Churches Sound as One Voice (Do Not Initiate a War, They All Say)

The Commercial Appeal, Memphis ^ | March 2, 2003 | David Waters

[willieroe]

In recent months, Americans have been asking each other a vital question:

Should we go to war?

Many of America's church leaders are responding to a different question that seems more to the point:

Should we start a war?

No, say leaders of the United Methodist Church, a denomination whose members include President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

"A preemptive war by the United States against a nation like Iraq goes against the very grain of our understanding of the Gospel, our church's teachings, and our conscience," wrote Sharon Brown Christopher, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.

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Should we start a war?

No, say leaders of the Episcopal Church, a denomination whose members include Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Powell.

"We believe a preemptive strike against Iraq, with the overwhelming force such a strike may require to attain an expedient victory, may have many unintended consequences, including unacceptable civilian casualties. Further, in this instance, we do not support a decision to go to war without clear and convincing evidence of the need for us to defend ourselves against an imminent attack," wrote the House of Bishops.

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Should we start a war?

No, say leaders of the Church of God in Christ.

"We do not find any moral justification for a preemptive strike in the absence of an attack, or real threat of an attack, upon the United States. A military strike of this nature puts the United States in the posture of aggressive warfare, not defense, which is precisely the behavior we, and your administration, deplore in the Iraqi regime," the COGIC Board of Bishops wrote to Bush.

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Should we start a war?

No, say leaders of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Our bishops' conference continues to question the moral legitimacy of any preemptive, unilateral use of military force to overthrow the government of Iraq. To permit preemptive or preventive uses of military force to overthrow threatening or hostile regimes would create deeply troubling moral and legal precedents. Based on the facts that are known, it is difficult to justify resort to war against Iraq, lacking clear and adequate evidence of an imminent attack of a grave nature or Iraq's involvement in the terrorist attacks of September 11," wrote Bishop Wilton Gregory.

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Should we start a war?

No, say leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Orthodox Church in America, the Christian Church (The Disciples of Christ), the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Churches in the USA.

No, say leaders of the National Baptist Convention, the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

No, say the Quakers, Mennonites, Brethren and Unitarians.

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Should we start a war?

I can't find a single major Christian denomination that says yes.

Contact columnist David Waters at 529-2399 or e-mail waters@gomemphis.com. Faith Matters runs on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I can't find a single major Christian denomination that says yes.

Lie.

[DensaMensa]

I'm as much against the WCC and NCC as you are, so I am grieved when you make such nut-case assertions as EVERY DIME OF CONTRIBUTIONS AND TITHES GO TO THIS ANTI-AMERICAN ORGANIZATION. Truth doesn't need nitwits running around confusing the issues.

[bethelgrad]

most of the members in my denomination would support this war, but I don't think we've offered a resolution one way or another. It seems supporters are more apt to hold back the resolutions while non-supporters are more activist minded.

Does that sound about right to you?

[MinuteGal]

Thank heaven and Martin Luther for my Missouri Synod Lutheran church.

There's a lotta church doors around here that I'd like to post 95 pro-American theses on.

Leni

[F.J. Mitchell]

The Muslim terrorists started this war and will stop at nothing to see our way of life and/or us dead-the so called Christian, socalled leaders are trying to deny us the right to defend ourselves. Seems the Devil has everyone on his side.

I will bet the farm on one thing though: I'll bet that everyone of those so called Christian Churches are dues paying members to the National and/or World Council of Churches, who proved they are the devils own throughout the cold war.

[Theophilus]

yah I wanted to write: whatif only 999,999 pray for Saddam to abdicate? or whatif 1,000,001 pray for Saddam, his cronies and the entire republican guard to drop dead and go directly to hell? Mebe if we increase our tithes to 20%, stop driving SUV's, wear sackcloth and ashes, pour out our veins in oblation and hug a muslim and tell im God loves him just the way he is, we can really bring World Peace.

[F.J. Mitchell]

What amount between all and none would you consider more accurate than absurd?

[Theophilus]

Oh, and I forgot: dance around nekid and spell things nekid :-)

[Humidston]

I will tell you why I've made that statement. I was a member of the Episcopal church and friendly with a conservative Episcopal minister, back in the '60's. At that time, he lamented because he could not avoid his church contributions to the NCC.

We moved away from the area, but my last information was that the ONLY way he could do so was to leave the Episcopal diocese of TX completely. The diocese collects the money and doles out funds to each member church for operating expenses.

I take that to mean that all churches belonging to the NCC were (and are) forced to support the NCC. If you have information to the contrary, please say so instead of calling me names.

[geedee]

Should we continue to allow thousands and thousands of innocent Iraqis to be murdered?

Should we "turn the other cheek" and do nothing to protect what could potentially be millions of innocent Americans killed by weapons of WMD's?

How many thousands of innocents have to be killed before you pious bible-thumpers think war would be appropriate? 1000? 10,000? 100,000? No? Ahhhh....now I get it. You're just anti-war regardless of the situation. Why didn't you just say that? Being a pacifist isn't a sin.

But bearing false witness is.

[alieno nomine]

1. We are not starting a war with Iraq.
2. We are enforcing UN Security Council resolution 1441.
3. We are going to relieve Saddam of his duties.
4. We are going to assist the Iraqis establish a new democratic state.
5. We are going to find and destroy Saddam's cache of WMDs.

If in our mission to bring about a better world in the mideast we should come under attack... we would have no recourse than to defend ourselves.

[mrfixit514]

1) We didn't start this war, it is an extension of the Gulf War.
2) I'm proud to be a Southern Baptist. We fully understand God's view of war and when it is just and necessary.
3) Has anyone heard Charles Stanley's sermon on war? Check out this link:
http://www.intouch.org/War/index_38027182.html

[Kevin Curry]

The laodicean left has spoken.

[glory]

Well we are attending an ELCA church now in a more conservative area. Part of the prayer today was for peace, but for peace that will be brought by our troops and a prayer specifically for our troops and our president. The prayer as I heard it recognized that peace can only be obtained by using our military and further asking for blessings on that military. The actual organizations don't always represent the individual churches.

[glory]

Agree with you. I've settled on an ELCA lutheran church and it is not reflective of the higher organization. I know of another ELCA church in my area that is the same way and the pastor OPENLY speaks out against the policies of the main organization.
It's nice to say the Southern Baptists are conservative on this issue and others, but if you have serious disagreements with theology, where does that leave you? I've love the atmosphere of Bible churches and baptists on these things, but I don't agree on theological issues which are just as important to me as political stances that are taken by a church and it's members.

[TXBubba]

They didn't ask the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod either....by the way, we are more conservative than you guys even! Said with a smile.

[Charles Henrickson]

. . . we are more conservative than you guys even!

Wellll, I don't know about that. . . . :-)

(My brother is WELS and his son is a WELS school principal in Dallas.)

[glory]

Charles,
Can you tell me why some churches stay in the ELCA even though their own stands directly conflict with them. As I said I attend an ELCA church that is much more conservative than the LCMS church I attended in another part of the country, not only on these issues, but in the service they conduct(by the book!). I just can't understand why they stay in--what holds a church back from moving to another synod? Even though my church differs from ELCA, I still feel conflicted by the fact they are a part of it. I'm asking this because of your unique position as a pastor.
Please feel free to freepmail me.

[Humidston]

Please, ask your pastor if your church is affiliated with the NCC. If the answer is yes, be aware of that fact and act according to your conscience.

[pfflier]

I wonder where the ACLU is when they can actually defend against intrusion by the church in state policy.