500 million Christians urged to divest

Jerusalem Post ^ | 2-22-05 | SAM SER

[SJackson]

An organization representing up to half a billion Christians worldwide has encouraged its member churches to divest from companies that participate in "illegal activities" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The central committee of the World Council of Churches, which represents more than 340 Protestant and Orthodox churches in more than 120 countries, announced the decision on Monday, toward the conclusion of the governing body's meeting in Geneva.

It specifically noted the "process of phased, selective divestment from multinational corporations involved in the occupation" now being implemented by the Presbyterian Church (USA). "This action is commendable in both method and manner, [and] uses criteria rooted in faith," the group said in a statement.

While that campaign angered segments of the American Presbyterian community, the WCC's international affairs expert Peter Weiderud told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that its own statement was the result of a "grassroots initiative" from its membership, and was not merely the view of a limited number of senior clergy. The WCC itself noted in another statement that it had chosen to follow a "consensus decision-making model."

The central committee "reminded the council's member churches that 'with investment funds, they have an opportunity to use those funds responsibly in support of peaceful solutions' to the Israel-Palestine conflict," the statement said.

"Multinational corporations have been involved in the demolition of Palestinian homes, and are involved in the construction of settlements and settlement infrastructure on occupied territory, in building a dividing wall which is also largely inside occupied territory, and in other violations of international law being carried out beyond the internationally recognized borders of the State of Israel determined by the Armistice of 1949," the statement continued.

"The WCC governing body encouraged the council's member churches 'to give serious consideration to economic measures' as a new way to work for peace, by looking at ways to not participate economically in illegal activities related to the Israeli occupation. In that sense, the committee affirmed 'economic pressure, appropriately and openly applied,' as a 'means of action.'"

Weiderud noted that the committee had taken into account recent positive developments in the peace process, but, as the body itself stated, "illegal activities in occupied territory continue as if a viable peace for both peoples is not a possibility."

Apparently seeking to preempt criticism of the move as anti-Semitic, the WCC's central committee "framed" its recommendation by "recalling" its statement in 1992 that "criticism of the policies of the Israeli government is not in itself anti-Jewish."

Moshe Fox, minister for public and interreligious affairs at the Israel Embassy in Washington, DC, disagreed.

"While maintaining that this recommendation is neither one-sided nor anti-Jewish, it is clearly both," Fox told the Post on Tuesday.

"At a time when Israelis and Palestinians are engaged in a political process, returning to negotiations, this decision is utterly ill-timed. The WCC is apparently seeking to dovetail on the Presbyterian Church's campaign. But, while the Presbyterian Church is still deliberating, the WCC is charging forward... [but] a boycott of Israel will not bring the Israelis and Palestinians any closer to the path of peace," he added.

Weiderud also said the WCC was unaware of any intimidation of Palestinian Christians by Palestinian terrorists or desecration of Christian holy sites. No churches under Palestinian control were large enough to qualify for membership in the WCC, although the body had indirect contacts with several churches there, he said.

Although the World Council of Churches comprised mostly American and European churches when it was founded in 1948, the WCC's expansion since then has primarily been in South America and southern Asia, Weiderud said.

[Salem]

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:28-30)"

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?   He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matt 13:24:30)"

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[Lx]

I'm going to have to ask my Pastor what he thinks about this council. Since he and our church is so conservative, I have an idea what he'll say.

[John O]

What wonderful news. A large bloc of Christianity is once again officially endorsing hatred of Jews.

Sorry Pabianice but you apparently know less about Christianity and the bible than you do about politics.

1st the world council of churches does not represent any church that is truly Christian. They are a political leftists (almost terrorist) organization.

2nd, All Christians are Jews. (grafted into the tree of Abraham) Jesus the Christ was/is a Jew and we are His adopted brothers.

3rd. Even if we were totally self interested and didn't care about the Jews at all, We'd still be praying for thema nd blessing them because the Bible says that he who blesses Israel will be blessed. God commands us to be pro-Israel and pro-Jerusalem. (Of course most Christians are very interested in the Jews as they are our brothers)

[Mr. Silverback]

The World Council of Commies can bite me.

[Tamar1973]

So the WCC claims to represent 500 million Christians, but is made up of churches who are hemorrhaging membership and are in serious financial trouble.

Which is why the WCC is also in serious financial trouble.

[Tamar1973]

The worst thing of all is that they provide abortion coverage even partial-birth) to their pastors.

If they are willing to kill their own and we aren't, the democrat/socialists will become just as extinct as the dodo bird.

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.

WARNING: This is a high volume ping list

[k2blader]

I bet a large number of non-Christians hostile to the Gospel would like to see Christianity defined by the WCC.

[Marysecretary]

Oh, WCC. Why am I not surprised. A bunch of socialists who pretend to be Christians. Phaw.

[Marysecretary]

Good grief. Hell has especially hot spots for phonies who lead people astray. Glad you got out!

[Bella_Bru]

I don't think it is the Christian community, but instead a rather vocal minority which claims to speak for the community.

[Marysecretary]

That was one reason I wouldn't tithe to the Methodist Church when I was a member. I gave my tithe instead to the pastor's home renovation fund. I've known about the WCC for a long time and never did like them. Maryxxx

[mississippi red-neck]

This communist front organization has no more to do with Christianity than does Mohamed.They are slick though about how they get their money.

A lot of churches have been supporting them in the past and probably the present and don't even know it.

I remember when my our small home town church found out the WCC where giving money to supposed charities that where supplying arms to the North Vietnamese. This was about 1969.

We dropped our membership and our new pastor at he time said we had better take a look at some of the other organizations we where giving to.

Come to find out three of these, though good organizations themselves, had the WCC on their list as one the organizations, that they where giving to.

In effect we where giving to them four times a year, you know, the old Pyramid Scheme.

We told them they had to drop them or we would stop giving to them also.

The point being one of the reasons this corrupt organization has survived is because of the layered fronts.

They get money third and fourth hand from good Christian churches who have no idea their charity donations, membership fees or dues in some of the organizations they belong to, give a portion of it to the WCC.

You have to dig deep.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Right you are, John O; you summed things very well in your three points! Thanks!

[shubi]

I wonder how loonies like this are left loose in the world?

[shubi]

WCC should have their non-profit status pulled by IRS and the FBI should close them down for sedition.

[Search4Truth]

Ahh the infamous PCUSA. The "proud co-sponsors" of the march for the unfettered right for your minor daughter to kill your unborn grandchild. They march with anarchists. They march with the anti-Christian ACLU. They march with feminists. They march with abortionists. And they claim to be Christians. Unbelievable. They are truly the church of the damned.

"What do the American Civil Liberties Union, the Episcopal Church USA, Planned Parenthood of America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the National Organization for Women, and the United Methodist Board of Church and Society all have in common? Answer: Each is either an organizer or an endorser of Sunday's pro-abortion rights "March for Women's Lives" in Washington, DC."

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/232004a.asp#

[Vicomte13]

I was wondering about that "500 million Christians" number myself. Where did they pull THAT number out of? That would be essentially all of the world's 2 billion Christians who AREN'T Catholic.

It would have to include all the Orthodox.
And I doubt that. I seriously doubt that the Orthodox Church has signed up with the World Council of Churches.
Perhaps there are a couple of newly self-declared "orthodox" churches that have, but I would be stunned to discover that the REAL Orthodox Church, under the leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Patriarch of Moscow and others, have signed up with the UCC to instruct their members to divest from Israel.
That seems radically alien to the Orthodox "style".

Perhaps our Orthodox brethren can enlighten us: is the Orthodox Church part of the WCC? Are they teaching divestment from Israel?

If not, then there's only about 300 million Christians left, and that would include the Amish, the Southern Baptists, and other evangelical groups who I SERIOUSLY DOUBT are out there beating the drums of divestment.

Take the Catholics, Orthodox and Baptists out of the mix, and you've got, what? Maybe 200 million Christians TOTAL left in the world. I don't believe that all, or most, are in the WCC.

Actually, I rather suspect the WCC is probably limited to those churches that support abortion, and that's a dwindling sliver of dying sects, not half a billion Christians by any means.

[Conservative Goddess]

Please see this thread from yesterday on the National Council of Churches. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1348488/posts

I suspect the WCC and the NCC are somehow related.

I left the Methodist Church over the Elian Gonzales mess.

Seems the NCC has even lured some Baptist Conventions into the fold. Southern Baptists are conspicuosly absent from the list of NCC members.