Liberal Methodist Leaders Call Bush to Repentance

AgapePress ^ | April 17, 2003 | Jody Brown and Bill Fancher

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Those Whose Stance Falls Outside Traditional Methodism Take President to Task

(AgapePress) - Several officials of the United Methodist Church (UMC) are calling one of their fellow Methodists to repentance. While that, in and of itself, may not be unusual, it is noteworthy that the call appeared in a full-page magazine ad -- and the person called to repentance is President George W. Bush.

The April 5 edition of Christian Century magazine contains a full-page ad titled "A Prophetic Epistle from United Methodists Calling Our Brother George W. Bush to Repent." The ad, signed by several United Methodist bishops and the head of the denomination's lobby office in Washington, D.C., denounces the president for contributing to "spiritual forces of wickedness" and calls for him to "repent from domestic and foreign policies that are incompatible with the teaching and example of Christ."

Among those signing the ad are UM Bishops Joseph Sprague and Melvin Talbert, and Board of Church and Society general secretary Jim Winkler. The officials accuse President Bush of "threaten[ing] the very earth and all its inhabitants with open discussion of the use of nuclear weapons," and promoting "redemptive violence" in his policy towards the "sovereign nation of Iraq."

In addition, it claims that the president's domestic policy is "incongruent with Jesus' teaching" and falls short of the compassion of which Jesus spoke, despite Bush's claim to be a "compassionate conservative."

The ad concludes with the statement: "May our call to repentance speak to your conscience."

Mark Tooley heads the United Methodist committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. He says that first of all, the signers of the ad "are hardly symbols of strong, mainstream" United Methodist beliefs. He points out that Bishop Sprague denies that Jesus Christ is eternally divine, Bishop Talbert has endorsed same-sex "marriage," and Winkler is a pacifist.

Mark Tooley

According to Tooley, the UMC affirms Christ's full deity, opposes same-sex unions, and is not pacifist. "Yet these church officials claim it is President Bush who is violating his own church's teachings," he says.

"These [church] officials are effectively telling the president he is not a good Christian because his policies do not match their own left-wing beliefs," Tooley continues in a printed release.

"Bush is supposedly a bad Christian and a bad Methodist because, like most Methodists, he does not agree with these church officials in their equation of compassion with a large federal welfare state and in their opposition to a strong military defense for America."

Tooley says it is "nonsense" for the UMC officials to "equate their brand of politics with Christianity, and assume that political disagreement is a sign of spiritual apostasy."

Anti-War Academics
Religious leaders are not the only anti-war faction in the news these days. It can also be found in the world of academia.

Anti-war demonstrators are composed primarily of college-age students, both in America and in Europe. Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation says that is because anti-American feelings permeate the world of academia -- and always will.

"The academics identify with academics abroad," Weyrich says, "and of course, the academic community [abroad] is very anti-American and believes that George Bush is a greater problem than Saddam Hussein or anybody else you can name."

Weyrich says that anti-American attitude is transferred to the students on a daily basis. "They believe that they need to expose the student community to the anti-American point of view; hence, the kind of people that they are really featuring in their various programs."

Weyrich says that is why students are on the front line of various types of anti-American demonstrations.

[Willie Green]

Related thread:

Methodist Pastor Not Fazed by Peace Group's Possible Link with Communists

[aruanan]

Liberal Methodist Leaders Call Bush to Repentance

As though liberal Methodist leaders have any clue at all as to what constitutes repentance.

[Lost Highway]

Romans 13

Submission to the Authorities

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

[aruanan]

He points out that Bishop Sprague denies that Jesus Christ is eternally divine, Bishop Talbert has endorsed same-sex "marriage," and Winkler is a pacifist.

I know someone who knows Sprague who says he is, let me paraphrase this, a real dick.

[dts32041]

Are you saying the man could where a condemn on his head and it would not look out of place?

[aruanan]

3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

Notice, though, that these verses exist to demonstrate which rulers are not G-d's servants to do their citizens good. Saddam, Castro, Mao, Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, etc., etc., are all people who clearly punished right behavior and rewarded wrong.

[kb2614]

There is a reason why people are leaving the UMC and other mainline churches in droves.

[goodnesswins]

Hmmmm....looks like it's really time to become a CATHOLIC in S. Dakota.....

[MEG33]

My relatives are turning over in their graves. This is not the Methodist Church of old.

[dirtboy]

ping. you'll love this one...

The ad, signed by several United Methodist bishops and the head of the denomination's lobby office in Washington, D.C., denounces the president for contributing to "spiritual forces of wickedness" and calls for him to "repent from domestic and foreign policies that are incompatible with the teaching and example of Christ."

Among those signing the ad are UM Bishops Joseph Sprague and Melvin Talbert, and Board of Church and Society general secretary Jim Winkler. ... it claims that the president's domestic policy is "incongruent with Jesus' teaching" and falls short of the compassion of which Jesus spoke, despite Bush's claim to be a "compassionate conservative."

Mark Tooley heads the United Methodist committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy...points out that Bishop Sprague denies that Jesus Christ is eternally divine, Bishop Talbert has endorsed same-sex "marriage," and Winkler is a pacifist.

[Lost Highway]

good point.

[aruanan]

Are you saying the man could where [sic] a condemn [sic] on his head and it would not look out of place?

Maybe not in France. And I think condemnation is already pretty firmly seated on Sprague's head.

[mabelkitty]

So Impeachment for Bill Clinton was wrong?

Wow. And he swore on the Bible, too.

[Dutchgirl]

Unfortunately, the heirarchy of the Methodist Church has lost all claim to any moral authority normally afforded those who follow Christ. There is a web-site dedicated to reforming the church http://www.goodnewsmag.org/ which outlines the internal battle...including how the United Methodist Women used funds for mission to lobby Bill Clinton to VETO the ban on partial birth abortion.

[mabelkitty]

I challenge anybody to find a true man of God in any church today.

[mabelkitty]

edit

(sarcasm/off)

[Dog Gone]

Anyone know a good rightwing church? I'm getting pretty tired of hearing from all the hypocritical, commie-loving, Bush-bashing ones.

[MEG33]

A bit harsh.

[madison10]

There are many true men of God in churches today. May depend on whether you are going by YOUR definition or God's, as to their level of holiness.

UMC Bishops have alot of nerve. I would suggest that President Bush a better group to worship with. ;)