The Christian Methodist Newsletter
Volume
13, Number 2 Spring 2003
The World Situation
In response to an article in
the North Carolina Christian Advocate
entitled "Bishop Talbert questions war in TV spot" I am glad that the
title was phrased that way. Since he questions the war, I would like to take
the opportunity to provide him answers. First of all, may I offer the
information that I am retired from the Army, having served the highest levels
of the Army in both the enlisted and officer ranks? Secondly, I have studied,
lived, and worked in the field of international relations for over forty years.
Third, I speak four languages and have, at times, operated in all them. The
last major action in which I was involved was Operation Desert Storm which, as
you know, was in the Persian Gulf.
At that time I served in the XVIII
Airborne Corps. When I deployed to Saudi Arabia for staging in support of
Desert Storm, I had been the Youth Coordinator at Camp Ground United Methodist
Church in Fayetteville, NC. As the lay person in charge of the youth program, I
interacted with the teenagers on a regular basis and got to know them really
well. During the 1991 war itself, at one point I happened to encounter two
Kuwaiti women and a teenage girl who looked to be about thirteen. It was one of
those moments when time seemed to stand still. I just looked into the face of
the girl; she looked exactly like one of my favorite kids in the youth group
back home - Sarah Wolfe. We just looked at each other: I at her dark eyes, her
glasses, and the hint of a mischievous little smile so typical of Sarah; she
looked up at me, just staring into my face. This was not just any girl; this
was Sarah - my Sarah. The moment passed and we went on. Combat is very
unpredictable, but I knew that if it had ever come down to fighting to protect
that little girl, the Iraqis would have had to kill me before I would let them
harm her.
And that is exactly what we were
doing there - fighting to free a country that had experienced the brutality of
the rape, torture, and killing of innocent children, women, and men. They were
not faceless people but individuals; each one was a "Sarah" or a
"Bobby" who wanted to live his life in peace and safety.
The same situation exists today,
except that we have more confirmation of the nature of the actions inside of
Iraq itself. Yet, it seems as if there has been a good deal of rhetoric without
examining the facts in the case. Church officials have been energetic in trying
to prevent our country's going to war and then after it commenced, they have
been active in opposing it. The United Methodist Church's Board of Church and
Society called for peace less than 24 hours after President Bush declared the "early
stages of military operations to disarm Iraq" were under way.(!) On March
26th UM Bishop C. Joseph Sprague, and both Jim Winkler and Linda Bales of the
UM Board of Church and Society were arrested near the White House during a
demonstration against the war with Iraq.(2) Then on March 27th Bishop Sprague and the Rev. Jesse Jackson met
with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss the war in Iraq.(3) Why are
they doing this? Why is there such a refusal to look at the involvement of
Saddam Hussein with the September 11th attack on our country, participation in
the international terrorist network, and the atrocities in his own country?
The reality is - we are now at war.
We need to be mindful of the effects that our actions have overseas, especially
how they will put the lives of the men and women in danger who are currently
serving in harm's way: to the extent that denominational officials create
dissension against our government, they will increase the danger faced by our
soldiers. This is so divisive to our country. In addition we need to be aware
of the fact that what the leaders and bishops of our United Methodist Church
say and do reflects on our denomination and gives the appearance that they are
speaking for all of us.
Instead I would ask that you examine
the information contained in this copy of The
Christian Methodist Newsletter, think about it, and pray:
...for
President Bush, that the Lord will speak clearly to him as to what He would
have the President do.
...for
the protection of our armed forces, for the men and women placed in harm's way.
Specifically, I would ask you to "pray
God's hedge of protection around them against any physical harm" and to
pray Psalm 91 for our soldiers.
...that
America would be protected from terrorist attacks.
...that
all of the Iraqis would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - and the
peace that only He can provide.
I
ask you - please pray.
-
Allen O. Morris
- (1) The United
Methodist News Service (UMNS); Washington, DC; 10-21-71BI{164} March 21, 2003.
- (2) UMNS; Nashville,
Tenn.; 10-21-71BP(178} March 27, 2003.
- (3) UMNS; New York;
10-21-71BPI(183} March 28, 2003.
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Commentary: Just cause exists for action against Iraq A UMNS Commentary By the Rev. Donald
Sensing*
Methodists are rightly concerned about the Iraq problem, but
so far our denomination has shed more heat than light on the issue. The United
Methodist Church is neither officially nor historically pacifist. Our Social
Principles denounce war, but acknowledge that when peaceful alternatives fail,
armed force may be necessary. We all wish for a world where force would never
be needed. We all hope for it. But serious reasoning, not wishful thinking, is
our duty in these perilous times. Wishes are not plans, and hope is not a
method. Sojourners magazine editor Jim Wallis wrote this month, "For
nonviolence to be credible, it must answer the questions that violence purports
to answer, but in a better way. I oppose a widening war that bombs more people
and countries, recruiting even more terrorists and fueling an unending cycle of
violence. But those who oppose bombing must have an alternative."
Simply using
religious language and claiming divine authority is not offering a credible
alternative. Just saying "Jesus" and "love" and
"peace" is not a plan. The Bush administration's claims about
Saddam's rule of terror and the threat his regime poses to world peace deserve
our sober consideration of what they are and our understanding of what they
mean.
Many details are
not pleasant. They are often technical. "Connecting the dots" is
often frustrating. Interdisciplinary expertise and strategic vision - not just
theological education - are required by religious leaders now. If we wish our
voices to be heeded, they must be worth listening to. Saddam's regime threatens
American lives and the peace of the entire Middle East.
The Bush
administration and the U.N. inspectors have provided conclusive proof of Iraq's
programs to develop mass-destructive weapons and its extensive efforts to
conceal them - efforts that continue to this day. There is solid evidence of
Iraq's links to transnational terrorists. Saddam's regime is brutally repressive
of its own people. Whether the status quo with Iraq constitutes a cause for war
should be debated. That the status quo should continue cannot be faithfully
maintained. The question is not whether Saddam's regime must be ended and the
Iraqi people freed; the question is...how. We pray that open war may yet be
avoided. But to fail to act effectively to accomplish the just end is to make
oneself an accomplice of injustice and ally oneself with murderous oppression.
The United
Methodist Church's Council of Bishops has twice commended President Bush for
his diplomacy. He has worked with the Congress, the United Nations, NATO and
the European Union to resolve this crisis. There has been no "rush to
war."
Iraq has defied
17 U.N. resolutions over 12 years. In 1998, President Clinton withdrew the UN
weapons inspectors so he could bomb Iraq. President Bush insisted they return
to confirm that Iraq has disarmed as the United Nations requires.
Therefore, last
November the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously that Iraq should be given
a "final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations under
(existing) relevant resolutions of the council." Note: The United Nations
placed the burden of proof and the onus of compliance on Iraq, not on the inspectors
or the United States. Yet every report to the United Nations by the inspectors
details more lies and deceit from Saddam's regime. U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector
Hans Blix said he does not need more inspectors and does not want them, nor is
there insufficient time for inspections....The problem, he said, is that Iraq
is not cooperating and is not complying with the United Nations' ultimatum.
Every nation in
the world, except Iraq, agrees that Iraq must disarm. The desired outcome of
the crisis is not in question. The only question now is that of means: how
shall Iraq be disarmed? If Iraq does comply, fully and quickly, open war will
be avoided; if not, the last peaceful means to resolve the crisis will have
been exhausted. If military action against Iraq comes, it will be neither
pre-emptive nor unilateral. America has been legally and actually at war with
Iraq since 1991 with varying intensity. President Clinton struck Iraq
repeatedly, claiming 1991's resolution authorizing force never expired. America
has the announced support of 35 nations (19 European) against Iraq if such
action comes.
A key fact is
being overlooked in today's debate. The choice is not really between peace and
war. We have not been at peace with Iraq since 1991, and Saddam wages war upon
his own people every day. The issue is not beginning a war, but how long the
present war will continue. Absent Iraqi compliance, the choice is between
brief, controlled warfare imminently or the continued suffering of the Iraqi
people, the continued absence of peace and almost certainly a truly terrible
war later.
President
Kennedy's words during the Cuban missile crisis still apply: "We no longer
live in a world where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient
challenge to a nation's security... The 1930s taught us a clear lesson:
aggressive conduct, if allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately
leads to war. ... Our policy has been one of patience and restraint, but now
further action is required. ... The greatest danger of all would be to do
nothing."
Sadly, Saddam's cruelties toward Iraqis are barely noticed
by religious leaders. Iraqi exile Rania Kashi wrote, "Saddam has murdered
more than a million Iraqis over the past 30 years. Are you willing to allow him
to kill another million Iraqis? Out of a population of 20 million, 4 million
Iraqis have been forced to flee their country during Saddam's reign. Are you
willing to ignore the real and present danger that caused so many people to
leave their homes and families?" So far, our denomination is answering,
"Yes."
Reasoning about
war, wrote Catholic theologian George Weigel, is not to "set a series of
hurdles that statesmen must overcome before the resort to armed force is given
moral sanction." The first consideration is "the moral obligation of
government to pursue national security and world order." Just cause exists
for decisive action against Iraq, exhaustively documented in the public record.
Just intention has been stated by the administration: halting Iraq's weapons
programs, creating conditions for Iraqi democracy, freeing the Iraqi people
from Saddam's murderous regime.
There have been many strident, uninformed people claiming
that war with Iraq will kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. One man told me
recently, and incorrectly, that we will "flatten Baghdad." War is
violent, let no one doubt. But at no time in history has the just-war tenet of
discrimination and proportionality been more achievable than it is today by
American forces. If war comes, our forces will strive to end the issue quickly,
with minimum death and destruction, abiding by international conventions and
the U.S. Law of Land Warfare.
Liberation
theologian James Cone wrote that in opposing oppression, the choice for
Christians is not between violence and nonviolence because violence is already
present. Christians must decide whether violence to overcome the oppression is
a greater evil than the violence of the oppression itself.
"Of course
it would be ideal if an invasion could be undertaken ... by the Nelson Mandela
International Peace Force," wrote Ms. Kashi. "That such a force does
not exist - cannot exist - in today's world is a failing of the very people who
do not want America to invade Iraq, yet are willing to let thousands of Iraqis
die in order to gain the higher moral ground."
Shall we fret
over our personal piety while Saddam murders his own people?
I believe that
America may justifiably use force to resolve the crisis. Let everyone decide
this question prayerfully, trusting as theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer did that
grace will ultimately abound. And let us agree to be united in desiring God's
will to inform the decisions and actions of every national leader. Let us pray
for God's wisdom to prevail and God's justice to be obtained. Let us give
thanks that God is one who, in times and places he chooses, can indeed break
the bow and shatter the spear asunder (Ps 46).
*Sensing is pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in
Franklin, Tenn, and is also a retired Army artillery officer.
- The Rev. Donald Sensing; UMNS;
Nashville, Tenn. 10-21-71BPI{093}; Feb. 20, 2003.
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* Anti-War Ad Claims Attack on Iraq Would
'Violate God's Law'. Networks Refuse to Run Commercial
By Jim Brown and Fred Jackson January
31, 2003
(AgapePress) - A report says CNN, Fox, and NBC are refusing
to run a series of anti-war ads sponsored by the National Council of Churches (NCC).
A liberal United Methodist bishop is featured in the new anti-war ad airing
this weekend. In the 30-second spot, Bishop Melvin Talbert claims the United
States has no right to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Talbert appears in
the commercial with Hollywood liberal Jeneane Garafalo, and claims U.S.
military action against Iraq "violates God's law and the teachings of
Jesus Christ."
Conservatives
have denounced such charges. They say rather than the Bible, the real source of
the NCC's philosophy is worldly humanist thinking that refuses to recognize
that there is good and evil in the world. The NCC has a long history of
representing the liberal left of the religious community. So the fact that
their ads denounce the Bush Administration's threat of war against Iraq is not
all that surprising. The Council had hoped to run their ads on major cable and
broadcast outlets like CNN and NBC. But according to The Washington Post
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3764-2003Jan30.html>,
the networks turned them down because of their controversial content. The ads
will run, however, in some local TV markets across the country.
Bishop Talbert
[had] recently visited with Iraqi government officials in Baghdad and called on
the U.S. to negotiate with Saddam Hussein.
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Methodist Bishops' Anti-War Stance Inappropriate, Tooley Says A
conservative Protestant leader says United Methodist bishops have got it all
wrong when it comes to their stance on Iraq -- and that he is disgusted with
them for gathering in Washington to protest possible military action against
the Middle Eastern nation.The group of United Methodist bishops met recently in
the nation's capital to protest possible military action to remove Iraqi
dictator Saddam Hussein from power. Bishop Sharon A.
Brown Christopher <http://umns.umc.org/02/oct/454.htm>, the
president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, has even gone so far as
to say war against Iraq would be "going against the very grain of our
understanding of the gospel" and that a pre-emptive strike "does not
reflect restraint."
Mark Tooley with
the Institute on Religion and Democracy
<http://www.ird-renew.org> says such rhetoric -- like that from
Bishop Christopher -- does not reflect the views of local, mainstream
Methodists. "People of good will can disagree or agree whether or not the
U.S. should take military action to depose Saddam Hussein," Tooley says,
"but I think that the vast majority of Methodists would think it's
inappropriate that these bishops, purporting to speak for our church, were
protesting to the president, then against his policies." Tooley says for
the past 40 years, Methodist bishops have been making far-left political
statements that are completely out of step with true Christianity. The anti-war
bishops, he says, could find better ways to spend their time."Perhaps
these bishops, rather than critiquing President Bush's policies, ought to look
to one of their own and make some attempt to enforce or uphold Christian
doctrine within the Methodist Council of Bishops," he says. Tooley says
the bishops opposing military action against Iraq have little expertise on war
and the Middle East, and therefore have no mandate to make such statements.
Among the protesters was Joseph Sprague, a controversial bishop from Chicago
who has openly rejected the virgin birth and physical resurrection of Jesus
Christ.[Note: We agree with Mr. Tooley. We have no confidence in these
political perspectives of UM officials. This is being presented since it is
timely.] - Oct. 22, 2002; from Mark Tooley of the
Institute on Religion and Democracy
***************************************************************************************************
+ Now more than ever
men and women in harm’s way in the Persian Gulf. 80,000 have asked us to “adopt”
them in prayer. Now, as we may be only hours away from the beginning of the
war, will you “adopt” a military member in prayer? Please do so online right
now. - Source: Presidential Prayer Team.
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/
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+ Group Says Church Leaders do Not Represent
People in the Pews on Iraq War delegations
Fairfax, VA - According to leaders of the
Association of Church Renewal (ACR), church statements opposing war with Iraq
do not represent the views of most members of those churches. The ACR is an
ecumenical association of mainline church organizations committed to advocating
orthodox Christian teaching and practice in their respective
denominations. "This is not a new
phenomenon," said James Heidinger of Good News, a magazine dedicated to
renewal in the United Methodist Church. "Most church elites do not consult
the members of the church before issuing such statements, largely because
elites know that their opinions are not representative." A recent Gallup poll confirmed this
observation, noting that opinion among Christians about possible war with Iraq
tracks closely with national opinion. In fact, 60% of those who found religion
to be "very important" in their lives supported military action
against Iraq. Only 49% of those who found religion to be "not very important"
in their lives supported war with Iraq. Of all Americans, 59% support military
action. Parker Williamson, editor of the
Presbyterian Layman, said, "The simple fact is that in this issue - as is
the case with many others wherein denominational officials purport to speak for
their constituencies - ecclesiastical bureaucrats are making statements that
most of their members would disavow. Reverends Clifton Kirkpatrick
(Presbyterian), Frank Griswold (Episcopal), Melvin Talbert (United Methodist)
and their associates are not leaders. They are moving in lockstep, marching to
the cadence of the National Council of Churches, an organization that has scant
credibility among Protestant Christians in the United States." Heidinger
had strong words for the National Council of Churches (NCC), which has sent
anti-war delegations to France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Great Britain. A
spokesperson for the NCC delegation to France said his group represented
"the official position of the National Council of Churches--with 50 million
members in 36 denominations--and the Roman Catholic Church, with nearly 64
million U.S. members," implying that they spoke for over 110 million
American churchgoers. "It's ludicrous for the NCC to claim such a
thing," Heidinger said. "It is simply untrue. American Christians,
while certainly not eager for war, are still largely in support of the
President's policy." Williamson
commented that this was a particularly egregious example of misrepresentation
by the NCC. "The NCC claim is false. They know that there is a variety of
opinions on this issue. Lying to the people of France, Germany, Italy, Russia
and Britain about the opinion of Christians in the United States misleads the
European public, undermines honest debate and, in the end, discredits the
ecumenical movement which these fraudulently purport to represent.
- Source: http://www.goodnewsmag.org/news/031803ACR_War__Iraq.htm
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National Council
of Churches (NCC). NCC's Edgar holds to belief that war can be
averted
Even as a
U.S.-led military action against Iraq appear[ed] imminent to most Americans,
the Rev. Bob Edgar holds steadfast to his belief that war can be averted. Edgar
says he is troubled by "George Bush's arrogance." The president, he
says, seems to believe that "God is not only on his side, but God is not
on anyone else's side. I am frustrated with Bush's rhetoric, when it's so clear
that he is blinded by the complexity (of the issues) and captured by the
simplicity of his own arguments. [Note: It is interesting that Edgar imputes
characteristics onto President Bush that we have often perceived among the
leadership of the NCC. It is important to realize that the President and his military
advisors have access to more information of a classified ("Secret"
"Top Secret" etc.) nature that is not available to the general public
and can provide a more detailed, accurate picture of the threat; they are in a
much better position to assess the situation and the need for action. We must
understand and respect that reality. Again, I speak from having had access to
this type of data during the first Persian Gulf War and remember how it was so
instructive of events that were happening unknown to the public. I've
"been there; done that" and respect the President's greater base of
information in this. Many of the people at the NCC simply do not have the
experience to speak with a depth of insight about these issues. -Allen O.
Morris]
- Ann Whiting; Nashville, Tenn.; 10-71BP{142}; March 17, 2003
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(UM) Bishops. Bishop joins signers in letter to Blair
United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert is a signer of
"A Letter From Concerned Americans" to British Prime Minister Tony
Blair that appeared March 18 in British newspapers. The letter, placed as a
full-page advertisement in The London
Times, The Financial Times, The
Guardian, The Telegraph and The
Independent, asks Blair to find "a third way" to resolve the
situation in Iraq, rather than war or inaction. [This publicly taking a
position in overseas publications against our own government (as the other
advocacy in appealing to foreign governments against our own) is so divisive to our country and puts our
troops fighting in Iraq in greater danger. - Allen Morris]
- UMNS; New York; 10-21-71B{144}; March 18,
2003.
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Iraq Itself
We are cognizant
of the atrocities Saddam Hussein has committed against his own people, not to
mention the approximately 5,000 people who have died each month as a result of
starvation because the "food for peace" was diverted away from them.
We remember what happened when he invaded Kuwait, the rape, killing, and the
torture of innocent men, women, and children. We have seen the pictures of the
civilian men, women, and children who have been gassed at his order. We know
about the human meat grinders and the vats of acid, and try to forget about the
children who are tortured and killed in front of their parents.
This is
information that is available from public and unclassified sources. But to
understand what is happening, we need to read and analyze this data. In
considering just the public information available, our denominational leaders
need to objectively review this so as to answer their questions.
There is
absolutely no question that the criteria for the "Just War Theory"
have been met, in addition to the violations of the U.N. resolutions, which
would allow us to go into combat with a clear Christian conscience. It is
sometimes necessary to go to war and take lives in order to prevent an evil
from gaining power and causing the loss of even more lives through our
inaction.
Bishop Talbert
and some of our other UM leaders need to understand that sometimes evil exists
in the world and needs to be dealt with; not to do so is to see it increase its
deadly consequences as we can see from the history of World War II.
I thank him for
raising the question about the war in
the North Carolina Christian
Advocate. It is one that all of us need to ask - and answer with good,
objective information and reasoning. - Allen O. Morris
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Concerned
Methodists is a "Renewal" organization consisting of men and women
literally from "coast to coast" working within the United Methodist
Church for revival. We believe that this would be accomplished by greater
biblical faithfulness to the denomination's Wesleyan heritage and by drawing
from its Judeo-Christian ethic which extends back for over 3500 years.
We
believe that all members of the laity need to be as fully informed as possible.
A knowledgeable, aware, assertive membership is as vital to renewal as is an
open, responsive, Bible-based clergy. We have found that the laity are often
uninformed of what is happening across our United Methodist Church.
#########
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Published by: Concerned Methodists, P. O. Box 2864,
Fayetteville, NC 28302. Tel.: (910) 488-4379; FAX: (901) 488-5090
Website: www.cmpage.org