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.

[TexanToTheCore]

Which city?

[k2blader]

I challenge you to define "a true man of God."

[Matchett-PI]

"Challenge accepted ......... John Hagee ! Next....." ~ snooter55

For the benefit of lurkers (and others) who might be interested, John Hagee is part of the heretical "Word of Faith" (WOF) Movement. http://www.discernment.org/WOF.htm

[scott7278]

"While we support our troops and acknowledge them at every service, we don't turn away from preaching the Word. We need the Lord's message to the world, now more than ever."

Amen to that!

[TexanToTheCore]

Try the Southern Baptist churches. They are conservative and men of God can be found from the Pastor on down to the parishioners. I joined a few years ago and I'm more and more impressed with it each time I go there.

Man, I wish I had grown up Southern Batptist rather than Presbyterian. What a difference.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

E-mail the United Methodist Church: infoserv@umcom.org

[Matchett-PI]

"Any Church, that acknowledges that Christ is the son of God and is from God is a church of the faith. I happen to like the LDS." ~ crz

If that's your criteria - better look for another one, then, because the LDS doesn't acknowledge anything of the sort:

The LDS Jesus:
http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/m04.html#ldsjesus

The LDS God:
http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/m04.html#ldsgod

[George W. Bush]

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

Southern Baptists stopped just short of endorsing the war. The Mormons did endorse it, for all practical purposes.

Southern Baptists and the Roman churches are considered the most politically incorrect. There are some pretty good evangelical and independent Bible churches. But if you want to be political about your church affiliation, I'd say Southern Baptist.

Southern Baptists are fiercely anti-abortion and anti-sodomite. And they insist that Jews are to be proselytized just as Jesus and His disciple converted and baptized Jews as Christians.

With no central denominational control like the mainstream liberal churches have (and which led to their liberal demise), Baptists can't be centrally controlled. They basically drove Jimmy Carter and the liberal Baptists into the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship which will die off in a few years which any Southern Baptist will tell you is a wonderful thing.

[crz]

As I said. No church is perfect and I find these links quite offensive. Even the Church in Corrinth was in turmoil during Pauls time.

I suppose you might consider the Amish a cult also?

[Krodg]

Here are a few scriptures the bishops might take to heart...

1 Timothy 7-10

Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affrim

This certainly fits the not so esteemed bishops...

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

I believe that a righteous leader who follows God's law, will strive to wipe out evil.....people who foolow man's law will often disagree.

Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and the sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.

The last two verses describe Hitler, Saddam etc. and I'm shocked that any Christian would not want to rid the earth of such evil.

Jesus did tell us to turn the other cheek in our daily lives, but he also told his disciples to buy swords....

Luke 22: 36-37

Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, and he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.

[k2blader]

I just had to pile on with another Southern Baptist Convention bump. :-)

[jimfree]

Have they repented for watching Rhuwanda burn?

[crz]

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is Heavenly Father’s Only Begotten Son in the flesh. He is our Redeemer. Through Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father has provided a way for all people to become like Him and return to live with Him forever.
We love Christ. We worship Christ. He is our example and our Savior.

---

This from the LDS site. Pretty hard to make this fit into what is proclaimed on the link you provide. They proclaim Christ as he is.

[Holden Magroin]

Maybe Bush ought to become a Baptist. Hell, he might as well just convert to Judaism so he could win the Jewish vote.

[Krodg]

Any Church, that acknowledges that Christ is the son of God and is from God is a church of the faith.

Doesn't the Mormon church also teach that Lucifer is the brother of Jesus? How can that be from God when the Bible says that Jesus was the Father's Son and Lucifer was an angel?

[hellinahandcart]

...including how the United Methodist Women used funds for mission to lobby Bill Clinton to VETO the ban on partial birth abortion.

Holy CRAP...

[hellinahandcart]

If you're ever in New York I'll take you to mine. Traditional Episcopal and all four priests are registered Republicans. One's a Vietnam vet.

And I never have to hear any political crap from the pulpit. The rector mainly talks about Jesus every Sunday. Imagine that.

[Krodg]

Can't you get rid of them, or is that something that is in your 'constitution'? I don't mean to sound rude..I'm just asking.

[Matchett-PI]

"As I said. No church is perfect ...." ~ crz

Excuse me, but you are the one who wrote these words and they constitute the statement I was responding to, to wit:

"Any Church, that acknowledges that Christ is the son of God and is from God is a church of the faith. I happen to like the LDS." ~ crz

Notice: You plainly stated what criteria *you* --- get that? --- *YOU* --- go by to determine what is a "church of the faith".

This has nothing to do with *me*, whatsoever. You are the one who stated your *criteria*.

That's why I responded: "__IF that's your criteria__ - better look for another one, then, because the LDS doesn't acknowledge anything of the sort", and it doesn't.

The LDS church believes that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer, and that's a PLAIN irrefutable fact.

Yet you're offended at me for pointing it out??

The LDS Jesus:
http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/m04.html#ldsjesus

You wrote: "Even the Church in Corrinth was in turmoil during Pauls time."

Does that statement mean that you think the LDS church is in turmoil and will eventually change it's teaching that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer?

Please be aware that I couldn't care less what you believe about what constitutes "a true church of the faith". I was merely responding to what you plainly said *your criteria* is.

You may withdraw that criteria if you like.

[Dog Gone]

All I can think is that you must live in upstate New York. I find what you said to be remarkable.