To call myself a United Methodist.The Bishops for Peace in the United Methodist Church have joined the liberals and al Jazeera in rooting against our cause in Iraq. Please, those of you readers out there who are United Methodist, if your bishop is on this list, even if you aren't a methodist, contact the local bishops listed here and tell them to stay out of the politics of liberalism and not to support Saddam. From an email I received:
As the chair of the Peace with Justice Area in the West Ohio Conference, I am sending this email so that we United Methodists in West Ohio can stand with our Bishops for Peace. Read the statement below. You are encouraged to go to http://www.umc-gbcs.org/nowar and sign the petition. The signatures will be gathered and the petition will be taken to the Administration and Congress. Share this statement and your concern with Senators DeWine and Voinovich and with your Representative in the House. Share this information with as many people as you can, it is time to raise our voices for peace.
I have been working with a committee of folks on issues of peace. We encourage you to pray and discuss these issues in your congregation. We will follow this up with a resolution for Annual Conference. The message of the Advent-Christmas season is Peace on Earth. Christ calls us to be peacemakers.
Peace,
Rev. John Wallace, Peace with Justice Ministry Area
Statement of Conscience
A Call to Repentance and Peace with Justice
November 8, 2005
As followers of Jesus Christ, who named peacemakers as blessed children of God, we call upon The United Methodist Church to join us in repentance and renewed commitment to Christ's reign of compassion, justice, reconciliation, and peace.
As elected and consecrated bishops of the church, we repent of our complicity in what we believe to be the unjust and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq. In the face of the United States Administration's rush toward military action based on misleading information, too many of us were silent.
We confess our preoccupation with institutional enhancement and limited agendas while American men and women are sent to Iraq to kill and be killed, while thousands of Iraqi people needlessly suffer and die, while poverty increases and preventable diseases go untreated.
Although we value the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the military, we confess our betrayal of the scriptural and prophetic authority to warn the nations that true security lies not in weapons of war, but in enabling the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized to flourish as beloved daughters and sons of God.
We confess our failure to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to be a people who welcome and love all those for whom Christ died.
Aware that we are to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance, we personally and as bishops commit ourselves to:
Pray daily for the end of war in general and the Iraq war specifically ; for those who suffer as the result of war, including the soldiers and their families; the Iraqi people in their struggle to find a workable form of government; and for the leaders of the United States that they will turn to truth, humility, and policies of peace through justice.
Reclaim the prophetic authority that calls nations, individuals, and communities to live faithfully in the light of God's new creation where all people know their identity as beloved children of God; where justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream; and where barriers are removed and all creation is healed, reconciled, and renewed.
Commit ourselves to peacemaking as an integral component of our own Christian discipleship, which means advocating and actively working for the things that make for peace: personal, institutional, and governmental priorities that protect the poor and most vulnerable; modeling an end to prejudice toward people of other faiths and cultures; confronting differences and conflicts with grace, humility, dialogue, and respect without being so cautious in confronting evil that we lose our moral authority.
We call upon all United Methodists to join in the pursuit of peace through justice as revealed in Holy Scripture and incarnate in Jesus Christ.
Let us move beyond caution rooted in self protection and recover moral authority anchored in commitment to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Let us object with boldness when governing powers offer solutions of war that conflict with the gospel message of self-emptying love.
Let us with compassion share the pain of God's children who suffer from the devastation of war and those who live in poverty resulting from misplaced priorities and misguided public policies.
Let us work toward unity in a world of diversity, that all peoples will come to know that we belong to one another, and that "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself . and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
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Signed by Bishops of The United Methodist Church:
Bishop Daniel C. Arichea, Jr., Baguio City, Philippines
Bishop George W. Bashore, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, Pittsburg Area
Bishop Bruce P. Blake, Winfield Kansas
Bishop Benjamin Boni, Côte D'Ivoire Area, West Africa
Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr., Denver Area
Bishop Monk Bryan, Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, Phoenix Area
Bishop Kenneth L. Carder, Durham, North Carolina
Bishop Roy C. Clark, Nashville, Tennessee
Bishop Judith Craig, Powell, Ohio
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, New Jersey Area
Bishop William W. Dew, Jr, Danville, California
Bishop Jesse R. DeWitt, Dexter, Michigan
Bishop R. Sheldon Duecker, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Bishop Sally Dyck, Minnesota Area
Bishop R. Kern Eutsler, Mechanicsville, Virginia
Bishop Violet Fisher, New York West Area
Bishop Eugene M. Frank, Kansas City, Missouri
Bishop Elias G. Galvan, Scottsdale, Arizona
Bishop William Boyd Grove, Charleston, West Virginia
Bishop Susan W. Hassinger, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr., Oklahoma Area
Bishop J. Woodrow Hearn, Galveston, Texas
Bishop Kenneth W. Hicks, Little Rock, Arkansas
Bishop Leroy C. Hodapp, Evansville, Indiana
Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata, Portland Area
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, Houston Area
Bishop John G. Innis, Liberia Area, West Africa
Bishop Neil L. Irons, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Bishop S. Clifton Ives, Portland, Maine
Bishop Rueben P. Job, Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Bishop Alfred Johnson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bishop L. Bevel Jones III, Decatur, Georgia
Bishop Charles Wesley Jordan, Upland, California
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Chicago Area
Benjamin A. Justo, Baguio Area, Philippines
Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer, Richmond Area
Bishop Leontine Kelly, San Mateo, California
Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey, Dakotas Area
Bishop James R. King, Jr., Louisville Area
Bishop Walter Klaiber, Tuebingen, Germany
Bishop J. Lloyd Knox, St. Petersburg, Florida
Bishop Arthur Kulah, Monrovia, Liberia
Bishop Clay F. Lee, Jr., Bryam, Mississippi
Bishop Linda Lee, Wisconsin Area
Bishop William B. Lewis, Edwardsville, Illinois
Bishop Ernest S. Lyght, West Virginia Area
Bishop James K. Mathews, Bethesda, Maryland
Bishop Marcus Matthews, Philadelphia Area
Bishop Felton E. May, Little Rock, Arkansas
Bishop Calvin D. McConnell, Portland, Oregon
Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey, Charlotte Area
Bishop Marshall L. Meadors, Jr., Anderson, South Carolina
Bishop Jane Allen Middleton, Harrisburg Area
Bishop C. P. Minnick, Jr., Raleigh, North Carolina
Bishop Ruediger R. Minor, Dresden, Germany
Bishop Robert C. Morgan, Birmingham, Alabama
Bishop Susan Murch Morrison, Albany Area
Bishop Albert Frederick (Fritz) Mutti, Kansas City, Missouri
Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa, Harare, Zimbabwe
Bishop William B. Oden, Dallas, Texas
Bishop Benjamin R. Oliphint, Houston, Texas
Bishop Donald A. Ott, Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Bishop Øystein Olsen, Nordic and Baltic Area
Bishop Bruce R. Ough, Ohio West Area
Bishop Gregory V. Palmer. Iowa Area
Bishop Jeremiah Park, New York Area
Bishop Edward W. Paup, Seattle Area
Bishop Joseph E. Pennel, Jr., Nashville, Tennessee
Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader, Chicago, Illinois
Bishop Roy I. Sano, Oakland, California
Bishop John R. Schol, Washington Area
Bishop Beverly Shamana, San Francisco Area
Bishop Ann B. Sherer, Nebraska Area
Bishop F. Herbert Skeete, Riverdale, New York
Bishop Dan E. Solomon, Abilene, Texas
Bishop C. Joseph Sprague, London, Ohio
Bishop Forrest C. Stith, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Bishop Mack B. Stokes, Waynesville, North Carolina
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, Los Angeles Area
Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, Brentwood, Tennessee
Bishop Solito K. Toquero, Manila Area, Philippines
Bishop Jack M. Tuell, Des Moines, Washington
Bishop Hans Växby, Eurasia Area
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Mississippi Area
Bishop Peter D. Weaver, Boston Area
Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, Germany Area
Bishop D. Frederick Wertz, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker, Florida Area
Bishop C. Dale White, Newport, Rhode Island
Bishop Woodie W. White, Atlanta, Georgia
Bishop Max D. Whitfield, Northwest Texas - New Mexico Area
Bishop Richard B. Wilke, Winfield, Kansas
Bishop Joe A. Wilson, Georgetown, Texas
Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel, Smithsburg, Maryland
They remind me of the Priests who sat by as the Nazis killed the Jews.
Another Methodist Chimes In...
From UM Action:
The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church, at its November meeting, nearly unanimously approved a resolution condemning the U.S. military presence in Iraq. A separate unofficial statement, signed by over the half of the active U.S. bishops, even more harshly denounced the "unjust and immoral invasion and occupation," while charging that Americans are being "sent to Iraq to kill and be killed."
At the same meeting, the bishops approved a brief statement on the crisis in Darfur. They urged prayer for the situation, but pointedly refrained from criticizing the Islamist Sudanese government for its genocidal campaign against the Darfurians.
The United Methodist Church has 8.2 million members in the U.S., including both President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney.
"How woefully absurd," commented the IRD's United Methodist spokesman Mark Tooley, "that church prelates condemn the United States for attempting to build democracy in Iraq, but refuse to condemn the Sudanese regime's deliberate destruction of hundreds of thousands of lives in pursuit of an Islamic theocracy."
Tooley also noted that the bishops even-handedly "lament the continued warfare by the United States, coalition forces, and the insurgents" in Iraq.
"No doubt, these bishops, if transported back in history, would have impartially 'lamented' the 'continued warfare' between Allied and German forces in Normandy in 1944, while blaming the plight of millions of victims of fascist aggression on the United States," Tooley suggested. "These bishops, like other politically outspoken officials of mainline denominations, seem to be incapable of criticizing any government in the world except for the United States and its closest allies."
The bishops' official statement on Iraq faulted the U.S. government for claiming that Saddam Hussein's regime had weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaeda. It also blamed the United States for the "denigration of human dignity" and "gross violations of human rights of prisoners of war." There was no mention of Saddam Hussein's human rights record nor of the type of repressive regime that would result if the insurgents in Iraq prevailed. The statement urged the withdrawal of all U.S. military troops and bases from Iraq while seeking a greater United Nations role.
In the unofficial statement, signed by 96 active and retired bishops, Iraqis were described as "needlessly" dying. But the bishops did not identify who was killing the most Iraqis (i.e., the insurgents), nor did they describe how this killing would stop if the United States were to withdraw. Neither of the statements from the bishops mentioned the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed by Saddam's regime or the millions who were oppressed by it. Nor did either mention the national elections held in Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Nor did either acknowledge that the United States is spending tens of billions of dollars on Iraqi schools, hospitals, electrical grids, water supply, and other infrastructure.
The official Council of Bishops statement partially quoted the United Methodist Social Principles, which call war "incompatible" with the teachings of Christ. But it neglected to acknowledge the very next sentence of the church's Social Principles, which states that war might be justified in cases of genocide, brutal suppression, and aggression.
"There are many intelligent arguments that the bishops could have deployed against the Iraq war," observed Tooley. "But the bishops made none of them. Instead they fell back on a superficial anti-Americanism, which assumes that all global evils, everywhere, are somehow traceable to the United States. Even more sadly, the bishops express no interest in human rights, except as a point on which to criticize the United States for its treatment of prisoners."
This last paragraph, to me, is particularly damning. Our own bishops are turning on our soldiers, and why? Because they don't want to be seen as insenstive, and maybe they want to be invited to all the cool liberal parties. It is no longer about the mission of Christ, it is about PR. It is a disgrace....
Contact Info for West Ohio Conference Bishop Bruce Ough
32 Wesley Boulevard
Worthington, Ohio 43085
Phone: 800-437-0028
614-844-6200
FAX: 614-781-2625
Bishop's E-mail: bishop@wocumc.org
Update
The following is the email reply from the good Bishop I received. Certain parts have been deleted for privacy (namely mine) purposes:
Thank you for your e-mail. I appreciate you taking the time to express your opinions and concerns.
I want to respond by assuring you that you, and others who may share your thoughts, do not have to choose between supporting our troops and supporting the bishops of the church.
I am passionately supportive of our troops. I have appointed several to serve in Iraq as chaplains and one who is a special operations officer. I pray for our troops and their families every day. (I hope you can say the same). Although I never had the privilege to serve in the military, I am very close to many friends and family members who do and have, most notably, my father. He went from his high school graduation at 17 right to the Battle of the Bulge in Europe, with a brief stop over for basic training. In his very first action, his entire platoon, except my father, was killed by a German mortar attack. My father carries the physical and psychological scars to this day. He turns 80 in March. I am extremely proud of him and fully realize I own him and hundreds of thousands of other courageous soldiers my freedom. I have no less respect for the soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq today.
As for "being true to the bishops of the church," the real issue is being true to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who saved you from your sins and commanded you to love God and neighbor as yourself. When I surrendered my heart to Jesus and asked Him to rule my life from that moment on, I gave up the right to pick and choose what part of his teachings and example I would apply to my daily life, both private and public. Even the prophet Isaiah knew that the child to come would be the Prince of Peace and Jesus, as you know, taught that "blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."
Mark, if I were you I would be less worried about what the bishops have said and more worried about Jesus' second Advent. I do believe Jesus will come again and will be looking for the peacemakers. Now, don't get me wrong, most of the military personnel I know are true peacemakers. In there hearts they desire and are working for a just peace in Iraq and throughout the world. They are bearing witness in their way and I am bearing witness in my way and in my context as the spiritual leader of the West Ohio Conference... At times these two witnesses are contradictory, at times they are not.
Mark, I know the dynamic of local churches very well. So I know the principles I am sharing in this rather long e-mail are ones you face everyday. Just because you may have some members who do not believe that Jesus really meant the Great Commission, does not , I pray, prevent you... from bearing witness to and building your ministry around that Commission. And your bearing witness to the Great Commission is not mutually exclusive of your loving and supporting those members who do not fully support your witness, does it? Similarly, my bearing witness to Jesus' teachings about peace, is not mutually exclusive of my loving and respecting my father and every other man and woman who defends this country through military means.
Mark, you have heaped shame on me in your e-mail, but I choose this day to love you, not because my sinful self is necessarily strong enough to do so, but because Jesus, my Lord and Savior, has command me to do so. I will not be forced by you or anyone to pick and choose which of Jesus teachings I attempt to obey with all my heart and soul.
I pray for you, your family and [your church]a joyous Christmas and the gift of Emmanuel.
In Christ's love,
Bishop Bruce R. Ough
Here is what I get from this...
1. Bishop Ought thinks that I am not as Christian as he is.
2. Bisop Ough thinks that I am an ignorant war monger.
3. Who am I to question his motives?
4. I should be ashamed because I disagree with him.
5. The Bishop thinks he is better than me.
6. The bishop thinks I am not committed to Jesus and am going to Hell.
To which I say, Bishop, you sir, are being contradictory and having it both ways. I don't see how he and his friens can condemn the atrocities and Darfur and condemn our actions in Iraq, which ended a brutal regime. Of course, I must not understand the "nuance."
