Pushing churches to end the war

As of late I have a had a terrible bout with writer's block. I have listened to enough gospel and Jazz that I started getting Jesus and Thelonius Monk mixed up It is at times like this that I question my calling. Maybe I am in the wrong work. I mean preachers are getting into all kinds of political trouble these days. Two of my colleague that I count as friends: Rev. Wright and Father Phlager have received public lashing for being critical of American politics and politicians.

Yet an unrelenting war wages on the precious people of Iraq. While only a few religious groups, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership, Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, the Catholic Workers, have placed at the center of their faith witness ending the war. For the most part, churches have been weak at best and cowardly on the war question. So on one hand if you are pastor who has anything critical to say about politics you are demonized, and on the other if you remain silent in the face of deafening violence, you are a coward.

Below is one attempt to push congregations from cowardice to conscience. I am not sure what is brave or cowardly but when I am asked the question by my five children what did you do to end the war in Iraq? I will say: I organized, marched, preached, went to jail, and wrote... (I hope.)

Church Visit #14

"INCLUSION" A DAMPER ON IRAQ DISSENT

By Nick Mottern

On Sunday, June 1, 2008, Martha Conte, Gayle Dunkelberger, Debbie Kair and I visited Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford, New York, in our bannering campaign to encourage clergy in Westchester County to speak out for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

We found openness to our message from the Reverend Rachel Thompson, the church's Minister for Congregational Life, who was in charge of the day's service. But it was also apparent that she and the pastor of the church, the Reverend Dr. Paul Alcorn, have been reluctant to address the occupation from the pulpit, in part, as one parishioner said, in the interest of being "inclusive."

The pastors got their fingers burned in the fall of 2007 when Reverend Thompson preached a sermon condemning torture. More on that later.

We arrived at the church on a beautiful, clear morning in which the ornate white wooden church, with its reaching spires, facing onto the Bedford village green, was particularly bright and welcoming. Inside, the light-colored walls and vaulted ceiling give a sense of space and freedom, in keeping with the church's reputation for encouraging creative forms of religious expression.

The service this Sunday was devoted to "celebrating the special gifts of women", and women were a large majority of about 80 people attending. There was one African-American, a woman, about a dozen elementary school aged children and a few young people in their teens.

The announcement period came early in the service after a hymn and several prayers.

We rose following Reverend Thompson's welcome, holding high a banner that read:

4,081+ U.S. Soldiers Killed - Tens of Thousands Wounded

1 Million Iraqis Killed-Millions Displaced

Much of Iraq and Its Culture Have Been Destroyed

The U.S.A. Has Spent $3 Trillion - $4 Billion From Westchester

What Will You Tell Your Children You Did

During the U.S. Invasion of Iraq?

Reverend Thompson paused for some seconds. Then she told the congregation that we are a group that has been visiting churches in Westchester County, that we would be welcome to share our views with parishioners after the service, and: "Thank you for bracing us with your strong feelings about this war."

She asked our names as a way of including us, and each of us gave our first name.

We folded the banner and returned to our pews, participating in the remainder of the service, which included a period in which parishioners could ask for prayers for their concerns or could express joys. All the prayer requests were personal except for that of a woman who asked prayers for people suffering from the disasters in China and Myanmmar and that of a young man with close-cropped blond hair who asked prayers "for the safety of all our troops around the world and to express our gratitude to them." After offering the requested prayers, Reverend Thompson concluded: "Bring peace and healing to all who need it."

The "sermon" was comprised of presentations by six women, each taking several minutes to give her impression of her image of God.

After the service several women came over to where we were sitting to thank us for attending. I asked one, dark-haired and in her 40s, whether Reverend Thompson had ever preached a sermon on the Iraq War, and she said she thought that neither minister had preached a sermon on the war because they are trying to be "inclusive." She said she thinks everyone in the church knows that their ministers are opposed to the war.

I walked back to the front door of the church to meet Reverend Thompson, who said that she had heard from other ministers that we have been visiting churches and that she had been "dreading" a visit from us because she was unsure how people in the congregation would react.

She said that she and Reverend Alcorn preached sermons before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, opposing the invasion, but that they had not preached specifically on the subject since, knowing that all people in the church did not share anti-war views. She said also that she was confused now about when the occupation should be ended because she has learned that some Iraqis want the U.S. to stay for security reasons. I responded that most Iraqis, including those in the Iraqi oil workers union, want an end to the occupation. Reverend Thompson did not seem persuaded, and she had to leave to join parishioners at the coffee hour.

We stayed in the church to visit with Betsy Palmieri, a parishioner who thanked us for attending and who said that she is working to establish a group in the church called Voices for Our Values. The group would provide information to parishioners on social issues and give them contact information for Congresspeople or others who have responsibility related to the specific concerns.

In the course of our conversations, I am not sure who brought it up, we learned that Reverend Thompson had been criticized by some parishioners for a sermon on torture that she gave on October 21, 2007 (It aappears on the church's website along with many other sermons.) in which she said: "I am deeply troubled by human rights abuses by the United States, both on the issue of torture and on indefinite detainment of prisoners with no legal recourse." Among her concluding words she said:

"I have a confession to make. I confess that though I have been shocked and appalled by the revelations about the use of torture by my country, and by the incarcerations without legal recourse, I haven't done anything. I haven't sent one email to a legislator or a letter to an editor. I did all those things several years ago, but I got discouraged and gave up. But beginning this very morning, I repent my discouragement, I repent my inaction. I believe God forgives me, and I'm going to start raising my voice again in all the ways I know how. I hope that if these issues resonate with you, you will join me."

In a sermon the following Sunday, Reverend Alcorn, spoke to controversy generated by his colleague's sermon.

"A majority of you," he said, "were grateful that she raised the question. For many of you, her words gave voice to what you are thinking and feeling. But we are concerned because…

• Some of you were caught off guard and left the service last Sunday wondering whether or not it was appropriate to talk about a subject like that in church;
• Some of you were angry because you thought other perspectives were not fairly represented;
• Some of you were hurt by the spontaneous applause after the sermon feeling if you did not stand or did not applaud you were being singled out and isolated in what they thought was your community of faith.

"Whatever your position or response, Rachel's sermon prompted discussion and soul searching as we grappled with the questions she raised. As a staff we talked about it. We talked about it at Tuesday's session meeting. There have been phone calls and emails exchanged and conversations…some of which we are aware of and a part of, but I am sure there have been many more 'out there' where you live and work and go to school."

Among the points he made defending Reverend Thompson's sermon, Reverend Alcorn offered:

"I believe preachers and pastors are to walk into the pulpit on Sunday morning with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. For the news without the Bible is despair. The Bible without the news is empty piety."

- http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pages/church-visits-14.html