Posted on 03/17/2008 10:22:25 AM PDT by Terriergal
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“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” —Luke 1:78-79 (NRSV)
This season of Lent, we are truly living “ in darkness and in the shadow of death” as we mark, on March 19, 2008, the fifth anniversary of the war with Iraq. It is a war that is being waged by our country, financed by our taxes, and fought by our sisters and brothers. As U.S. Christians, we issue a call to the American church to lament and repent of the sin of this war.
We lament the suffering and violence in Iraq . We mourn the nearly 4,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died, the unknown numbers of both who are wounded in body and mind, and the more than 4 million Iraqis who are displaced from their homes. With the families of U.S. soldiers torn apart, our families are also torn apart.
We lament the effects of this war on our country. The war has undermined our religious and national values. International perceptions of the U.S. churchÂ’s support for the war have hurt the cause of Christ. The abuse of prisoners and use of torture have damaged the U.S.Â’s moral standing in the world. The war is squandering billions of dollars that are urgently needed for other domestic and international needs.
We repent of our failure to fully live the teaching of Jesus to be peacemakers. Some of us believe our faith leads to a rejection of war, while others affirm just war principles—but after five years of conflict, we are convinced that continuing occupation and war in Iraq cannot be reconciled with just war teaching, and it is the obligation of Christians to help bring unjust wars to an end. The U.S. occupation must end; a transition to an international solution to Iraq must be found. A peaceful resolution is possible and must be pursued. Our country should end this war, not try to “win” it, and we must help the Iraqi people build a safer and more peaceful country.
We believe repentance means more than just being sorry. Repentance requires a change of heart and a commitment to a new direction. Repentance means transformation—breaking out of our conformity to a foreign policy based on fear and war to a policy that is rooted in seeking justice and pursuing peace. There is a better way—and the U.S. church must take the lead.
We dedicate ourselves to the biblical vision of a world in which nations do not attempt to resolve international problems by waging war on other nations . We believe the followers of the Prince of Peace should be the hardest ones, not the easiest, to convince to go to war. We are not utopians—we acknowledge that human beings and nations will have conflicts. But given the toll that the habit of war has taken in our violence-torn world, we must begin to learn to resolve our inevitable conflicts by learning the arts and skills of conflict resolution and a new international approach to just peace-making and law enforcement. We must seek a world in which we allow our Lord “ to guide our feet into the path of peace."
As a sign of repentance and commitment to lead our nation toward a new path, I pledge to:
● Pray for our nation to learn lasting lessons from th e tragedy of the war in Iraq and commit to greater wisdom in the future.
● Help heal our nation by talking and listening to our fellow Christians, finding better ways to resolve conflicts—by seeking the reconciliation of our divisions and working together for a more peaceful world.
● Reach out to the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, who often, after making terrible sacrifices, feel abandoned.
● Urge our elected representatives to:
Repentance requires a change of direction and a new commitment to follow Jesus, who tells us very clearly, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”
Iraq5th Anniversary Statement Signatures
(Organizations listed for identification purposes only.)
Mary Nelson, President Emeritus
Bethel New Life, Inc.
Randall Balmer, Episcopal Priest and Professor of American Religious History at Barnard College, Columbia University
Bart Campolo, Neighborhood Minister
The Walnut Hills Fellowship
Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Eastern University
Michael Kieschnick, Chairman
Beatitudes Society
Chuck Collins, author
(Boston, MA)
Helene Slessarev-Jamir, Mildred M. Hutchinson Professor of Urban Ministries,
Claremont School of Theology.
Ivy George, Professor of Sociology
Gordon College
David Cortright, President
Fourth Freedom Forum
Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., author and spiritual teacher
Center for Action and Contemplation Albuquerque, New Mexico
Alexia K. Kelley, Executive Director
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, President
Skinner Leadership Institute
Bill Watanabe, Little Tokyo Service Center-Los Angeles
Debbie McLeod Sears, Yale Divinity School Student
Jay K. Sears, New Quest Properties.
Christa Mazzone Palmberg, Coordinator, Duke Divinity Women's Center
Brian McLaren
Ron Sider, Evangelicals for Social Action
Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,
'cuz I'm the meanest sombitch in the valley!
I think this group is incorporated as “The G** D*** America Club”
A who’s-who of the “evangelical” Left....and the “emergent” church.
Notice Bill Clinton’s spiritual adviser Tony Campolo, and Brian McLaren....emergent leader....
I lament that fellow Christians cannot see the dangers we face from evil ( Islam ) and that when reaching out fails as we have the last 30-40 years, we need to defend ourselves.
Looky here from 2006:
Jim Wallis’ “Sojourners” SojoMail@sojo.net Mon, 08 May 2006 15:14:09 GMT
Subject: Speakers Confirmed: Sen. Barack Obama, Marian Wright Edelman, Tony Hall, and more...
Dear XXXX,
The lineup for Pentecost 2006 just keeps getting better and better. We’re thrilled to announce that exciting new guests have recently confirmed their attendance at Pentecost 2006: Building a Covenant for a New America, June 26-28 in Washington, D.C.:
Sen. Barack Obama
Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund
Ambassador Tony Hall, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture
Rev. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
You?
[snip]
here's the latest:
They're now trying to raise money for an ad campaign to run in Christianity Today, The Christian Century, and Relevant Magazine. Might be a good idea for Christians to express to these publications that they shouldn't be part and parcel to endorsing these leftists' message:
Today our nation marks five years of war in Iraq. And for five years, we as Christians have too often been silent about a war that has been financed by our taxes, fought by our brothers and sisters, and justified using the language of faith.
But we will be silent no more. So today, as the church prepares to remember Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, we issue a Call to Repent and Lament for the sin of this war.
Our team at Sojourners is working hard to ensure that the statement is seen by as many Christians as possible - on Monday, we'll be running online ads in three Christian media outlets reaching more than 100,000 subscribers.
To call the church to repentance for war, we need to need to share our statement with as broad and diverse an audience as possible. That's why we're placing advertisements with:
Meanwhile, our blog is running a special series, "The Cost of War," that highlights unique Christian voices: an Iraqi American with family still in Baghdad, the mother of a soldier who died in Iraq, a veteran who's become a peace activist since returning home, and many more.
And our media team is reaching out to reporters covering the anniversary, letting them know just how many of us view this war as a sin.
I'm overwhelmed by the support you've shown for this campaign so far: almost 25,000 of you have signed the statement, and donated almost $20,000. But we still need your help to raise the $40,000 required for this campaign.
And as we journey together through Holy Week, let us all hold the victims of this war - American and Iraqi alike - in our prayers.
Blessings,
Jim Wallis and the rest of the team at Sojourners
bttt
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