President Obama and leaders of Congress have reached a deal to increase the debt ceiling. Without such a deal the economy would spiral out of control and a worldwide depression would likely result. This is how tenuous our economic position is in the post-Bush era. At the same time, the deal (and not all the details are known) apparently calls for cuts in domestic spending that are so deep that they would betray our most cherished values of a nation and put at risk the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. A vote in favor of the debt ceiling "compromise" might be necessary but could also be fairly labeled as morally questionable. We've been saved from a hurricane only to be thrown into a tornado.
We all know that Barack Obama was dealt a terrible hand by coming in as the president who had to clean-up George W. Bush's mess. In the midst of gruesome political conditions he managed to expand health care for 30 million Americans - though that achievement is now in some doubt as a part of this compromise could result in new cuts to health care programs - and has ended combat operations in Iraq, a war that never should have been fought.
At the same time, it seems that on the big issues (the public option, the Bush tax cuts, the debt ceiling) this president is willing to allow to GOP to set the terms of the debate - the agenda on how we'll move forward as a nation - and that undermines his ability to achieve the goals he articulated in 2008. President Obama might just get himself re-elected in 2012 as the "great compromiser" but his legacy might also include continued high unemployment and poverty, and a fractured nation that believes change and hope will never touch their lives, because what he promised in 2008 cannot be achieved with GOP policies he advances through "compromise."
The campaign of 2012 needs to be used by President Obama as a reset. He needs to use the election to offer a vision for where we need to be as a people. That vision has to stand in stark contrast to the Tea Party. But didn't he do that in 2008? Yes, but four years after Bush has left office a lot of the damage has been undone. Troops are coming home and defense spending is coming down. Barack Obama will finally have a chance to set the terms, led the charge, and frame the debate in ways the economic reality has constrained him from doing. We now know his capabilities as a leader and his faults, all too well.
In the meantime, as the 2012 draws near, I urge religious leaders across the country to use this period to point out the moral challenges facing this great nation with clarity and purpose. We must work tirelessly to stand against those who would shred our nation's safety net while protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
But what a werid world we live in. They deny climate change. They deny poverty. These are they same type of people who would have fought to the death advocating the world was flat. Maybe they still are. Odd times we live in. Really odd.
This Saturday at 1 pm I'll be joining other Oregonians for a rally and march to celebrate Medicare's 30th birthday. We'll gather at the North Park Blocks at 1 pm and march to Portland's Skidmore Foundtain. I hope you'll join me.
This critical health care program provides quality coverage to some of the most vulnerable Americans but is under attack in Congress today by members of the House and Senate who would rather continue tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans - including tax deductions for corporate jets - than help those who are fighting cancer and other diseases, many preventable with treatment.
Jobs with Justice is hosting Saturday's event and I'm honored to be among the speakers. At the Skidmore Fountain there will be cake to celebrate the 30th years of Medicare's important work.
Religious leaders across the country - myself included - have been telling Congress and the President that any deal on the deficit and debt ceiling most protect Medicare and other important programs that help people lift themselves out of poverty and care for those who are unable to care for themselves.
The United Church of Christ has issued a $250,000 emergency relief appeal for drought- and famine-impacted communities in the Eastern Horn of Africa.
One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) emergency relief grants have been shared with Church World Service (CWS) and Action by Churches Together (ACT) to support immediate emergency food relief in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. The UCC is a member communion of Church World Service and an affiliate of the ACT Alliance.
As part of Our Church’s Wider Mission, OGHS is one of the UCC’s four special mission offerings.
This year marks the driest period in the Eastern Horn of Africa region since 1995, with the lowest level of rainfall in more than 50 years. More than 10 million people are affected by the drought. In Somalia, some 3.7 million people face a crisis, while in Kenya the estimate is up to 3.5 million people.
The United Nations has declared that famine exists in two areas of southern Somalia, southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle.
President Obama said tonight that to deal with our nation's deficit we need a balanced approach that involves shared sacrifice - including asking millionaires to pay their fair share of taxes:
Democrats and Republicans agree on the amount of deficit reduction we need. The debate is about how it should be done. Most Americans, regardless of political party, don’t understand how we can ask a senior citizen to pay more for her Medicare before we ask corporate jet owners and oil companies to give up tax breaks that other companies don’t get. How can we ask a student to pay more for college before we ask hedge fund managers to stop paying taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries? How can we slash funding for education and clean energy before we ask people like me to give up tax breaks we don’t need and didn’t ask for?
That’s not right. It’s not fair. We all want a government that lives within its means, but there are still things we need to pay for as a country – things like new roads and bridges; weather satellites and food inspection; services to veterans and medical research.
Keep in mind that under a balanced approach, the 98% of Americans who make under $250,000 would see no tax increases at all. None. In fact, I want to extend the payroll tax cut for working families. What we’re talking about under a balanced approach is asking Americans whose incomes have gone up the most over the last decade – millionaires and billionaires – to share in the sacrifice everyone else has to make. And I think these patriotic Americans are willing to pitch in. In fact, over the last few decades, they’ve pitched in every time we passed a bipartisan deal to reduce the deficit. The first time a deal passed, a predecessor of mine made the case for a balanced approach by saying this:
“Would you rather reduce deficits and interest rates by raising revenue from those who are not now paying their fair share, or would you rather accept larger budget deficits, higher interest rates, and higher unemployment? And I think I know your answer.”
Those words were spoken by Ronald Reagan. But today, many Republicans in the House refuse to consider this kind of balanced approach – an approach that was pursued not only by President Reagan, but by the first President Bush, President Clinton, myself, and many Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate. So we are left with a stalemate.
The sad truth is that the president wanted a blank check six months ago, and he wants a blank check today. That is just not going to happen. You see, there is no stalemate in Congress. The House has passed a bill to raise the debt limit with bipartisan support.
Really?
What they actually passed was a highly partisan bill that couldn't even muster half a dozen democratic votes in the U.S. House. Now they want to pass the buck by voting for another bill that will cause Congress to have this entire debate again in just six months - instead of dealing with the problem now.
President Obama sounded like a statesman but Speaker Boehner sounded like another partisan pol.
Like other religious leaders, I want to make sure that any agreement reached protects the middle class and the poorest among us, especially children and elders. Over 6,000 clergy have written to President Obama with this message - I've written him personally - and I'll share that message again with White House staff this week.
House Speaker John Boehner’s new budget proposal would require deep cuts in the years immediately ahead in Social Security and Medicare benefits for current retirees, the repeal of health reform’s coverage expansions, orwholesale evisceration of basic assistance programs for vulnerable Americans.
The plan is, thus, tantamount to a form of “class warfare.” If enacted, it could well produce the greatest increase in poverty and hardship produced by any law in modern U.S. history.
This may sound hyperbolic, but it is not. The mathematics are inexorable.
The Boehner plan calls for large cuts in discretionary programs of $1.2 trillion over the next ten years, and it then requires additional cuts that are large enough to produce another $1.8 trillion in savings to be enacted by the end of the year as a condition for raising the debt ceiling again at that time.
The Boehner plan contains no tax increases. The entire $1.8 trillion would come from budget cuts.
Because the first round of cuts will hit discretionary programs hard — through austere discretionary caps that Congress will struggle to meet — discretionary cuts will largely or entirely be off the table when it comes to achieving the further $1.8 trillion in budget reductions.
As a result, virtually all of that $1.8 trillion would come from entitlement programs. They would have to be cut more than $1.5 trillion in order to produce sufficient interest savings to achieve $1.8 trillion in total savings.
To secure $1.5 trillion in entitlement savings over the next ten years would require draconian policy changes. Policymakers would essentially have three choices: 1) cut Social Security and Medicare benefits heavily for current retirees, something that all budget plans from both parties (including House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan) have ruled out; 2) repeal the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions while retaining its measures that cut Medicare payments and raise tax revenues, even though Republicans seek to repeal many of those measures as well; or 3) eviscerate the safety net for low-income children, parents, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. There is no other plausible way to get $1.5 trillion in entitlement cuts in the next ten years.
The evidence for this conclusion is abundant.
The “Gang of Six” plan, with its very tough and controversial entitlement cuts, contains total entitlement reductions of $640 to $760 billion over the next ten years not counting Social Security, and $755 billion to $875 billion including Social Security. (That’s before netting out $300 billion in entitlement costs that the plan includes for a permanent fix to the scheduled cuts in Medicare physician payments that Congress regularly cancels; with these costs netted out, the Gang of Six entitlement savings come to $455 to $575 billion.)
The budget deal between President Obama and Speaker Boehner that fell apart last Friday, which included cuts in Social Security cost-of-living adjustments and Medicare benefits as well as an increase in the Medicare eligibility age, contained total entitlement cuts of $650 billion (under the last Obama offer) to $700 billion (under the last Boehner offer).
The Ryan budget that the House passed in April contained no savings in Social Security over the next ten years and $279billion in Medicare cuts.
To be sure, the House-passed Ryan budget included much larger overall entitlement cuts over the next 10 years. But that was largely because it eviscerated the safety net and repealed health reform’s coverage expansions. The Ryan plan included cuts in Medicaid and health reform of a remarkable $2.2 trillion, from severely slashing Medicaid and killing health reform’s coverage expansions. The Ryan plan also included stunning cuts of $127 billion in the SNAP program (formerly known as food stamps) and $126 billion in Pell Grants and other student financial assistance.
That House Republicans would likely seek to reach the Boehner budget’s $1.8 trillion target in substantial part by cutting programs for the poorest and most vulnerable Americans is given strong credence by the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” bill that the House recently approved. That bill would establish global spending caps and enforce them with across-the-board budget cuts —exempting Medicare and Social Security from the across-the-board cuts while subjecting programs for the poor to the across-the-board axe. This would turn a quarter century of bipartisan budget legislation on its head; starting with the 1985 Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law, all federal laws of the last 26 years that have set budget targets enforced by across-the-board cuts have exempted the core assistance programs for the poor from those cuts while including Medicare among programs subject to the cuts. This component of the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” bill strongly suggests that, especially in the face of an approaching election, House Republicans looking for entitlement cuts would heavily target means-tested programs for people of lesser means (and less political power).
In short, the Boehner plan would force policymakers to choose among cutting the incomes and health benefits of ordinary retirees, repealing the guts of health reform and leaving an estimated 34 million more Americans uninsured, and savaging the safety net for the poor. It would do so even as it shielded all tax breaks, including the many lucrative tax breaks for the wealthiest and most powerful individuals and corporations.
President Obama has said that, while we must reduce looming deficits, we must take a balanced approach. The Boehner proposal badly fails this test of basic decency. The President should veto the bill if it reaches his desk. Congress should find a fairer, more decent way to avoid a default.
hear our cry, listen to our prayers, to our words, to our silence ...
God of healing, God of mercy:
Hear our prayers for the people of Norway;
for all in deep distress, for all who grieve, for the injured and the shocked, for those in despair.
May they be cared for and comforted.
For all in the emergency services working long hours to search, to listen, to care, to protect, to heal.
May they be given strength and also find support.
God of mercy, God of peace:
Hear our prayers for all around the world facing terror and unspeakable violence;
May violence be overcome and the path to peace be found.
All human life is fragile, each of us is precious in your eyes,
Teach us to value one another as you value us.
God of justice, God of courage:
We pray for all leaders in times of crisis,
That they may act for the common good, offering hope and not fear.
God of courage, God of transformation:
We pray for our churches,
That they may be places of openness and forgiveness, planting the values of peace and justice in society.
Transform all fundamentalism and vengeance into attitudes that make for reconciliation.
May we learn to be children of your kingdom of love.
God of all grace and all thankfulness:
In gratitude we pray, giving thanks for the prayers and encouragement which come from so many people and places at this time of suffering, pain and mourning. We learn global solidarity in a time of crisis; may we not forget one another in less stressful times ahead.
These prayers and the heavy silence of our hearts we offer in the name of your son Jesus Christ who trod the path of peace in the face of violence.
U.S. Congressman David Wu - who as a college student was accused of rape - has been accused again of an unwanted sexual encounter, this time with a young woman (it is unclear if she was over 18 at the time of the encounter). Wu apparently does not deny the encounter, as reported by The Oregonian, but denies it was unwanted or rape. The Oregon democrat has already be dogged by allegations of prescription drug abuse and bizarre activities that have led to many of his long-time staff quiting. His reputation is in tatters - it has been for a long time - but this latest allegation puts the nail on the coffin. Even if he is not guilty of rape or sexual assault he apparently does not deny having a sexual encounter with a young woman who was in high school at the time. Even if she were 18 this shows a lack of judgement and moral character that should require Congressman Wu to immediately resign his position. Congressman Wu has had a solid record of public service. His final act in public life should be to resign his office and to attend to his family, personal and legal affairs so that the people of Oregon's First Congressional district can elect a new representative unburdened by scandal.
"World Council of Churches general secretary Olav FykseTveit was in Oslo today. With people around the world He prays with the people of Norway, his home country."
Together all people of good faith condemn the terrorist attacks which took place in Norway today. Innocent lives were taken - a claim of responsibility that has yet to be confirmed has been made by a radical Islamic group according to The New York Times (and such early claims often prove to be false) - but those who carried out these attacks were not the legitimate representatives of any religion. Those responsible are war criminals who dishonored God by committing crimes against humanity. Let us continue to hold the people of Norway in our prayers this day as we continue to pray for peace and reconciliation across the globe.
Update 3:45 PM Pacific: The following press statement has just been issued by the World Council of Churches:
“Norway has today experienced an unprecedented and horrible level of violence against innocent people,” said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor and general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Tveit, who is currently in Norway, had just left Oslo when he learned of the bombing of a government building that has left several injured and seven dead.
Norwegian authorities also say a gunman dressed as a police officer fired on youth attending a political camp on Utoya Island killing at least nine.
Late Friday evening Norwegian authorities were quoted as saying the bombing and shooting may be linked and that they had apprehended the shooter on the island.
“Attacking the core institutions of a democratic society and innocent youth gathered for a workshop to discuss political issues, leaves me shocked,” he said. “Being close to these events, I am deeply saddened, realizing that this has happened in my beloved country, with its people, its leaders, and its institutions.”
“In times like this the Norwegian people and government need the solidarity of the international society and the prayers of the world wide church,” he said. “Now we know the reality of so many others in the world were violence pierces the lives of the innocent.”
Tveit has asked the member churches of the WCC for their prayers and solidarity, saying “we pray that Norway might be able to stand together as an open, peace-loving country also in the future.”
“Let us all stay together for a world of justice and peace, without hate and revenge, but with the values of democracy, caring for the dignity and the human rights of every person,” he said. “We are all created in the image of God.”
Tveit said the worldwide fellowship of the WCC offers its prayers and condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and are victims of today’s violence, to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his fellow Norwegians.
Additional statements from religious leaders will be posted as they become available.
All around Portland good guy Fred Steward wrote me today with this note:
Yummy Mongolian BBQ located at 7339 NE MLK Blvd will be donating 100% of its sales to the family of Yashanee Vaughn on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011. The family will be holding a car wash as well. Stop by for lunch or dinner and show your support for the family. Questions contact Jonathan Park 808-387-3524 Spread the word!
Portlanders have grieved with the Vaughn family as first their daughter disappeared and then as this week her remains were finally discovered. A website with additional information about Yashanee and her life and can be found here.
Contributions to help defray costs for the memorial service and other expenses incurred by the family can also be made at any U.S. Bank branch in the name of the Yashanee Vaughn Fund.
Facts matter. Science matters. Values matter. But none of these things matter to Focus on the Family, as U.S. Senator Al Franken proved at a Senate hearing. Politico reports:
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) took on a Focus on the Family executive at hearing on same-sex marriage Wednesday, challenging the validity of the witness’ testimony.
“I frankly don’t really know how we can trust the rest of your testimony if you are reading studies these ways,” Franken told Thomas Minnery of Focus on the Family, the conservative Colorado-based group that opposes same-sex marriage.
The study in question, published by a division of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department in 2010, found better health outcomes among children in nuclear families – a point Minnery, senior vice president for public policy, said means children are better off with straight, married parents.
But Franken pointed out that the study’s definition of “nuclear family” does not specify the gender of the parents in such families, suggesting a lack of evidence that same-sex couples’ kids are less healthy than the children of straight couples.
“Sen. Franken is right,” the lead author of the study told POLITICO. The survey did not exclude same-sex couples, said Debra L. Blackwell, Ph.D., nor did it exclude them from the “nuclear family” category provided their family met the study’s definition.
The study’s definition of nuclear family is: “one or more children living with two parents who are married to one another and are each biological or adoptive parents of all the children in the family.”
That means the study does not provide evidence that straight couples’ children necessarily fare better than same-sex couples’ kids, as Minnery claimed.
Politico notes that Minnery's assertions drew "big laughs from the audience" as it became apparent how misleading his testimony was.
Focus on the Family is one of the organizations recently designated as a hate-group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2011 for the anti-gay rights activism. (This final statement might not be accurate. I've asked SPLC for clarification and will update the post and make any corrections needed. There are conflicting news stories.).
SPLC called back this morning and clarified that while Focus on the Family works closely with organizations that have been labeled "hate groups" - organizations such as the Family Research Council - and while they engage in anti-civil rights activities their work has not caused them to be designated as a hate group by SPLC. I apologize for the incorrect statement. See, facts matters.
Press Release from the National Council of Churches
Washington, July 20, 2011 - In a meeting with President Obama and senior White House staff this afternoon, national Christian leaders asked the president to protect funding for programs for hungry and poor people in the ongoing budget debate and in any deal concerning the default crisis.
All agreed that we can get our fiscal house in order without doing so on the backs of those who are most vulnerable. The shared concern was to cut the deficit in a way that protects the safety net, protects the vulnerable, and maintains our investments in the future.
Christian leaders at today's meeting included representatives from the National Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bread for the World, Sojourners, the Alliance to End Hunger, the Salvation Army, the National African American Clergy Network, the National Baptist Convention of America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
They are part of the "Circle of Protection," a nonpartisan movement that insists budgets are moral documents and that poor and vulnerable people should be protected-not targeted-in efforts to reduce long-term deficits. White House staff in the meeting included Senior Advisory Valerie Jarrett, Director of Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes and Director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois.
Leaders have been urging policy makers to recognize that a commitment to protect vulnerable people is a moral-not partisan-concern. They will continue to talk with policy makers as well as educate other Christians and voters about the moral issues at stake in the budget.
"As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people," the leaders wrote in a joint statement. "Therefore, we join with others to form a circle of protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad."
The Circle of Protection statement has been signed by more than 60 heads of Christian denominations and religious organizations, and endorsed by 45 heads of development agencies as well as leaders of other faiths. The Circle of Protection movement has worked to uphold the bipartisan consensus that has long prevailed in deficit-reduction agreements-that programs serving poor and hungry people should be protected and exempted from any automatic cuts.
"As Christian leaders, we urge Congress and the administration to give moral priority to programs that protect the life and dignity of poor and vulnerable people in these difficult times, our broken economy, and our wounded world," they wrote.
National Council of Churches representatives at the meeting included the Rev. Dr. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Rev. Michael Livingston, director of the NCC's poverty initiative.
The news today on the 2012 campaign trail has been about Michelle Bachmann's migraines. The Daily Caller, a conservative publication, published a story online today which charged that Bachmann "suffers from stress-induced medical episodes that she has characterized as severe headaches. These episodes, say witnesses, occur once a week on average and can “incapacitate” her for days at time. On at least three occasions, Bachmann has landed in the hospital as a result."
The Daily Caller went to quote an unnamed former advisor:
“The migraines are so bad and so intense, she carries and takes all sorts of pills. Prevention pills. Pills during the migraine. Pills after the migraine, to keep them under control. She has to take these pills wherever she goes.”
In fact, all the sources were unnamed for the article.
So what image are we left with after reading the story?
Bachmann's a stressed-out pill-popping woman who can't handle the rigors of the presidency.
Bachmann's policies give me migraines. She's far enough to the right that she makes George W. Bush look like the grand marshal of a gay pride parade. The Tea Party loves her because she embraces their idiocy on economics - policies the would drive the world right off the cliff Bush left it on.
But what I hear in this story - from unnammed advisors, of course - is the unspoken: a woman can't handle the job of the presidency.
WASHINGTON — Representative Michele Bachmann suffers from migraine headaches so intense that she has sometimes sought emergency medical treatment, but the congresswoman said Tuesday that the condition would not preclude her from serving as president if elected.
“Let me be abundantly clear — my ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief,” Mrs. Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, said in a statement. She described the headaches as “easily controlled with medication.”
Mrs. Bachmann, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination and was campaigning Tuesday in South Carolina, was responding to a report in The Daily Caller, which published an article about the migraines on its Web site Monday night. It cited unnamed advisers, including one who said the congresswoman “carries and takes all sorts of pills” for migraines that at times rendered her “incapacitated” — an assertion her campaign and family strongly disputed.
“She would not in any respect meet the definition for not having capacity in one of these episodes,” Dr. Lucas Bachmann, the candidate’s son and a medical resident at the University of Connecticut, said in a telephone interview. “She is probably not going to run a mile, but in terms of being able to engage, she can comprehend and assess information — without a doubt.”
Bachmann isn't an ethical person. She has questioned President Obama's birthplace and his patriotism. The congresswoman has made vile comments about gays and lesbians and embraces irresponsible economic policies that if enacted would bring about a worldwide depression. These issues should disqualify her from the presidency. Not claims from anonymous sources who play on steroptypes about women.
Yesterday I posted a concerning story regarding remarks made by GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain in which he stated that U.S. communities have the authority to ban mosques. This bigoted statement flies in the faces of the U.S. Constitution and feeds on fear and hatred towards Muslims. Cain, low in the polls and not a serious contender for any office, is none-the-less, a favorite of many Tea Party activists.
What's the big deal, all you have to do to stop a mosque from being built on any site--- kill a pig there and leave it, or pour pig blood there, thus defiling it for all time !!!
No practicing Muslim will be able to set foot there ----EVER
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has". --Margaret Mead
Let's leave the sad irony of Mr. Smiley quoting Margaret Mead alone for the moment.
The comments that go along with the photo that Mr. Smiley links to makes you think you've time traveled back into the 1950s:
If all of this weren't bad enough it is clear that people like Mr. Smiley have real influence in American politics today. He boasts his support for Michelle Bachman who has been surging in recent GOP polls due to Tea Party support and check out this screen grab of his Tea Party chapter's website:
That right there is a sad commentary on politics today.
The good news is that while the Tea Party wields influence and power they do not represent the majority of the American people, who I believe are good and decent and reject the racism and religious bigotry that fuels so much of the Tea Party.
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain believes that U.S. communities have the authority to ban mosques, reports Politico and other media outlets. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO made the comments on "FOX News Sunday." His belief, of course, flies in the face of the U.S. Constitution and should be condemned in the strongest terms by the GOP and their 2012 field running for the presidency. From Politico:
Herman Cain says voters across the country should have the right to prevent Muslims from building mosques in their communities.
In an exchange on "Fox News Sunday," the Republican presidential contender said that he sided with some in a town near Nashville who were trying to prevent Muslims from worshiping in their community.
"Our Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state," he said. "Islam combines church and state. They're using the church part of our First Amendment to infuse their morals in that community, and the people of that community do not like it. They disagree with it."
Asked by host Chris Wallace if any community could ban a mosque if it wanted to, Cain said: "They have a right to do that."
Cain, a Tea Party favorite, has said in the past that he would not appoint Muslims to serve in his cabinet if elected.
Faithful America has offered before three basic facts about Islam that Cain would do himself well to become familiar with:
1. Muslim Americans reject terrorism and extremism. All major branches of Islam agree that terrorism and violence against innocent people can never be justified. Muslims have wholly and consistently condemned terrorist attacks in all forms. Those who say otherwise just aren’t listening. 1
2. Muslim Americans are key partners with law enforcement Muslim Americans are just as concerned about the safety of our country as the rest of us, and they are strong allies in the fight against terror. In fact, Muslim Americans have helped foil a significant number of terrorist plots since 9/11. Remember that it was a Muslim street vendor who alerted police to a bombing attempt in Times Square. 2
3. Muslim Americans value religious freedom Muslims are members of the American family and hold the same American values of religious freedom, respect and cooperation as other faith groups. Muslims in America are teachers, doctors, lawyers, members of our armed forces, and countless other important contributors to our society. It’s time to stop focusing on divisive stereotypes that weaken us as a society and work together to move the country we share forward. Learning the truth about our neighbors is the first step to building a stronger community.
The right-wing talk show host started re-tweeting my Twitter posts and following me on Twitter yesterday. Good news, I tweeted back. Maybe my tweets highlighting the teachings of Jesus and pronouncements from a wide variety of church bodies on issues that promote the common good would led the Holy Spirit to soften her heart and stop her from preaching hate on the radio.
But Taft made clear this morning there is no chance of that happening in a blog posting:
Chuck Currie is a pastor in the church of the left...if you're keeping book: political speech is now "hate" speech. Being conservative in this town automatically makes you a 'hater' in Pastor Currie's world.
(I've been told her website is now down...perhaps a sign from above? :) I expect she'll be back.)
Not at all, Victoria. I've even voted for Republicans (Oregon used to produce some pretty darn good Republicans, after all. Remember Mark Hatfield?). And most conservatives I know are not hateful people. Do you think they are?
Haters are people like you, Victoria, who use the airways to make money by beating up on gays and lesbians - demanding that their civil rights be taken away or denied - and other vulnerable people. You belittle an anti-bullying campaign to protect gay and lesbian students by calling it "Prayer In School...For Gays."
Holy Scripture has been misused to dehumanize gay and lesbian people and that sinful behavior has helped to create a climate where violence against one who is "other" is acceptable. Even today those in the far Religious Right -- in groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council -- promote active discrimination against the LGBT community nationwide by fighting for the reversal of federal hate crimes laws and other civil rights protections using language that is comparable to language the Nazi Party used to dehumanize Jews. That same message is repeated day after day on talk radio. These different groups do share responsibility for the increase in hate crimes against gays and lesbians over the years.
And you remember, Victoria, when you made up that entire story about Muslim students being given special rights at Portland Public Schools denied to Christians and other people of faith...I know you do.
PolitiFact said you weren't just lying but that your "pants were on fire." It must take a lot of hate, or fear, or both, to attack children trying to pray.
Accepting the radical love that Jesus taught and working toward building up the Kingdom of God - the Beloved Community - would save you from the hate that consumes you now. You might make some money off what you do but making money off harming others and preaching hate is what God calls sin.
You wrote on Twitter:
Keep preaching "tolerance," Chuck!
I will, Victoria, just like most Christians, progressive, moderate or conservative. Jesus taught us:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. - Matthew 22 (NRSV)
No one will hear that message from you, I'm sad to say. They will from me. And I do pray that God softens your heart. Living off hate isn't really living. It's hell.
From over on this side of the pond we're watching the news of Rupert Murdoch's British media empire as it envelopes in the flames of scandal. It turns out that Murdoch's "journalists" have engaged in theft, hacking of phones and voice-mail accounts, and even stolen information on major political figures and victims of crimes and acts of terrorism.
Murdoch owns FOX News here in the United States. Everything we're learning from the UK begs the question: if Murdoch's English outlets engaged in such outlandish criminal behavior - if his companies operated in an atmosphere that allowed such crimes to occur freely - is the same true of his media outlets in the United States?
Can We End The War In Afghanistan, Negotiate A Peace With The Taliban, And Protect Human Rights For Women?
Polls show that the majority of Americans want the U.S. out of Afghanistan. Ten years after 9/11 the war there goes on. What has the cost been? What will the cost be if the U.S. withdrawals?
Restrepo, which won best documentary at Sundance in 2010, is now available for download on iTunes or purchase elsewhere. The film offers an extraordinary and sometimes painful glimpse into the everyday lives of soldiers and cilivians in Afghanistan during 2007-08 (before President Obama took office and redirected resources from Iraq to the Afghanistan theatre).
RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, “Restrepo,” named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 94-minute deployment. This is war, full stop.
It would be hard to recommend this too highly. Nothing like it has shown the human side of American forces trying to fight a war that seems at times highly incomprehensible. The film does not try to hide the ugle side of war. Watch and be prepared to see U.S. forces harm children. The truth is that kids die in war. We shouldn't run from that truth.
It is particularly tragic that Tim Hetherington, one of the film's co-creators, was killed recently covering the conflict in Libya.
A more recent look at the conflict in Afghanistan comes from PBS's Frontline. This is the opening chapter of their program Kill / Capture:
Now that President Obama has made it clear he wants to draw down the US troop surge in Afghanistan, there is growing emphasis on political and diplomatic efforts to try to bring an end to the war.
In his speech setting out plans to bring home 33,000 US troops over the next year, the president emphasised: "We do know that peace cannot come to a land that has known so much war, without a political settlement."
That means a "political settlement" with the Taliban.
One senior official said that phrase would have been "unthinkable" a year ago.
Just hours after President Obama spoke, Hillary Clinton spoke in a US Senate hearing of a "diplomatic surge to support Afghan-led efforts to reach a political solution to chart a more secure future."
Can the Taliban be trusted? Hardly. They are war criminals with a dismal human rights record. Yet such types have been brought back into coalition governments before after long periods of war and without a negotiated conclusion to this conflict it will go on and on.
Women's rights would suffer a severe setback if the Taliban were given a share of power, possibly in the south of the country. Abandoning women to the Taliban would also spur imitation by extremists outside Afghanistan, including Britain, where the "London Taliban" has reportedly threatened to kill unveiled Muslim women. A Western failure in Afghanistan could stimulate more attacks from radicals, emboldened by their conviction that religious fervour was instrumental in defeating a second superpower.
Some women activists have sounded more conciliatory in recent times, attempting to thwart the punishment they anticipate when foreign troops leave. Most fear that a hasty drawdown of foreign troops could bring more chaos and violence, civil war, and even the return of jihadist training camps. The death of Osama bin Laden has also caused alarm, as the US could claim their mission to destroy al-Qaeda in Afghanistan was complete.
In order to achieve a respectable exit, Afghan and Western negotiators might find it expedient to accept promises by the Taliban and go along with the view that gender culture in the country is too tribal to be changed and should be respected even if it is harsh on women.
Afghanistan will remain a backward, failed state if half the population is prevented from contributing to the social, economic and political fabric of society. In their opposition to misogyny, a pillar of radical Islam, women also provide a challenge to extremism.
What can be done to safeguard women's rights? Taliban guarantees to promote rights for women and girls should be considered worthless, due to lack of coalition leverage.
Women should be included in all talks with the Taliban and gender issues incorporated in documents for discussion.
US aid could be contingent on protecting the human rights of Afghan women, and the pace of withdrawal made dependent on the extent to which the Taliban keep to their word.
Women and children are the main casualties in the war zone, and security will not improve unless the Pakistani government is prepared to stop the Afghan Taliban, Haqqani network and Hezb-e Islami from manufacturing improvised explosive devices on their soil.
Another requirement is a comprehensive settlement of reconciliation and de-radicalisation that goes beyond the Taliban to include other paramilitaries and power brokers. Rather than defend the Taliban, it would be more productive, and consistent with the democratic values of the Arab Spring, to support the victims of violence, the women's movement and other reformers in Afghanistan, so that human rights and civil society can seed and grow.
Is the U.S. willing to fight for the rights of women? If so, how can that best be achieved through a diplomatic process that finally brings this war to an end?
We've just returned from one of our new favorite Portland summer traditions: Star Trek in the Park. Each year a group of local actors in the group Atomic Arts puts on an episode of classic Trek as an outdoor play with Captain Kirk and crew. This year the show is Mirror, Mirror where Kirk and three other officers find themselves in an alternative universe where good guys like Mr. Spock have gone bad...very bad.
The weather was excellent and the acting was great. While it is nice to have an event in this part of NE Portland the problem with Woodlawn Park is that the venue isn't very accessible. Most of the crowd actually ends up behind the "stage". There is no sound and while the actors do an admirable job of projecting it is impossible to hear at times. Despite that - well, who cares. The atmosphere is fun and the cast great. The script? Terrific, of course! It plays for three more weeks. Go! Engage!
Here are a few photos from tonight (poor as they might be):
Our nation was graced with the presence of Betty Ford in the White House as First Lady of the United States during the presidency of Gerald Ford.
As her official White House biography notes: "She did not hesitate to state her views on controversial issues such as the Equal Rights Amendment, which she strongly supported" along with the right for women to make their own decisions regarding abortion.
Her passing today at the age of 93 should give us pause to thank God for all her accomplishments.
Perhaps her two most lasting contributions to our nation where personal and not political.
As First Lady, she publicly fought breast cancer during a time that the disease was seen as a social stigma. Her public fight brought awareness to breast cancer - and other forms of cancer as well - and helped people become more accepting of those fighting the disease.
She also waged a public battle with alcoholism and addiction, and later helped launch the Betty Ford Clinic. Once again, she fought the stigma of a disease and offered millions hope.
Mrs. Ford will be remembered as a great American who advanced the rights of women and helped the nation recover after the wounds of Watergate.
"While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life," said President Obama this evening.
Press Release from the National Council of Churches
Washington, June 30 -- National Council of Churches officers and heads of NCC member communions have joined other faith leaders in calling on President Obama to take bold action for peace between Israel and Palestine.
The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, NCC president, and the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC general secretary, signed onto a message that points out that "time is not on the side of peace."
The letter, drafted by Churches for Middle East Peace, urges the president to issue a comprehensive statement prior to the convening of the United Nations General Assembly this fall "that addresses all final status issues, including the need for Jerusalem in the future to be the shared capital of both states, a just resolution on the issue of all refugees, and assured access for all faiths to their holy places."
The letter to the president comes at a time when the path to peace is strewn with hurdles and both Israeli and Palestinian leaders face unprecedented domestic political challenges.
Recent weeks have seen comments by both President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu and a reconciliation agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Currently, a humanitarian flotilla is about to head to the Gaza strip, and the Palestinian Authority is considering bringing the question of statehood before the United Nations in the fall. There is a growing recognition of the increasingly desperate situation on the ground and that time is not on the side of peace.
“All of these events make it even more pertinent for President Obama to take immediate leadership toward a comprehensive peace agreement,” said Jordan Blevins, Advocacy Officer and Ecumenical Peace Coordinator for the National Council of Churches and Church of the Brethren.
The letter is signed by a wide range of evangelical, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox leaders. In addition to Chemberlin and Kinnamon, signers representing NCC member communions include:
Father Mark Arey, Ecumenical Officer, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, NCC past president, Armenian Orthodox Church of North America; Rev. Geoffrey Black, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ; Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey, Minister for Partnership Relations, Alliance of Baptists; and Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary Reformed Church in America.
Also, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church; His Beatitude Jonah, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Orthodox Church in America; and His Eminence Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church,in the Eastern United States.
Also, the Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service; the Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA; the Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller, President, Provincial Elders' Conference, Moravian Church in America, Northern Province; Stanley J. Noffsinger, General Secretary, Church of the Brethren; and Dr. Harriett Jane Olson, Deputy General Secretary, the Women’s Division of General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church.
Also, the Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church, (USA); the Rev. Tyrone Pitts, General Secretary Emeritus, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Radar, Ecumenical Officer, Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church; Dr. T. DeWitt Smith Jr., Immediate Former President, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; the Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); and Bishop John F. White, Ecumenical and Urban Affairs Officer, African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.
This morning The Huffington Post published the text of a letter I sent President Obama earlier this week asking that he do everything in his power to protect those living in poverty during the budget debates now under way in Congress. Click here to read the letter.
Liz and I were both deeply saddened to learn this weekend of the passing of Paul Copley, a former teacher to us both, friend and colleague.
Paul taught my second year honors history class at Sunset High School. When he retired from Sunset he went to join the faculty at the Graduate School of Education at Lewis and Clark College, where he had often taught cources. Liz took an economics cource from him when she was earning her MAT and taught with him for a period in the Beaverton School District.
His death over the weekend was unexpected. He'll be remembered as a fine teacher who encouraged students to think critically. The website at Lewis and Clark offers this bio of his work:
Paul Copley has been an instructor at Lewis & Clark's Graduate School of Education and Counseling since 1995. An adjunct until 2003, he joined the full faculty after completing a high school social studies teaching career.
After completing an undergraduate degree in history at Lewis & Clark, Paul began teaching in Compton, California in 1968. He earned his M.A. in history in 1971 and returned to Oregon, where he subsequently taught for 32 years at Sunset High School. For 20 of those years, he also served as department chair of social studies. Paul was an adjunct professor in history at Portland State University from 1991 to 2003 and served as a consultant in economics to the College Board between1988 and 2003.
His major academic interests are in political economy and 20th-century history. Paul teaches elective courses in both content areas, and serves as a cohort coordinator, specialist, and advisor in teaching social studies with a particular emphasis on constructivist curriculum design and instruction. His research has supported political activism directed toward high-quality social studies teaching in Oregon, and writing content text for teachers in both American history and economics.
Right-wing websites are all a flutter with claims that the United Church of Christ "has decided to banish God 'the Father' from its organizational documents." Of course, that isn't true and this is much to do with presidential politics and seemingly little to do with religion.
The United Church of Christ, the denomination whose Chicago pastor Jeremiah Wright blasted the United States and white people for years from the pulpit while Barack Obama sat in his pews, has decided to banish God “the Father” from its organizational documents.
A report from Eric Anderson on the denomination’s website confirmed that delegates to the UCC’s “GeneralSynod28″ agreed late Monday to a series of proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws. The vote was 613 in favor of the changes, 171 against and 10 abstaining.
I cannot find that article anywhere on the UCC's website, however.
But the change was one of dozens of wording changes considered this week to the UCC Consitution by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ. You can read all the changes that were proposed here.
We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, and to his deeds we testify:
He calls the worlds into being, creates man in his own image and sets before him the ways of life and death.
He seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
He judges men and nations by his righteous will declared through prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord,he has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the world to himself.
He bestows upon us his Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.
He calls us into his church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be his servants in the service of men, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.
He promises to all who trust him forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, his presence in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in his kingdom which has no end.
The General Synod this week also adopted an agreement between the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church-USA, Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church regarding the mutual recognition of baptism that calls for the tradition liturgy of "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" to be used during baptisms.
In short, the websites reporting that the UCC have fully dropped "Our Father" as language for God are wrong and perhaps even lying as most of them mention President Obama in their stories and seem to be using this issue as an attempt to smear him for partisan political purposes.
Note how The Patriot Update and the radical right-wing website WND, an internet site known for their racist rethoric, feature pictures of President Obama with The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the president's former pastor who retired in 2008.
Having written all this, I'll note that I personally believe that inclusive language is best when describing God. God is God and attempts to make God human by placing gender and other human characteristics on God take away from God's divine nature. Human language is limiting. We simply don't have a good vocabulary for labeling our Creator.
As The New York Times noted in an editorial, health care for the poorest Americans is under attack by Congressional republicans and President Obama must stand-up to them or the consequences will be grave:
The poor and disabled people who rely on Medicaid to pay their medical bills could be in grave jeopardy in this sour I’ve-got-mine political climate.
Older Americans, a potent voting bloc, have made clear that they won’t stand for serious changes in Medicare. Medicaid, however, provides health insurance for the most vulnerable, who have far less political clout.
There is no doubt that Medicaid — a joint federal-state program — has to be cut substantially in future decades to help curb federal deficits. For cash-strapped states, program cuts may be necessary right now. But in reducing spending, government needs to ensure any changes will not cause undue harm to millions.
As Medicaid currently works, the federal government sets minimum requirements for eligibility and for services that must be covered; states can expand on services and include more people. The federal government is required to pay from half to three-quarters of the cost, depending on the wealth of a state’s population. In tough economic times, Medicaid enrollments typically soar as government revenues shrink, adding budget woes.
House Republicans led by Paul Ryan want to turn Medicaid into a federal block grant program that would grow slowly and shift more costs to states and patients. Their plan would save $771 billion over a decade. Mr. Ryan also wants to repeal a big expansion of Medicaid required by the health care reforms. All told, he would cut $1.4 trillion over 10 years — roughly a third of the more than $4 trillion in projected federal spending in that period.
President Obama, who would retain the Medicaid expansion, has proposed a cut of $100 billion, less than 2.5 percent of projected federal spending, which would be much more manageable, though a lot will depend on how it is carried out. The great danger in proposing $100 billion in cuts at the start is that Republicans will take that as an opening bid that can be negotiated upward, toward the unreasonable Ryan-level cuts the House has already approved.
The best route to savings — already embodied in the reform law — is to make the health care system more efficient over all so that costs are reduced for Medicaid, Medicare and private insurers as well. Various pilot programs to reduce costs might be speeded up, and a greater effort could be made to rein in malpractice costs.
The Half in Ten Campaign - a project supported by the United Church of Christ, the Center for American Progress, and others - is calling on President Obama to protect programs for those living in poverty during budget negotiations:
Major bipartisan deficit reduction plans in recent decades have met this basic standard. In fact, all of the deficit reduction packages enacted in the 1990s not only brought down the deficit, but also reduced poverty in America. Other deficit reduction measures during this time period also excluded programs supporting low-income families from automatic budget cuts on the principle that low-income Americans should be protected.
Getting our fiscal house in order need not, and should not, mean we do so in a way that increases poverty, hardship, and inequality while financing additional tax breaks for the wealthy.
Call or email the President's office and ask him to oppose harmful cuts to low-income programs and stand by his support of fair increases in revenues to fight reckless cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and other important services. You can contact the White House Comment Line today toll free at 1-888-245-0215.
With critical services for our most vulnerable hanging in the balance, your voice on this issue could not be more needed or important during this time.
We decided to watch the fireworks from Portland's Mt. Tabor tonight and that provoked a discussion: should we view the fireworks from the top or down near the water reservoir? Liz cited Willamette Week in arguing for the reservoir:
As the highest elevation point on the close-in east side, the upper slopes of Mount Tabor afford the best vantage point for watching Fourth of July fireworks shows from Oaks Park to Fort Vancouver. By the park’s upper reservoir, a quiet crowd of families, couples, dogs and other upstanding Portland denizens ooh and ahh at the rockets’ red glare. Yawn-inducing, isn’t it? But above the reservoir, on Tabor’s dimly lit hillsides, are the city’s real liberty-lovers—and Southeast Portland’s (if not all of Portland’s) largest drinking-and-illegal-fireworks-launching Independence Day party.
I advocated for the top of the mountain. If you're gonna see fireworks you've gotta have the best view and what does Willamette Week know?
More than me, apparently.
We arrived three hours early, lots of families already there, enjoyed a picnic, took the kids to the playground, watched a beautiful sunset over the Portland skyline and then waited for the fireworks to begin.
And that's when the liberty-lovers showed up. Drunk. Really drunk. And they stood directly in front of all the families and other folks who had waited hours for the show - blocking the view.
People cried: Down in front! A few listened but a lot didn't. Frustrated, I went in to explain the situation.
You've got kids here who've been waiting hours and you're blocking the view. Just sit down or move.
No way, said the ring leader. This is about freedom.
Freedom? Did I just walk into a Tea Party rally?
That's right, he said, freedom to stand where you want. And who cares about the kids anyway. They won't remember this when they grow up. If I move I won't be able to see.
That's when I lost my temper. Did he really say that? Yep, he did. I don't lose my temper very often but oh boy tonight was a night. Lyndon Johnson would have enjoyed some of the language I used but I regret it. It wasn't helpful and was even foolish.
What I should have told the little freedom lover was that when the Founders signed the Declaration on July 4th they concluded it by saying:
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
They didn't say "I." Freedom isn't about just "I." Freedom is about "us." How we live together. How we support one another.
I let my anger take away a good opportunity. Then again, he was drunk and it wouldn't have mattered.
The real lesson here is that Liz is always right from the start.
Willamette Week? They still get stuff wrong all the time.
There are three kinds of patriots, two bad, one good. The bad ones are the uncritical lovers and the loveless critics. Good patriots carry on a lover's quarrel with their country, a reflection of God's lover's quarrel with the world.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ is expected to pass a resolution early this week that offers support for Muslims facing growing hatred and intolerance. This is exactly the type of statement Christians should by making at this moment of history.
Working in a consensus model, Committee 12 recommended that General Synod 28 adopt the resolution “On Actions of Hostility Against Islam and the Muslim Community” submitted by Wider Church Ministries.
Committee members universally supported the direction of the resolution and its call to the church to declare its “clear support for neighbors in the Muslim community,” in response to highly visible anti-Muslim statements and actions in the United States over the last year.
Delegates and visitors to the committee deliberations told story after story, both about anti-Muslim activities in their home regions and actions taken by UCC churches in response. Matt Davis of La Crosse, Wisc., said the resolution is very timely for his community. A local Muslim congregation has been growing, and looks now to purchase land to build a mosque.
“We can already feel stirrings against it,” he said. With Davis’ encouragement, the committee added language to the resolution calling for documentation and publicity of actions taken “in support of Muslims and people of other faiths.”
Margaret Johnston, a laywoman from the Gainesville, Fla. area, offered a sign of hope from the very center of the Quran burning controversy. After the desecration, UCC pastors the Revs. Lawrence and Sandra Reimer joined with clergy of several confessions in the Gainesville Interfaith Forum to speak against hateful acts with one clear voice. They have chosen to act together as well, and the group will undertake a Habitat for Humanity building project together.
The final vote on the resolution is expected Monday or Tuesday.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ is meeting this week in Florida. Unfortunately, I'm not able to attend. Among the issues being considered this year is one regarding baptism and a proposed agreement between the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church-USA, Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church.
Culminating seven years of ecumenical dialog, delegates to the UCC's 28th General Synod in Tampa, Fla., will deliberate and potentially vote on a proposal recommending the "Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism."
Forged between the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church-USA, Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church – the agreement is being hailed as a "milestone on the ecumenical journey," says Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, chairman of the USCCB Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
The USCCB voted 204-11 last fall to approve the agreement. The Presbyterian Church-USA has also ratified the agreement. The Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church are scheduled to consider the agreement at their respective national gatherings this summer. UCC ecumenical partner, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has a long-standing common baptism agreement with the USCCB.
"Together with our Reformed brothers and sisters, we Catholic bishops can affirm baptism as the basis of the real, even if incomplete, unity we share in Christ," says Gregory. "Our conference looks forward to seeing all four of the authoritative bodies of the Reformed communities approve the common agreement as we have today."
"It was quite the journey – seven years," says the Rev. Sidney F. Fowler, Interim Senior Minister of Westmoreland Congregational UCC in Bethesda, Md. "I think it offers an opportunity for an amazing conversation among UCC folks who have deep ecumenical commitments."
"There were some rather tough moments," says Fowler, who has worked for the national settings of both the UCC in worship and spiritual formation, and has extensive experience developing lectionary-based and international ecumenical resources.
The two primary roadblocks to the agreement centered on language used during the baptismal rite and the manner in which water is used.
"At a moment of significant impasse, Geoffrey brought fresh eyes and asked crucial questions that helped the process move forward so all parties could sign off on the common agreement," says Kimberly Whitney, UCC minister for community life and assistant to the UCC's five-member Collegium. "Our general minister and president looks forward to charging us as a denomination toward continued groundbreaking and visionary connections – both interfaith and ecumenical – that are ahead of us."
Research found that nearly 20 percent of UCC churches were using alternative language for "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" for baptismal formula, says Fowler. "Catholics don't recognize baptism other than 'in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.' "
Gregory says the agreement, after approval by the four Reformed denominations, will "allow Catholic ministers to presume that baptisms performed in these communities are 'true baptism' as understood in Catholic doctrine and law."
"The presentation of a baptismal certificate by Reformed Christians who wish to come into full communion with the Catholic Church, or to marry a Catholic, assures Catholic ministers that the baptism performed by a Reformed minister involved the use of flowing water and the biblical invocation of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit," says Gregory.
The agreement also encourages local Christian communities to keep baptismal records, a practice already held in the Catholic Church.
Recommending a "patient and prudent" approach to changes that will accomplish the goals of the agreement, the document acknowledges some communions may not opt for immediate implementation. "We recognize that the journey towards full, visible unity depends on openness to the grace of God and humility before the initiatives of God's Spirit among us, which are themselves based on Baptism," the agreement reads. "Let us above all work to promote the works of charity and service not only to those who are of the household of the faith, but also to all people and to all of creation."
I do not use the traditional language of "Father, Son and the Holy Spirit" during baptism as I try to refrain from using gender specific language for God in most cases. You can download the basic outlines of the baptism liturgy that I use here to see what language I do incorporate.
Actions taken by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ speak to but not for the local church. Therefore, as a minister in the UCC I am not bound by any agreement made regarding baptism and may (and will) continue to use the language that I currently do. Inclusive language is important in theology and a important trait of many UCC congregations and our denomination as a whole. None of this is to say that I am opposed to the agreement. Ecumenical agreements are important and when and where Christians can find unity it is important to foster those relationships.
Steve Novick announced this week he was a candidate for Portland City Council. There couldn't be a better candidate. I supported Steve's oh-so-close U.S. Senate campaign in 2008 because of his commitment to urban issues. Already, Steve has come out with a platform for 2012 that focuses on jobs, sustainability, and equity. Steve Novick won't be a downtown politician. He'll fight for the eastside of our great city - a region too many politicians ignore - and all our neighborhoods.
Steve Novick has made fighting for our Oregon his life's work. When criminals (and I use that word literally) like Bill Sizemore put forth ballot measures to take money from middle class families and give it the wealthiest - robbing money from schools, public safety and health care - it was Steve Novick who led the fight to defeat the Sizemore initiatives.
Steve's my friend. He's smart (he skipped high school and went to the Honors College at the University of Oregon before attending Harvard Law) and has unshakable values (he worked as the lead counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice in forcing the clean-up of the Love Canal). Steve cares about people who often get forgotten or left behind. As a member of the Portland City Council, he'll help get the Rose City back on the right track.
As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I trust deeply in the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state and my endorsement is therefore a personal one and does not reflect on my denomination. But as a citizen I believe that all Americans must engage in the political process as individuals for democracy to thrive. So I choose to participate in the political process as an individual when appropriate.
As many of you know, I recently completed my temporary assignment as acting minister at Salem's First Congregational United Church of Christ. I was asked to step in when the long-time senior pastor suffered a major medical crisis and was forced to retire. The church will now begin the search for a new permanent senior minister with the assistance of a newly installed interim minister.
By the end of August I'll be back on the campus of UCC-related Chicago Theological Seminary for another week where I began studies earlier this year for a doctor of ministry degree.
In the meantime, both this summer and fall I have open Sunday mornings on which I am available to guest preach. If your congregation is looking for a guest preacher please be in contact. I'm happy to preach in both UCC congregations and other traditions. I have spoken at conferences and churches across the country and would be willing to do some traveling as long as the host congregation is able to cover expenses.
Views expressed here represent the perspectives of Rev. Currie, as well as reader participants, and may not represent the views of Pacific University, the United Church of Christ’s national offices in Cleveland or any local UCC congregation. External links made from this site should not construe an endorsement. Rev. Currie has no more editorial control over such content than does a public library, bookstore, or newsstand. Such external links are made for informational purposes only.
Recent Comments