That is an awesome statement, I love it!
"Riddick" <riddick_02@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:4570a7fa.0408311028.6aac1b64@posting.google.com...
God is Not a Republican. Or a Democrat; Christian Leaders Refute
Religious Right's Claim that Bush is God's Candidate
8/30/2004 10:47:00 AM
To: National and State desks, Political Reporter
Contact: Deryl Davis of Sojourners, 202-328-8842 ext. 214 or
ddavis@sojo.net, or Stephanie Peacock of Venture Communications,
202-628-7772,
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- More than 40 Christian leaders
and 40,000 faithful citizens signed a petition declaring that "God is
not a Republican...or a Democrat" and that the Religious Right does
not speak for them. The petition refutes claims by Jerry Falwell that
"Evangelical Christians...need to get serious about re-electing
President Bush" and by Pat Robertson that "George Bush is going to win
in walk...the Lord's just blessing him." The petition calls for all
Christians to take back their faith and appears as a full-page ad in
Monday's The New York Times, paid for by nearly 3,500 supporters of
Sojourners, the national Christian magazine and organization that
initiated the petition.
The petition, found at http://www.takebackourfaith.org, further
declares that Christians acting on personal conviction can choose to
vote for any candidate, and that they should consider a range of moral
issues in this election, rejecting single-issue voting. It notes that:
"We believe all candidates should be examined by measuring their
policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and values."
Rev. Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, explained: "When
poverty has risen each of the past three years -- that's a religious
issue. The war in Iraq -- that's a religious issue. Taking care of the
environment -- that's a religious issue." Rev. Wallis added, "This
behavior by the Religious Right -- ordaining George W. Bush as 'God's
candidate' -- is theologically outrageous. How did the faith of Jesus
come to be known as pro- rich and pro-war? They've tried to hijack our
faith -- it's time to take it back."
In the two weeks since the campaign's launch, more than 40,000 people
have signed the online petition. The ad includes 45 prominent signers,
including heads of denominations, presidents and professors of
Christian seminaries and colleges, pastors, and authors. The diverse
signatories include prominent Christians from across the theological
spectrum, including best-selling evangelical author Philip Yancey,
Yale theologian Miroslav Volf, Fuller Theological Seminary ethicist
Glen Stassen, Evangelical Covenant Church president Rev. Glen
Palmberg, Candler School of Theology professor of social ethics Dr.
Robert M. Franklin Jr., Baptist minister and evangelical speaker Tony
Campolo, Reformed Church in America general secretary Rev. Wes
Granberg- Michaelson, Benedictine author Joan Chittister, Duke
theological ethics professor Stanley Hauerwas, and Fr. Richard Rohr,
OFM.
Due to an outpouring of responses from people across the nation, the
petition is also appearing as a full-page ad this morning in The News
& Advance (Rev. Falwell's local newspaper in Lynchburg, Va.) and The
Virginian-Pilot (Mr. Robertson's local newspaper in Hampton Roads,
Va.). In response to thousands of individual donations, Sojourners is
also establishing a fund to help people of faith place the ad in their
hometown newspapers.
Rev. Brian McLaren, popular Christian author and pastor of Cedar Ridge
Community Church in Maryland, described the petition's purpose this
way: "The Religious Right has a powerful hold on many individuals and
churches in our country. Many of them have never even heard a
responsible counterpoint expressed by thoughtful, biblically rooted
Christian thinkers and leaders."
Placement of full-page ads on the first day of the Republican National
Convention follows the delivery of a similar message by Rev. Wallis to
the Democratic National Convention in an address to a luncheon on
faith and politics in Boston that week and in a Boston Globe op-ed in
which Rev. Wallis declared that "the best public contribution of
religion is precisely not to be ideologically predictable or a loyal
partisan."
About Sojourners Web: http://www.sojo.net
Sojourners is a voice and vision for social change and publisher of
award-winning Sojourners magazine, SojoMail e-zine, and Sojo.net web
site. Founded in 1971 as a faith-based organization, Sojourners
provides an alternative perspective on faith, politics, and culture
through its monthly magazine, e-mail services, Web site, media
commentaries, and public events. Ecumenical and progressive,
Sojourners lifts up the biblical connection between social justice and
spiritual renewal and nurtures community by bringing together people
from the various traditions and streams of the church. Sojourners also
hosts an annual program of voluntary service now in its twenty-first
year.
Text of Petition Follows:
God is Not a Republican. Or a Democrat.
"It is the responsibility of every political conservative, every
evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every traditional Jew,
every Reagan Democrat, and everyone in between to get serious about
re-electing President Bush." -- Jerry Falwell, The New York Times,
July 16, 2004
"I think George Bush is going to win in a walk. I really believe I'm
hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in
2004. The Lord has just blessed him...It doesn't make any difference
what he does, good or bad..." -- Pat Robertson, AP/Fox News, January
2, 2004
These leaders of the Religious Right mistakenly claim that God has
taken a side in this election, and that Christians should only vote
for George W. Bush.
We believe that claims of divine appointment for the President,
uncritical affirmation of his policies, and assertions that all
Christians must vote for his re-election constitute bad theology and
dangerous religion.
We believe that sincere Christians and other people of faith can
choose to vote for President Bush or Senator Kerry-for reasons deeply
rooted in their faith.
We believe all candidates should be examined by measuring their
policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and values.
We will measure the candidates by whether they enhance human life,
human dignity, and human rights; whether they strengthen family life
and protect children; whether they promote racial reconciliation and
support gender equality; whether they serve peace and social justice;
and whether they advance the common good rather than only individual,
national, and special interests.
We believe that poverty-caring for the poor and vulnerable-is a
religious issue. Do the candidates' budget and tax policies reward the
rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies
include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries?
(Matthew 25:35-40, Isaiah 10:1-2)
We believe that the environment-caring for God's earth-is a religious
issue. Do the candidates' policies protect the creation or serve
corporate interests that damage it? (Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1)
We believe that war-and our call to be peacemakers-is a religious
issue. Do the candidates' policies pursue "wars of choice" or respect
international law and cooperation in responding to real global
threats? (Matthew 5:9)
We believe that truth-telling is a religious issue. Do the candidates
tell the truth in justifying war and in other foreign and domestic
policies? (John 8:32)
We believe that human rights-respecting the image of God in every
person-is a religious issue. How do the candidates propose to change
the attitudes and policies that led to the abuse and torture of Iraqi
prisoners? (Genesis 1:27)
We believe that our response to terrorism is a religious issue. Do the
candidates adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war
on terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the
candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies?
(Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13)
We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a religious issue.
Do the candidates' positions on abortion, capital punishment,
euthanasia, weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS-and other
pandemics-and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction
to choose life? (Deuteronomy 30:19)
We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid the exploitation
of religion or our congregations for partisan political purposes.
By signing this statement, we call Christians and other people of
faith to a more thoughtful involvement in this election, rather than
claiming God's endorsement of any candidate.
This is the meaning of responsible Christian citizenship.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=35375
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