Posted on 11/20/2009 9:50:03 AM PST by Pyro7480
We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image....
While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions....
Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.
(Excerpt) Read more at firstthings.com ...
Dr. Daniel Akin President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC)
Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola Primate, Anglican Church of Nigeria (Abika, Nigeria)
Galen Carey Director of Government Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals (Washington, DC)
Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, CO
Chuck Colson Founder, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, VA)
Most Rev. Salvatore Joseph Cordileone Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, CA
Dr. Gary Culpepper Associate Professor, Providence College (Providence, RI)
Jim Daly President and CEO, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO)
Dr. James Dobson Founder, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, CO)
Most Rev. Timothy Dolan Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, NY
Dr. William Donohue President, Catholic League (New York, NY)
Dinesh D’Souza Writer & Speaker (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)
Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church in North America (Ambridge, PA )
Stuart Epperson Co-Founder and Chariman of the Board, Salem Communications Corporation ( Camarillo, CA)
Rev. Jonathan Falwell Senior Pastor, Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, VA)
Fr. Joseph D. Fessio Founder and Editor, Ignatius Press (Ft. Collins, CO)
Maggie Gallagher President, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and a co-author of The Case for Marriage (Manassas, VA)
Dr. Robert P. George McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
Fr. Chad Hatfield Chancellor, CEO. And Archpriest, St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (Yonkers, NY)
Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church (Beltsville, MD)
Fr. Johannes L. Jacobse President, American Orthodox Institute and Editor, OrthodoxyToday.org (Naples, FL)
Dr. Peter Kreeft Professor of Philosophy, Boston College (MA) and at the Kings Collge (NY)
His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida Archbishop Emeritus, Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit, MI
Most Rev. Richard J. Malone Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, ME
Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, KS
Most Rev. John Nienstedt Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN
Marvin Olasky Editor-in-Chief, World Magazine and provost, The Kings College (New York City, NY)
Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, AZ
Tony Perkins President, Family Research Council (Washington, D.C.)
Fr. Patrick Reardon Pastor, All Saints’ Antiochian Orthodox Church (Chicago, IL)
His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, PA
Alan Sears President, CEO, & General Counsel, Alliance Defense Fund (Scottsdale, AZ)
Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, CO
Fr. Robert Sirico Founder, Acton Institute (Grand Rapids, MI)
Luiz Tellez President, The Witherspoon Institute (Princeton, NJ)
H. James Towey President, St. Vincent College (Latrobe, PA)
George Weigel Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (Washington, D.C.)
Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
Most Rev. David A. Zubik Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA
Wow...never thought I’d see something like this in my lifetime....yet, I thought I’d never see our country turn towards Communism either!!
Catholic ping!
Can't sign it. Compromised squishy language on abortion and homosexuality.
A little further digging reveals that this is being driven by Mark DeMoss and his public relations firm.
Mr. DeMoss is a prominent evangelical ally and supporter of Mitt Romney.
The DeMoss family is very, very wealthy and I have serious questions about how much of that money is funding Mitt Romney's buy-out of the Republican Party and many Christian conservative and conservative organizations.
Where is this allegedly squishy language?
Somehow I’m reminded of the Apostles who didn’t want Jesus to allow others to speak in his name and He told them whoever was with Him wasn’t against Him.
I am Catholic and when I see names like Chaput, Cordeleone, Dolan, Maida, Nauman, Olmstead, Wuerl, Rigali,(all either Cardinals, Archbishops or Bishops), Sirico and Fessio, (solid priests) and Donahue, Kreeft, Wiegel, and D’Souza,(solid Catholic journalists), I’m not worried. I rejoice.
Quote the squishy language please. Thank you.
Praise God. I’ve been praying something like this would happen for a long time. All “God-fearing” citizens and leaders with ONE VOICE. It’s about time.
I’ve been thinking about this.
The question I’ve been asking myself: “Cui bono?” Who benefits?
And the bottom line with this manifesto is that it builds the Romney circle’s list of sincere but perhaps naive Christians.
Our concern is not confined to our own nation. Around the globe, we are witnessing cases of genocide and “ethnic cleansing,” the failure to assist those who are suffering as innocent victims of war, the neglect and abuse of children, the exploitation of vulnerable laborers, the sexual trafficking of girls and young women, the abandonment of the aged, racial oppression and discrimination, the persecution of believers of all faiths, and the failure to take steps necessary to halt the spread of preventable diseases like AIDS. We see these travesties as flowing from the same loss of the sense of the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of human life that drives the abortion industry and the movements for assisted suicide, euthanasia, and human cloning for biomedical research. And so ours is, as it must be, a truly consistent ethic of love and life for all humans in all circumstances.
I like all the Catholic names on that. I wish there were more!
So, your point is that political partisanship trumps spiritual leadership? That is how I am reading your comment.
My opinion is that we must have spiritual revival of First Principles that will drive political renewal. And this declaration is a good step in laying out those principles.
http://www.demossnews.com/manhattandeclaration/press_kit/manhattan_declaration_signers
Text also available here
No. It’s just that there is more to this “manifesto” than meets the eye.
First, the only ones to profit from it that I can discern are a) Mitt Romney’s cronies, who have using their money to pollute Christian conservative organizations (many of whose leaders are original signers of this document), with “hush” money for Romney, and b) those who have signed it, as some sort of credential.
Second, if you read the document in the full context of who is signing it and their actions in recent years, you see gross hypocrisy, because I can tell you, many of these “leaders” are not living up to the best aspects of these words in their political activities. At all.
Third, the document contains subtle language which leaves wiggle room for exactly the kinds of incrementalist compromises that have gotten us to exactly where we are now in terms of the continued slaughter of babies and the destruction of the family.
Fourth, the document is remarkable for what it doesn’t do: which is make any explicit demand for real action to clean up these people’s propensity to politically compromise with the forces that continue to slay thousands of babies every day, and destroy the sacred institution of marriage.
But hey, if you want to be on the Mark DeMoss/Mitt Romney list of gullible Christians, that’s your choice. I’m taking a pass.
On that we are totally agreed.
And this declaration is a good step in laying out those principles.
I agree with a large proportion of the words. I wanted to be able to sign it. But I can't, for reasons I've already stated, and others I haven't had time to think through and lay out yet.
Have a good day.
First, "the only ones to profit from it"? Anyone who appreciates a clear statement of Christian principles. I profit from it. So will many.
Second, "gross hypocrisy"? If hypocrites weren't allowed to talk, Free Republic would be a chamber of silence.
And so would every church and every assembly of the descendants of Adam.
If you want to call individuals out by name and expose the disaprity between their words and their actions, fine. But don't disqualify a good statement because it's being spoken by people who have disappointed us: flawed human beings.
Third, "the document contains subtle language which leaves wiggle room"? As I said before, cite.
Fourth, "the document doesn’t make any explicit demand for real action"? Most of the signers are clergy, are they not? Clergy are supposed to explicate principles, political activists to devise and promote policy. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? So writing up the policies or programs is our job. Let's get busy.
".. the Mark DeMoss/Mitt Romney list of gullible Christians"? Ad hominem. A kind of argument I rarely find persuasive.
I regard you as a valuable ally, EV, and would like to see effective action to promote these principles in action. I think this manifesto merits support.
The good principles contained therein, we’re already doing. Have been for a very long time.
http://spectator.org/archives/2007/03/26/schumers-mole
3.26.07
An independent website of evangelicals that supports former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has been using opposition research provided by the Romney campaign, as well as accepting funds from donors steered to the site by the Romney camp. The site does not accept funds directly from the Romney campaign.
Romney has been attempting to build up his credentials among evangelicals for almost two years, particularly since early focus grouping and polling in the South and elsewhere revealed that many evangelicals have a deep distrust of the Mormon faith.
Evangelicals for Mitt appears to be the result of the early efforts of Mark DeMoss, who operates a public relations company out of Atlanta. It was DeMoss who initially approached Romney, and who brought together many of the leaders of the evangelical movement in a meeting with Romney in Boston. From there, a number of evangelical groups began outreach with Romney.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about the true “inside workings” of this statement. Very sad how most will have no idea.
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