein America has irreversibly gone the way of Sodom.

There is little doubt that Falwell split Hell wide open the instant he died. The evidence is compelling, overwhelming, and irrefragable. To wit:

1 Falwell was a true Calvinistic Baptist when he was a young preacher in Springfield, Missouri; and sold his soul to Free-Willism (Arminianism) for lucre.

2. Falwell bitterly and viciously attacked WBC because of WBC9s faithful Bible preaching - thereby committing the unpardonable sin - otherwise known as the sin gainst the Holy Ghost.

3. Falwell warmly praised Christ-rejecting Jews, pedophile-condoning Catholics, money-grubbing compromisers, practicing fags like Mel White, and backsliders like Billy Graham and Robert Schuler, Etc. All for lucre - making him guilty of their sins.

Our nation is filled with some really hateful people - and Jerry Falwell helped to create them.  That will be his legacy.

Related Post: Looking Back On Jerry Falwell 

I Challenge The Wall Street Journal To A Duel To Defend Walter Rauschenbusch

Well, more specifically I challenge Joseph Loconte to a duel to defend the thoroughly Christian theology of Walter Rauschenbusch, the proponent of the Social Gospel.

Loconte recently wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal that claims that it “is hard to see….how Rauschenbusch's theology could be called Christian in any meaningful sense of the term.”

First, a little background from a modest paper I wrote on Rauschenbusch while in seminary:

By the turn of the last century a new theology emerged within the United States called the social gospel. Walter Rauschenbusch, the son of German immigrants and a Baptist, was the major proponent of this new theology. The social gospel sought to address issues of sin and salvation within the context of the Industrial Revolution and the great poverty it spawned in urban centers. The social gospel asked Christians and their churches to become advocates for the “least of these” in a society that had abandoned the poor. Rauschenbusch’s theology was optimistic. He saw human progress as an event always moving forward with the great potential for improvement of the human condition. The social gospel became the dominant theology within American churches until the optimism it expressed collapsed under the weight of two world wars and a growing sense among Christians that human progress was not always a forward event. Despite its shortcoming the Social Gospel remains one of the most important theological movements of the modern era and even today continues to impact the work of mainline Christian churches. There is much that we can learn from this theology and incorporate into the lives of our modern churches.

One of Rauschenbusch’s major works was the 1907 Christianity and the Social Crisis. As Loconte points out, the book has been republished to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this important contribution to theology. Loconte, like most writers for the WJS, is a right-wing ideologue. He has been associated with the Ethics and Public Policy Center and The Heritage Foundation, both arch conservative think tanks.

Here is part of what he wrote about Walter Rauschenbusch and the Social Gospel:

Surely there is much in the tradition for which to be grateful. Yet even a brisk reading of Rauschenbusch's work suggests crippling weaknesses, at least from the standpoint of faith. We're told that the larger social message of Jesus' teaching--especially his concern for the poor--was sidelined by the cultural assumptions of his followers. The culprits: the doctrine of sin and the "crude and misleading" idea of a coming apocalypse. Generations of believers wrongly came to regard earthly life as a snare and turned inward for personal salvation. "Such a conception of present life and future destiny," Rauschenbusch wrote chidingly, "offered no motive for an ennobling transformation of the present life."

Distorted ideas about heaven and hell have spawned great mischief in the name of Christianity, of course. Rauschenbusch must have seen plenty of it during a decade of ministry in New York City's "Hell's Kitchen" neighborhood. Indeed, the Christianity of his youth looked unfit to cope with the "industrial crises" of his day. Nevertheless, he seemed blithely unaware of others provoked by the very conceptions of sin and salvation he so despised--men such as William Wilberforce, John Wesley, John Jay, Lyman Beecher and William Booth--to champion reform efforts of all kinds.

Rauschenbusch's clever narrative of a faith held hostage was itself a captive of its cultural setting. It's no accident that phrases such as the "laws of social development," "scientific comprehension of society" and the "evolution of social institutions" litter his text. He presents not so much the teachings of Jesus, Paul and the Apostles as the dogmas of Darwin, Marx and Herbert Spencer. Richard Niebuhr called this "cultural Christianity," i.e., re-imagining the gospel according to secular nostrums about the march of human progress.

As such, Rauschenbusch's gospel had little need of a Savior. It merely displaced the problem of evil--the supreme tragedy of the human soul in rebellion against God--with the challenge of social iniquities. The Kingdom of Heaven would come soon enough, if only we put our hands to the plow.

Perhaps this earth-bound emphasis explains the social gospel's naïve embrace of morally dubious causes, including eugenics and abortion. We underwrite modern social programs with similar illusions about human nature. Thus drug "maintenance" programs, to take but one example, leave the scourge of addiction largely untouched because they do not address its moral and spiritual causes.

The centennial edition of "Christianity and the Social Crisis"--just published by HarperSanFrancisco--includes essays from various liberal and progressive admirers. Tony Campolo, a left-leaning evangelical, praises Rauschenbusch's "holistic gospel" for offering both eternal life and dramatic changes in the social order. Stanley Hauerwas calls him "an evangelist of the Kingdom of God." Jim Wallis likewise lauds Rauschenbusch's "Christian social ethic" as an "eloquent and necessary corrective" to privatized faith.

It is hard to see, though, how Rauschenbusch's theology could be called Christian in any meaningful sense of the term. It required no repentance or atonement and carried no fear of judgment or bracing hope of eternal life. He famously denied the doctrine of Christ's Second Coming--with its promise of perfect justice and enduring mercy. The result was a flattened view of the human condition. "It is not possible honestly to confess that Jesus is the Christ of culture," Niehbur wrote in "Christ and Culture" (1951), "unless one can confess much more than this."

The Christian confession of faith, by itself, offers no guarantee that either individuals or societies will be transformed. But, for believers, not even the smallest steps forward can be taken without it..

Loconte’s own analysis is simplistic, filled with errors, and written from the perspective of one whose organizations are often unconcerned with the plight of the "least of these." It is hardly justifiable to suggest Rauschenbusch’s Social Gospel cannot be called Christian.  Rather then argue point by point let me simply reprint here what I wrote in 2004 and let those interested enough in the debate draw their own conclusions about the meaning and what I believe to be the positive impact of the Social Gospel.

Walter Rauschenbusch and The Social Gospel

(Please note that as a follower of Jesus I only believe in non-violent duels - perhaps over coffee and presided over by a moderator.)

Spies & Theology

This week I’ve been much more interested in reading then writing.

Last month for my grandfather’s 90th birthday I bought him a copy of Richard Clarke’s spy thriller Breakpoint. Normally I never read fiction (on television fiction is fine but it somehow seems a waste of time when in print) but for some reason I bought myself a copy and read it over the last few days. A main theme in the book dealt with how people might / will react to emerging biotechnologies that challenge our understandings of what it means to be human. That plotline made the book interesting to me as I have some minor background with the issue.

Yesterday and today I read Howard Thurman’s Jesus and the Disinherited, first published in 1949. How, Thurman asks, do subjugated people respond to issues such as fear, deception, hate and love in light of the Gospel teachings of Jesus. Life, he argues, is complicated but in the end only love and equality will finally save all of us – oppressed and oppressor alike. 58 years after first being published the book does not feel dated.

Looking Back On Jerry Falwell

Religious Right icon Jerry Falwell died today.  It is appropriate to pray for Rev. Falwell and his family during this moment.  Compassion should transcend theological or political disagreements.

How will this former segregationist, opponent of women's rights and opponent of equality for gays and lesbians be remembered?  History will decide.  Here are a few of my posts concerning his work in recent years:      

John McCain Gets Into Bed With Jerry Falwell

Is Jerry Falwell Really Even A Christian?

The Faith and Values Coalition

Meet The Press Debates Religion and Politics

Hate Crimes Up Against LGBT Community; ; Religious Right Must Take Some Of The Blame

Justice Sunday III

Update:  More reaction from progressive religious leaders...

New York City, May 15, 2007--The National Council of Churches USA expresses to the family, friends and colleagues of the Rev. Jerry Falwell our sympathy in his sudden passing today.  Rev. Falwell was a prominent and controversial figure on the American scene for many years. He often made public statements with which other Christians strongly disagree, including his contention that the terror attacks of September 11 were God's judgment on sinful America, and his support of apartheid and the Iraq War.

"Some media pundits tended to think of Falwell as representative of American Christianity, but most church leaders, while claiming him as a 'brother in Christ,' strongly differed with many of his outspoken views, including his puzzling  denunciation of the Teletubbies children's TV program," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the NCC.

"He did perform the valuable contribution of taking stands that forced mainstream Christians to re examine their positions and test their convictions," Edgar noted.

"Acts 15:2 records that apostles Paul and Barnabas 'had no small dissension and debate' with fellow Christians in Jerusalem, but their debate was clarifying and advanced the cause of Christ. We may never understand why Jerry Falwell felt apartheid and war were consistent with Christ's teachings, but we are grateful he was there to force us to examine our own consciences and strengthen our commitment to justice and peace," Edgar said.

"It is clear that my Brother Jerry now knows the Truth we are all seeking, as he rests in the arms of a kind, loving and forgiving God," Edgar concluded.

The NCC is the ecumenical voice of America's Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches. These 35 communions have 45 million faithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.

And this statement from The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy of The Interfaith Alliance:

On behalf of The Interfaith Alliance, I want to extend our condolences to Rev. Jerry Falwell’s family, congregation, and university community.  I had the opportunity to debate Rev. Falwell many times.  Although we did not see eye to eye, he was a formidable spokesman for his point of view.  We shared a fierce patriotism and strong beliefs about the importance of religion in politics, which took different paths.  In life we all have allies and opponents, and we can learn from both.  Rev. Falwell challenged my beliefs and forced me to reevaluate and reaffirm them.  Though we often disagreed, I never wished to silence his voice.  The debate about the role of religion in government is one that our nation should always have.

Related Link: Faith in Public Life Statement

Related Link: People for the American Way Statement

Religious Right Flirts With Fred Thompson

Worried that the leading Republican candidates for president in 2008 aren't conservative enough leaders of the Religious Right are looking to Fred Thompson, the former senator and television actor, to be their new Saviour.  UPI reports:

Washington -- Several leading Christian conservatives say they are confident former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee will seek the Republican presidential nomination.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Protestant and Catholic activist have told The Washington Times they expect Thompson to announce his candidacy "in a matter of weeks."

What is wrong with the current crop of candidates in the eyes of America's far-right religious leaders? Giuliani is pro-choice, McCain supports campaign finance reform and Romney is, well, Mormon (considered a cult by the Religious Right).

"It's the moment of truth for conservatives," one of the Christian activists told The Times. "Either social conservatives rally to stop a Giuliani nomination and victory for him in November 2008 or our issues -- abortion, same-sex marriage, the preservation of the family -- are permanently off the Republican Party agenda."

Will Thompson sell his soul to win the nomination like Romney has been trying? Or is Thompson a natural born right-winger?

It really is a little funny how these things go.  Just a few weeks ago the Religious Right was saying Thompson wasn't a real Christian.  Now he may be their last best hope.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to Liz, my wife and the wonderful mother of our twins, and to Judy, my mom and hero.  And a Happy Mother's Day to Alice, Carolyn, Heather, Jennifer, Sarah, Tonya, Debra and all the other moms in our family - and in yours.

Mother's Day in the United States, by the way, has roots in a proclamation made by in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe, "a feminist, pacifist, poet and mother of six from Boston," reports The Chicago Sun Times.

Mother Day Proclamation

Arise, then, women of this day!Arise, all women who have hearts,Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:"We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearnAll that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another countryTo allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the meansWhereby the great human family can live in peace,Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly askThat a general congress of women without limit of nationalityMay be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenientAnd at the earliest period consistent with its objects,To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,The amicable settlement of international questions,The great and general interests of peace.

Decades later President Wilson declared this day a national holiday.  As the Sun-Times notes, "In the Mother's Day History section of the 1-800 Flowers Web site, Howe's name is nowhere to be found."

Photos: The flowers come from our yard in Portland.

Another UCC-related Blog

Check out The Musings of Young Pastor Matt by The Rev. Matt Emery.  Matt is a UCC minister in Illinois.  It is nice to run across another United Church of Christ-related blog.

Most U.S. Troops Say Iraqi Noncombatants Don't Deserve Dignity, Respect

Americans and others across the globe have been horrified each time new allegations of human rights abuses against detainees or civilians in Iraq by U.S. forces surface.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reports that American forces hold a dim view of the people they are there to, in President Bush's words, liberate and protect.

The Pentagon has released the findings of a survey of what soldiers and Marines in Iraq think is right and wrong. The report says more than a third of the troops approved of torture in certain situations. Most would not turn in a buddy who mistreated Iraqi civilians, and only around 40 percent said Iraqi noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect.

Click here for the full story.

In our war-time rhetoric we have dehumanized the Iraqi people.  It should come as no surprise then that American troops hold such views.  And in a war where it is difficult to tell which side the civilians are on - and in most cases it is not the American side - it must become easy at some levels to forget that all people are entitled to basic human rights and protections.  This failed war - one that was never moral to begin with - creates new and more frightening ethical dilemmas with each passing day.  Those that sent our American troops to Iraq have much to answer for.

"Faces Of Christ"

When talking about Jesus I often mention the artistic representations made of a man who lived long before photography (a result of all the time I spent studying under Damayanthi Niles). In American churches, for example, Jesus is often depicted as a white man with blue eyes – an impossibility considering where he came from. So think what it must have been like when Americans brought African slaves over and forced them to convert to Christianity while informing them that God’s son was a white man. Images can be problematic…even oppressive. But they can also be inspiring. The Episcopal Church USA has an online exhibit exploring some of the images of Jesus in the Anglican tradition. Take a look at a few of the different ways Jesus is seen across the globe.

Where Does Rudolph Giuliani Stand On Abortion?

As Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani lived with gay men (once dressed in drag) and gave money to Planned Parenthood.  A New York liberal.  But as he runs for president it has become a little hard to figure out where he stands on the issue of choice.  Is he still pro-choice?  "The lone pro-choice candidate in the GOP field, Giuliani has been criticized for appearing to duck and weave on the abortion issue during last week's debate in California. Asked whether the landmark abortion case, Roe V. Wade should be overturned, Giuliani waffled, saying essentially that it would be OK either way," notes The Washington Post.  This week he'll give a speech were he once again outlines his views.  Will he be brave and live out his convictions or will he cave and change his views (ala Mitt Romney) as he seeks to win the Republican nod for president in '08?    

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

5/11 Update: Giuliani reaffirms pro-choice stance.  Good for him.

Sharpton Comments On Romney's Faith; Religious Right Claims Mormonism A "Cult"

Conservatives are up in arms over recent comments made by Al Sharpton over Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith (comments Sharpton claims are being intentionally taken out of context).  Before the conservatives go flying off the wall calling Sharpton a bigot maybe they should consider what the Religious Right thinks about Mormonism.

Southern Baptists have officially declared Romney’s faith a “cult” and have said:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--For the past 150 years Mormonism has been in conflict with biblical, historic Christianity.

But leaders of Mormonism -- officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- have in recent years downplayed the cult’s divergence from traditional Christianity and now portray it as merely another form of the biblical faith.

Steven J. Wellum, editor of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, contends that Mormonism’s efforts at blurring theological lines are designed to make the sect appeal to a broader public. In his editorial in the summer edition of the SBJT, Wellum argues that Mormonism is not merely one variety of Christianity among many.

“Regardless of the Mormon claims, it is difficult, nigh impossible, to maintain that Mormonism is just another version or subset of historic Christianity,” he writes. “Why? Because at point after point, if we compare and contrast Christian orthodoxy with Mormon theology, we have to conclude that Mormonism represents an entirely different theology, an alien worldview -- another gospel, which is no gospel at all.

“In this regard, we need to heed the warning of Paul that even if an angel from heaven preaches a gospel other than the one proclaimed by the apostles, let him be eternally condemned (Gal. 1:8-9). That is why evangelicals historically view Mormons as those who need to hear and respond to the true gospel found in Scripture alone, and as standing outside a saving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church agrees:

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, together with the vast majority of Christian denominations in the United States, does not regard the Mormon church as a Christian church. That is because the official writings of Mormonism deny fundamental teachings of orthodox Christianity. For example, the Nicene Creed confesses the clear biblical truth that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, is "of one substance with the Father." This central article of the Christian faith is expressly rejected by Mormon teaching -- thus undermining the very heart of the scriptural Gospel itself. In a chapter titled "Jesus Christ, the Son of God: Are Mormons Christian?" the president of Brigham Young University (Rex Lee, What Do Mormons Believe? [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992] summarizes Mormon teaching by stating that the three persons of the Trinity are "not... one being" (21), but are "separate individuals." In addition, the Father is regarded as having a body "of flesh and bone" (22). Such teaching is contrary to the Holy Scriptures, destructive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and indicative of the fact that Mormon teaching is not Christian.

I’ll confess that I don’t have a clear enough of an understanding of Mormonism to draw any conclusions about their theological beliefs but I reject out of hand that membership in the LDS should disqualify anyone from public office.  Religious and political conservatives might hope to score political points over Sharpton’s remarks but the truth is that some of the worst comments made about Mormonism comes directly from the Religious Right and their allies.

Related Link:  Sharpton on Romney and the Mormon faith 

Oregon Enacts Domestic Partnerships; Bans Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation

From the Office of the Governor:

Salem – In a celebration of success after decades of hard work to extend equality to gay and lesbian Oregonians, today Governor Ted Kulongoski signed into law legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and providing legal recognition of domestic partnerships between same-sex couples.

“I started this legislative session declaring that this is the session of opportunity, where we will succeed in affording all Oregonians the same rights and protections under the law – and where we will formally recognize that diversity and equality of opportunity makes us all stronger, not weaker,” Governor Kulongoski said. “And today we’re upholding that promise and the values and principles of Oregon – that we are all created equal and that Oregon is a land of equal opportunity for all of our citizens.”

Joined by former Governor Barbara Roberts, House Speaker Jeff Merkley, Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown and community leaders, the Governor signed into law Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2007. Both bills were introduced in the Legislature based on the recommendations of the Governor’s Taskforce on Equality, which submitted its findings in December 2006.

Senate Bill 2 bans discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace, housing and public accommodations. House Bill 2007 creates domestic partnerships, which are civil contracts between adults of the same sex, and establishes that domestic partners have the same responsibilities, privileges, immunities, rights and benefits of married couples and, if applicable, divorced couples.  Oregon will now be the eighth state to extend broad recognition to same-sex couples and the 18^th to establish anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation.

“If you look at the majority of the bills that pass each session, they are what I call transactional,” the Governor continued. “However, every decade or so there are a few bills that are actually transformational – and House Bill 2007 and Senate Bill 2 are two pieces of legislation that will literally transform our state from one of exclusion to one of complete inclusion.”

Governor Kulongoski began his struggle to ban discrimination against gay and lesbian Oregonians during his first term in the Oregon State Legislature, 1975. During that session, he introduced legislation prohibiting such discrimination. Although it failed on the House floor by one vote, the Governor has continued to fight for equality throughout his career.

“This has been a long road traveled. It has taken patience. It has taken perseverance. It has taken our will to never give up on the dream of hope and opportunity for all Oregonians,” Governor Kulongoski said. “And today, we can deliver that dream by ending legal discrimination once and for all against gays and lesbians in Oregon – and by extending protections and legal recognition for same-sex couples and their families.”

This was a victory for all Oregonians regardless of sexual orientation and I was delighted that Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and other religious groups supported these important civil rights goals.  We can be proud of our state today.

Related Post:   Equality For Gays & Lesbians In Oregon Is The Christian Position 

Leaving Street Prophets

It was noted today on Street Prophets that I won't be posting on that site any longer.  The truth is that I've never contributed any original content on Street Prophets - all of it has been information cross posted from this site.  After a couple of years I've just tired of that and Street Prophets already has so many good writers offering insight that often eclipses anything I have to say.  So keep heading over there and you'll read some good stuff.  Now if I could only get them to learn how to spell my last name....

Expand Oregon's Earned Income Tax Credit

Ronald Reagan was right.  The Republican icon believed that one of the best anti-poverty measures government could promote was something called the Earned Income Tax Credit.  Bill Clinton took on Reagan’s cause and expanded the federal EITC and poverty rates dropped – in part due to this tool (sadly, those rates have risen again under the current administration’s economic policies). 

Oregon families living below the poverty level need their own tax cut to help lift them out of poverty and, as Kevin Finney said in an e-mail last week and today during the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) Public Policy Committee meeting that I attended in Salem, expanding Oregon’s own version of the EITC is in reach this legislative session:

Do you know that many Oregon families whose income is below the poverty level have to pay state income tax on their meager earnings? Two bills in the state Legislature this session would eliminate state income tax requirements for most Oregon families below the poverty line by expanding the value of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a carefully targeted tax credit designed to help low-income working families, and is especially helpful in reducing poverty among children. Not everyone knows that there is both a federal EITC and a state EITC here in Oregon. If you are eligible for the federal EITC then you are automatically eligible for the state EITC. The value of the state EITC is currently set at 5 percent of the value of the federal credit and will increase to 6 percent in 2008. Two bills this session, HB 3023 (Rosenbaum) and HB 2298 (Komp), would double the value of the state EITC by setting it at 12 percent of the value of the federal credit. Both bills would also make the state EITC a permanently refundable tax credit, which is particularly important for getting aid to the poorest working families. A hearing on these bills was held in April in the House Revenue Committee and resulted in the establishment of a working group made up of Representatives Butler, Read and Rosenbaum. They are meeting weekly with advocates for the expanded EITC to come up with a method of funding this expansion of the state EITC. Please contact your state representatives and let them know you support expanding the state Earned Income Tax Credit to help low-income working families.

I urge you to join EMO and others in the faith community in supporting this legislation.  Click here to contact your representatives.   

"Remedial Christianity"

Today has been one of those days that never seem to end.  There were dozens of phone calls to make and even more e-mails to respond to.  But all and all it was a good day that ended well.

This evening at church we started a new small book group.  We're reading Remedial Christianity: What Every Believer Should Know About the Faith, but Probably Doesn't.  I highly recommend this book - one that I first came across before going to seminary.  Reading it provides a good primer on some basic theological concepts and on different methods of Biblical interpretation.  13 members of our congregation signed up to be part of this 8-week discussion.  Taking part in groups like this is really one of the best parts of ministry.  How did I get to be so lucky?   

A Podcast Sermon On Acts 11:1-18: God's Church Should Be Open & Affirming

Today at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ our Scripture readings included Psalm 148 and Acts 11:1-18.

Use the below link to download the podcast of my sermon for your iPod or personal computer.

Download ParkroseOpenAffirming.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Following the sermon you'll hear Holy Communion and our closing hymn.

Related Link:  What is Open and Affirming?

Mitt Romney's Visit To Pat Robertson's School Shows Lack Of Moral Compass

Republican presidential candidate Mitt “I’m pro-choice unless running for president” Romney will be speaking this weekend at Pat Robertson’s Regent University. Romney must hope that by going he’ll gain goodwill from evangelical Christians who consider his Mormon faith a cult. But ignore all that and focus on this: Romney’s visit offers us a glimpse into his character (in the same way John McCain’s visit to Jerry Falwell’s “school” did). The former Massachusetts governor has not only changed his positions on several major social issues since starting his campaign earlier this year but he is willing to lend legitimacy to Robertson, a frightening loon of the Religious Right who believes he has the power to turn back hurricanes and who calls for the assassination of foreign leaders (all the while engaging in money making schemes with foreign dictators). Romney is willing to ignore all that because his lust for the White House outstrips all other considerations. We need a president who has a moral center and not merely an ambition for power and privilege. Romney’s Mormon faith isn’t the issue – it is his moral compass that voters ought to be concerned with.

Photo credit:  www.mass.gov

Roman Catholic Faculty at St. Vincent College Protest Bush Policies

George W. Bush will be giving the commencement address at St. Vincent College on May 11th.  A number of the faculty at this Roman Catholic school aren't so happy about the president's visit, however.  Their beef?  The war in Iraq, his policies that have led to increased poverty, how his administration has ignored environmental issues, and how freedom of speech in this nation has become less protected under Bush's watch.  Read the open letter signed by 29 current and retired faculty.  Their protest is what we call prophetic ministry in action. 

U.S. House Votes For Hates Crimes Bill; Religious Right Goes Wild

Another step forward for civil rights:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1592, in a vote of 237 to 180. The proposed legislation, which has the endorsement of 230 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations and the support of 73 percent of the American people, was introduced in March by Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., along with more than 100 other members of Congress. The Senate will soon consider an identical companion bill called the Matthew Shepard Act.

“This is a historic day that moves all Americans closer to safety from the scourge of hate violence,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Today, legislators sided with the 73 percent of the American people who support the expansion of hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Take a look at the huge list of supporters of this legislation – including the United Church of Christ and other religious bodies. The Religious Right did every thing in their power to stop the House from voting on this bill – and I mean everything. Take a look at this list put together by the Human Rights Campaign:

• Concerned Women for America Embraces White-Supremacist Filmmaker

Last week, Stephen Bennett, a spokesman for the Concerned Women for America, used his action network to promote the anti-gay videos of John Smith, a white-supremacist filmmaker with numerous videos posted on YouTube.com. The filmmaker’s hateful online video collection includes such titles as “Keep America White,” “Black Intelligence” (a video about how blacks are mentally inferior to whites) and “Hitler” (an homage to Hitler on the occasion of his birthday).

When YouTube pulled the videos for violating its terms of service, another former employee of both Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council, Peter LaBarbera, continued to promote the white supremacist’s anti-gay videos, now posted on a religious right website in Massachusetts.

• Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, and Matthew Barber, Spokesman for the Concerned Women for America, Invoke Virginia Tech Massacre

In an action alert to members nationwide, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, incredibly used the memory of the Virginia Tech massacre to argue against H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Perkins wrote:

“Under this legislation, the crimes at Virginia Tech, which some are calling one of the deadliest rampages in U.S. history, would not be punishable to the level of these so-called ‘hate crimes.’ If the House approves H.R. 1592 and the Senate follows, a homosexual would have more federal protection under the law than the 32 victims of last week’s massacre.”

Barber wrote:

“The FBI’s latest statistics show that there were zero ‘hate crimes’ murders committed against homosexuals or those perceived to be homosexual in 2005; yet we already know of 32 so-called ‘hate crimes’ murders committed against perceived ‘rich kids’ in a single day. But under H.R. 1592, those ‘rich kids’ would shamefully be denied the same protections and justice as homosexuals. The whole ‘hate crimes’ concept really places logic and reason on its head.”

• Traditional Values Coalition Manufactures False Judiciary Committee Record

The Traditional Values Coalition created and disseminated a fake transcript of last week’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on the hate crimes bill to “prove” that the legislation would punish anti-gay thoughts. The falsified transcript doesn’t even remotely resemble the official transcript of the proceeding.

A full accounting, complete with the Traditional Values Coalition’s forged transcript alongside the real transcript of the hearing, can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/yvncxp 

• Jesus Christ ‘Wanted Poster’

The Traditional Values Coalition produced a “wanted poster” in which Jesus Christ, wearing a crown of thorns, is wanted for violating the proposed hate crimes bill. The poster states that Christ is “wanted for revealing the truth about homosexuality in ‘The Bible’ and encouraging his followers not to offend God by committing such behavior.”

A former lawyer for the American Family Association, Joe Murray, explained:

“How could a group purporting Christian values denigrate the image of their, and my, savior, by placing Him in the same category as Willie Horton? When did it become acceptable to turn a man who preached ‘love thy neighbor’ into a biblical billy club? Christ is a source of salvation, not spin.

“This is how far separated Christian activists, possessed by a deep-seeded hatred of homosexuals, have become from Christian principles.”

link: http://tinyurl.com/3dj7r7 

To view the poster go to: http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/tvc_jesus_wanted_poster.pdf

• James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Concerned Women for America, Etc. Falsely Claim Hate Crimes Bill Would Make Anti-Gay ‘Thoughts’ Illegal

One of the most frequently promoted lies by the opposition is that the hate crimes law will make anti-gay bigots criminally liable for their hate speech. While it is certainly un-American and un-Christian to embrace the message of white supremacists and hate groups, the religious right has nothing to fear from the hate crimes bill as it applies only to acts of violence. Nothing in this act would prohibit the lawful expression of one’s deeply held religious beliefs. As hurtful as these comments can be, people will remain free to say things like: “Homosexuality is sinful,” “Homosexuality is an abomination” or “Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

The truth is that neither the current hate crimes law nor the expanded measures criminalize thoughts or speech; they only criminalize violentacts. The hate crimes statute is only invoked to allow a federal investigation and the prosecution of bias-motivated violence if — and only if — it is necessary to achieve an effective and just result. That only happens after a violent crime is committed, which debunks their “thought crimes” talking point.

James Dobson:

“There’s a vote coming up on some insidious legislation in the United States Congress that could silence and punish Christians for their moral beliefs,” he said on his radio broadcast yesterday. “That means that as a Christian — if you read the Bible a certain way with regard to morality — you may be guilty of committing a ‘thought crime.’”

Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition:

“Most Christians might as well rip the pages which condemn homosexuality right out of their Bibles, because this bill will make it illegal to publicly express the dictates of their religious beliefs.”

The ultimate proof: The federal hate crimes law has been on the books for 40 years and not a single person has ever been charged with having “illegal thoughts.” The claim is absurd.

Today we can be proud that the House took action that will protect the lives of gay and lesbian Americans. This was a defeat for the Religious Right and a victory for progressive religious voices and all those concerned about civil rights.  But now the Senate and the President have to decide where they stand on this issue.  The president has so far threatened to follow the orders of the Religious Right and veto the bill.

"Wal-Mart Denies Workers Basic Rights"

Next time you want to shop at Wal-Mart consider this from Human Rights Watch:

Wal-Mart’s relentless exploitation of weak US labor laws thwarts union formation and violates the rights of its US workers, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.

In the 210-page report, “Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart’s Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association,” Human Rights Watch found that while many American companies use weak US laws to stop workers from organizing, the retail giant stands out for the sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of its anti-union apparatus. Many of its anti-union tactics are lawful in the United States, though they combine to undermine workers’ rights. Others run afoul of soft US laws. 

“Wal-Mart workers have virtually no chance to organize because they’re up against unfair US labor laws and a giant company that will do just about anything to keep unions out,” said Carol Pier, senior researcher on labor rights and trade for Human Rights Watch. “That one-two punch devastates workers’ right to form and join unions.” 

As the world’s largest company, Wal-Mart’s conduct is especially troubling. Wal-Mart had $351.14 billion in revenue and $11.3 billion in profits in the fiscal year ending January 2007. It is the largest private US employer, with more than 1.3 million US workers and close to 4,000 stores nationwide. None of those workers is represented by a union. Human Rights Watch found that this is no accident. 

Human Rights Watch’s investigation revealed that, in most cases, Wal-Mart begins to indoctrinate workers and managers to oppose unions from the moment they are hired. Managers receive explicit instructions on keeping out unions, many of which are found in the company’s “Manager’s Toolbox,” a self-described guide to managers on “how to remain union free in the event union organizers choose your facility as their next target.” 

If workers try to organize, store managers must report it to Wal-Mart’s Union Hotline at headquarters. The company responds by sending out its Labor Relations Team almost immediately to squash the organizing effort. 

Most of the Labor Relations Team’s tactics comport with weak US law. Team members hold small- and large-group “captive audience” meetings, which workers are strongly urged to attend. Workers hear of the terrible consequences of union formation and see videos dramatizing the message. Wal-Mart envelops workers with its anti-union mantra and allows little space for union supporters and organizers to respond – under US law, it does not have to. 

“Employers can make their anti-union case loud and clear in the workplace, while banning union reps from company property,” said Pier. “That’s hardly a free and democratic election climate, and it would be unfair in any political contest.” 

Wal-Mart’s relentless anti-union drumbeat creates a climate of fear at its US stores. Many workers are convinced that they will suffer dire consequences if they form a union, in part because they do not hear pro-union views. Many are also afraid that if they defy their powerful employer by organizing, they could face retaliation, even firing. 

Human Rights Watch found that Wal-Mart heightens this fear with its arsenal of unlawful anti-union tactics. Wal-Mart has sent managers to eavesdrop on employees. According to former workers and managers at one store, it has even ordered the repositioning of surveillance cameras to monitor union supporters. It has told workers they will lose benefits if they organize. The company has discriminatorily banned talk about unions and prohibited union flyer distribution, while allowing discussion of other issues and circulation of non-union materials. It has disciplined union supporters for policy violations that it has let slide for union opponents. And it has illegally fired workers for their union activity. 

Penalties under US labor law are so minimal that they have little deterrent effect, and Wal-Mart only receives a slap on the wrist when found guilty of illegal conduct. In most cases, offending employers must simply post in-store notices promising to abide by the law in the future and must restore the status quo before the illegal acts, for example by rehiring wrongfully fired workers and paying them lost earnings. They face no fines or punitive sanctions. 

Denied the right to form unions, Wal-Mart workers have been unable to join forces to raise their concerns that the company may be forcing out long-term employees, address their struggles to make ends meet on Wal-Mart wages, or call for an end to high healthcare costs. 

A key way to improve protections for worker organizing would be for the US Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and the Bush administration to sign it into law. The EFCA, which passed the US House of Representatives in March and is now under consideration in the Senate, would increase penalties for labor law violations. And it would help restore a democratic union selection process by requiring employers to recognize a union if a majority of workers signs cards showing their support. Currently, employers can force union elections and then intimidate workers with their aggressive anti-union message during the campaign period. 

Human Rights Watch also urged the National Labor Relations Board, charged with enforcing US labor law, to seek more court injunctions when allegations of serious employer misconduct arise, particularly against repeat offenders such as Wal-Mart. 

Human Rights Watch called upon Wal-Mart to cease all tactics, both legal and illegal, that undercut workers’ right to organize and to go a step further as an industry leader and pledge neutrality on union formation. 

For its report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 41 current and former Wal-Mart workers and managers from US stores where organizing had occurred since 2000. Some supported the union; some were opposed; others were ambivalent. Human Rights Watch also contacted Wal-Mart three times in writing to request meetings and obtain the company’s views. Wal-Mart refused to meet and provided only very limited responses. 

“Wal-Mart should change its anti-union behavior,” said Pier. “When companies like Wal-Mart can regularly violate US workers’ right to organize, they threaten a fundamental right and one that the government is duty-bound to uphold.” 

Americans ought to demand moral leadership from the corporate community.  And all of us - myself included - need to really think about where we shop and invest our money in.  As William Jennings Bryan would have said: Every great economic question is in reality a great moral question. 

Rev. Peep

Thought I'd post a link to a good blog that I just came across:  Rev. Peep:  written by The Rev. Chase Peeples, the minister at First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in St. Joseph, MO.  Enjoy. 

Mission Accomplished In Iraq? Wishful Thinking.

Today marks the 4th anniversary of President George W. Bush’s declaration that major combat operations had ended in Iraq under a banner that read “Mission Accomplished.” A more realistic slogan for the president’s banner would have been “Wishful Thinking.”

Today The Washington Post reported:

The deaths of more than 100 American troops in April made it the deadliest month so far this year for U.S. forces in Iraq, underscoring the growing exposure of Americans as thousands of reinforcements arrive for an 11-week-old offensive to tame sectarian violence.

Over 3,300 Americans have now been killed in Iraq and as many as 600,000 civilians have lost their lives.

National Public Radio reports today that the armed forces have to accept higher numbers of high school drop outs and ex-cons to meet recruiting goals.

Terrorism is on the rise.

The United States Congress will present legislation today to the president that requires the U.S. to start a withdrawal from Iraq by October 1. The president (whose popularity has fallen to as low as 28% in recent polls) has promised to veto the legislation.

Religious leaders across the globe have been calling on the U.S. to leave Iraq.

The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, said this spring:

Leaders from Christian churches and other faith traditions sought peaceful solutions before the March 19, 2003 invasion. A delegation went to Iraq in December 2002. They met with government officials and prayed with Iraqi Christians.

At the same time 46 religious leaders, many from the member communions of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), representing millions of faithful Americans, sought a meeting with President Bush to discuss the threat of war. Exactly two weeks before the invasion a letter from the White House stated the president's schedule would not permit such a meeting.

The leaders of nearly every major religious body in the U.S. had spoken out against the Iraq war. The NCC delegation called such a preemptive war, immoral, illegal and theologically illegitimate.

It is the life and ministry of Jesus Christ that prompted our stand then and compels us now to reiterate the continued prosecution of this war is immoral. It should be ended as quickly as possible. Our troops should be brought home and cared for in decent military hospitals to repair their broken bodies and damaged minds.

Our churches will offer our returned soldiers safe places to soothe their souls. Our churches will offer millions of dollars to relief agencies to help rebuild Iraq and comfort the innocent victims of a war they did not ask for. Our churches will continue to pray for peace. And we will pray for forgiveness and seek repentance for our nation for the unnecessary deaths and destruction caused to God’s family.

Pray for our country to have the wisdom to end the occupation of Iraq and pray for the world to have the wisdom to seek peace in the wake of so much destruction and death that has been caused by terrorists and nation-states alike. Lord have mercy.