UCC in the News

What About Jesus And Holy Scripture Scares Glenn Beck?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:01:11 GMT

Scripture tells us that God has a simple request of humanity:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NRSV)

Radio personality Glenn Beck doesn't like that kind of talk:

On his daily radio and television shows last week, Fox News personality Glenn Beck set out to convince his audience that "social justice," the term many Christian churches use to describe their efforts to address poverty and human rights, is a "code word" for communism and Nazism. Beck urged Christians to discuss the term with their priests and to leave their churches if leaders would not reconsider their emphasis on social justice.

"I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"

Later, Beck held up cards, one with a hammer and sickle and other with a swastika. "Communists are on the left, and the Nazis are on the right. That's what people say. But they both subscribe to one philosophy, and they flew one banner. . . . But on each banner, read the words, here in America: 'social justice.' They talked about economic justice, rights of the workers, redistribution of wealth, and surprisingly, democracy."

Beck's attempt to compare the modern Christian church to Russian Communists or German Nazis is nothing but a cheap ploy meant to divide Americans along religious lines.

What is Beck trying to do here? He continues to espouse a political philosophy that ignores the needs of those Jesus called "the least of these in society," argues that as stewards of creation humanity can do whatever it wants with the Earth, and justifies wars that most Christians across the globe condemn.

Clearly, he sees Christians as a threat to his political agenda.

Holy Scripture is filled with teachings from God about justice and God condemns those who create governments and socities that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the needs of the poor and homeless:

13The Lord rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. 14The Lord enters into judgement with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 3:13-15 NRSV)

The church universal - when we have been at our best - has always been about social justice, about uplifting the needs of those lost and left behind.

Roman Catholics in Poland fought off Communism. African-American churches in the United States led the Civil Rights Movement. Mainline Christian Churches, in partnership with many others, have fought to stop wars and to help people living in poverty lift themselves up. Evangelicals have joined together in common cause with other people of faith to fight global warming.

Jesus himself explains what is at stake:

35...I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 25:35-45 NRSV)

Glenn Beck might pay special attention to verse 41 of this passage the next time he condemns the justice work of Christian churches.

"United Church of Christ uses Labyrinth as meditation"

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:31:36 GMT

From The California Democrat:

To kickoff the Lenten season, United Church of Christ (UCC), California, hosted a three-day opportunity to walk a labyrinth.

The labyrinth was a replica of the design from one of the most famous labyrinths which is in the Chartes Cathedral in France. The Rev. Collette R. Jones, associate pastor at UCC California said labyrinths are very ancient spiritual tools.

"Remnants of labyrinths have been found in civilizations thousands of years before Christianity," she said. "Christianity has also appropriated it. It is a metaphor for the Christian journey and life. There is only one path to the center which is God and one path out unlike a maze where there are dead ends. A maze is like a puzzle and a labyrinth is a walking meditation tool. Although it has been a part of Christian tradition for a long time, there has been a resurgence in using them in the last 20 or so years. I think people live more stressful, fractured lives and the calming effect of the labyrinth has been more valued in our culture than in the past."

Full story.

St. Paul Park church hires 'pastor ... who happens to be gay'

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:24:19 GMT

From TwinCities.com:

Is this the last story someone writes about a gay pastor in Minnesota?

Obadiah Ballinger hopes so.

He has just been hired by a church in St. Paul Park and would much rather talk about preaching than about his sexual orientation.

Gay clergy have become less of a novelty, with many state churches hiring homosexual pastors. But Ballinger's hiring — and the long process the church went through to hire him — is still a sign of a widening rift among area churches over the issue of homosexuality.

While some churches want to ban gay clergy, the Community United Church of Christ is going the other direction — hiring a male pastor who is married to another man.

"The congregation welcomed me with open arms," said Ballinger, 27, who was installed as pastor Jan. 23.

It's his first job as a pastor. He graduated from Yale Divinity School, where he met his future husband. They were legally married in Connecticut in May.

Ballinger is winning over the few skeptics left in the church. The first sign was a classic symbol of Minnesota-style repentance — home-baked cookies.

"A woman who said she originally voted against me brought me them," Ballinger said.

The issue of gays in the pulpit has roiled different denominations in different ways.

Churches in Afton and Lakeville took steps to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America after it voted in August to permit churches to hire gay clergy in "committed relationships."

Some Episcopal churches are considering splitting from the main church over the issue of homosexuality, and there is wide disagreement among Baptists and Presbyterians.

The United Church of Christ has been in the vanguard of gay acceptance.

Full story.

UCC, Other Churches Work For Immigration Reform

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:16:20 GMT

Immigration reform continues to be an important moral issue and driving much of the debate in favor of reform is America's diverse faith community. Just this past week the National Council of Churches issued the following statement:

New York, February 19, 2010 -- Responding to a "divine mandate" and as a "patriotic act," the chief executives of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service are pressing "comprehensive immigration reform" in the United States.

In a letter to the leaders of the 36 communions that compose their organizations, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary, and the Rev. John L. McCullough, CWS Executive Director and CEO, said the urgent need for immigration reform must be a shared Christian concern in the season of Lent.

"As in years past, we are at a significant moment of convergence where our faith commitments and values and the needs of millions of disenfranchised people converge," Kinnamon and McCullough said in a February 16 letter to heads of communion.

"We join together in stating our commitment to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that is humane, effective and that upholds the human and civil rights of immigrants."

The letter expressed concern for the 12 million immigrants living in the U.S. who "find themselves without the hope of becoming citizens, reuniting with family members or enjoying the legal protections that most of us take for granted. Yet many of these people have lived and worked in our communities for years, becoming our friends and family, and often performing the daily tasks that enhance our quality of life."

The two executives said in their letter that they joined with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Association of Evangelicals, National Hispanic Leadership Conference "and millions of other people of faith" in calling for immigration reform that "will improve and protect the lives of millions of people."

They called on heads of communion to consider the following actions:

1.) Host a prayer vigil or community event to pray for immigrants and call for immigration reform, inviting your members of Congress and local media to attend

2.) Dedicate a sermon, bible study theme, or series of Sunday School lessons to Christ’s teachings to welcome the stranger, love our neighbors, and work for justice

3.) Call, write, and meet with your members of Congress – individually and as a community group - to urge them to support immigration reform

4.) Organize members of your community, or send representatives, to Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) March 19^th – 22^ndand a rally for immigration reform on March 21.

5) Get connected to and utilize resources related to your denomination’s efforts on immigration reform.

The full text of the letter follows. For a printable version, see www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/HOCimmigration100216.pdf.

The general minister and president of the United Church of Christ is one of those who has signed this statement.

Catching Up With John Thomas

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:52:18 GMT

The Rev. John Thomas, who served most recently as the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, was named this fall as senior advisor to the president and visiting professor of church ministries at Chicago Theological Seminary. He assumed his new duties in January. You can keep up to date with his work and the mission of this UCC-related seminary at the new "John Thomas Blog."

Church Leader To Wall Street: Help Haiti

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:40:44 GMT

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, has an idea on how Wall Street executives could spend some of their multi-million dollar bonuses. RNS reports:

(RNS) The head of the National Council of Churches is challenging investment giant Goldman Sachs to use half of its $20 billion bonus pool to help rebuild Haiti after its devastating earthquake.

Haiti's entire gross domestic product (the basic measure of a country's overall economic output) is $8.5 billion, which is less than half of Goldman Sachs' bonus pool. The government's bail-out in 2009 left Wall Street's biggest name with a contentious amount of money.

Last September, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said, "Compensation continues to generate controversy and anger. In many respects, much of it is understandable and appropriate." In light of the dire need in Haiti, the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, and George Hunsinger, professor of systematic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, urge Goldman Sachs to donate half of its bonuses to Haitian relief.

Kinnamon and Hunsinger said in a statement that by doing this, "They will outmatch the Haitian GDP, and improve not only their image but their tax liability... and surpass the $100 million that President Obama has pledged to Haiti, by a monumental factor of 100."

In Haiti, hundreds of thousands are feared dead while 1.5 million are homeless, and experts say these figures are only going to worsen without a major intervention.

"Relief for Haiti needs to come in the form of grants, not loans," said Kinnamon and Hunsinger. "The last thing this stricken nation needs is more debt."

The United Church of Christ is a member of the National Council of Churches. UCC members and friends are encouraged to make donations to Global Ministries and / or Church World ServiceChurch World Service for Haiti relief.

Note To David Petraeus: Remember The Maine!

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:16:04 GMT

As the international community worries - quite legitimately - about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, their human rights record, and their hard-line anti-Semitic government which has promised to whip Israel off the face of the earth, some voices have suggested a preemptive military strike that would take out Iran’s nuclear facilities.

General David Petraeus , however, has concerns about the counter effects such actions might have. Reuters reports:

TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - A military strike on Iran could have the unintended consequence of stirring nationalist sentiment to the benefit of Tehran's hard-line government, U.S. General David Petraeus told Reuters.

Iran's June election gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term but sparked the worst internal crisis in the Islamic Republic's history, putting internal pressure on a government already facing the threat of more sanctions over its nuclear program.

"It's possible (a strike) could be used to play to nationalist tendencies," Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command region, which includes Iran, said in an interview this week.

Across the globe, religious leaders have argued for diplomatic solutions to the problem of Iran and such a course still appears to be the smartest and most morally sound path.

But General Petraeus went on to say something else that got my attention.

"There is certainly a history, in other countries, of fairly autocratic regimes almost creating incidents that inflame nationalist sentiment."

He’s right, of course.

But sadly that is also the history of the United States.

Remember the Maine!

The Gulf of Tonkin.

Saddam has WMD and was part of the 9/11 attacks.

We’d do well to remember as we debate America’s response to Iran that even free and democratic societies lie to go to war.