UM Clergy Call for End to War
United Methodist Reporter story on
Northaven's recent press conference
UM
clergy call for end to war
Bill Fentum, Apr 2, 2008
Eric Folkerth
By Bill Fentum
Staff Writer
DALLAS—Northaven United Methodist Church marked the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq on March 19 with a follow-up to a prayer vigil it hosted on that day in early 2003.
“We grieved when the war started,” said the Rev. Eric Folkerth, senior pastor, “because so many of us knew it was not only a strategic mistake but a moral one.”
Mr. Folkerth joined seven other Dallas-area clergy for a press conference at the church, where they remembered the war’s casualties and called for peace.
The event, co-sponsored by Northaven UMC and the Dallas Peace Center, was organized by the Rev. William McElvaney, a professor emeritus at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.
“No one relishes going up against the White House, but the church should be loyal to the deepest values of our country,” Dr. McElvaney said afterward in an interview. “And sometimes that means opposing the actions of a particular administration.”
The Rev. Joe Clifford, senior pastor of the city’s First Presbyterian Church, said that too many clergy failed to preach Jesus’ call to “love your enemies” before the war began.
“Fear of losing members made us timid. Five years later, I’m not here to wave a self-righteous finger at our political leaders. I am here to repent.”
Others recalled how the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. opposed the Vietnam War in 1967.
“King told us, ‘If we assume that mankind has the right to survive, then we must find an alternative to war and destruction,’” said the Rev. Charles Stovall, pastor of Munger Place UMC.
King’s protest effectively severed his ties with then-President Lyndon Johnson, said the Rev. Michael Piazza, dean of Cathedral of Hope, a United Church of Christ congregation.
“That’s only part of the price Dr. King paid for speaking the truth,” Mr. Piazza added. “But when we don’t speak out, we become co-conspirators in injustice.”
About 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war began, and more than 29,000 have been wounded. Some estimate the Iraqi death toll at between 82,000 and 89,000.
In a March 19 speech, President George W. Bush said that the troop surge he ordered in January 2007 “has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around—it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror.”
Mr. Folkerth said he doubted the war’s long-term success.
“Violence begets violence, and Iraq has become a breeding ground for the next generation of terrorists. Others will only do unto us as we do unto them.
“The way to peace is the way of prayer,” Mr. Folkerth added. “We must use our sense of faith and hope—our sense that peace is possible—to rebuild bridges of trust. It involves a confession of our failures and a willingness to move in a new direction.”
bfentum@umr.org
Bill Fentum, Apr 2, 2008
Eric Folkerth
By Bill Fentum
Staff Writer
DALLAS—Northaven United Methodist Church marked the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq on March 19 with a follow-up to a prayer vigil it hosted on that day in early 2003.
“We grieved when the war started,” said the Rev. Eric Folkerth, senior pastor, “because so many of us knew it was not only a strategic mistake but a moral one.”
Mr. Folkerth joined seven other Dallas-area clergy for a press conference at the church, where they remembered the war’s casualties and called for peace.
The event, co-sponsored by Northaven UMC and the Dallas Peace Center, was organized by the Rev. William McElvaney, a professor emeritus at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.
“No one relishes going up against the White House, but the church should be loyal to the deepest values of our country,” Dr. McElvaney said afterward in an interview. “And sometimes that means opposing the actions of a particular administration.”
The Rev. Joe Clifford, senior pastor of the city’s First Presbyterian Church, said that too many clergy failed to preach Jesus’ call to “love your enemies” before the war began.
“Fear of losing members made us timid. Five years later, I’m not here to wave a self-righteous finger at our political leaders. I am here to repent.”
Others recalled how the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. opposed the Vietnam War in 1967.
“King told us, ‘If we assume that mankind has the right to survive, then we must find an alternative to war and destruction,’” said the Rev. Charles Stovall, pastor of Munger Place UMC.
King’s protest effectively severed his ties with then-President Lyndon Johnson, said the Rev. Michael Piazza, dean of Cathedral of Hope, a United Church of Christ congregation.
“That’s only part of the price Dr. King paid for speaking the truth,” Mr. Piazza added. “But when we don’t speak out, we become co-conspirators in injustice.”
About 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war began, and more than 29,000 have been wounded. Some estimate the Iraqi death toll at between 82,000 and 89,000.
In a March 19 speech, President George W. Bush said that the troop surge he ordered in January 2007 “has done more than turn the situation in Iraq around—it has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror.”
Mr. Folkerth said he doubted the war’s long-term success.
“Violence begets violence, and Iraq has become a breeding ground for the next generation of terrorists. Others will only do unto us as we do unto them.
“The way to peace is the way of prayer,” Mr. Folkerth added. “We must use our sense of faith and hope—our sense that peace is possible—to rebuild bridges of trust. It involves a confession of our failures and a willingness to move in a new direction.”
bfentum@umr.org
Posted: Thursday - April 10, 2008 at 03:05 PM |
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