A chance for peace

This statement was released by the National Council of Churches following a trip by a delegation of religious leaders to Iran. There is another answer to military might.

US RELIGIOUS DELEGATION FINDS HOPE IN IRAN

As Christian leaders from the United States, we went to Iran at this time of increased tension believing that it is possible to build bridges of understanding between our two countries. We believe military action is not the answer, and that God calls us to just and peaceful relationships within the global community.
We were a diverse group of Christian leaders that included United Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Quaker, and Mennonites who have 17 years of on the ground experience in Iran. We were warmly welcomed by the Iranian people, and our time in Iran convinced us that religious leaders from both countries can help pave the way for mutual respect and peaceful relations between our nations.

During our visit we met with Muslim and Christian leaders, government officials, and other Iranian people. Our final day included a meeting with former President Khatami and current President Ahmadinejad. The meeting with President Ahmadinejad was the first time an American delegation had met with a sitting Iranian President in Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The meeting lasted 2.5 hours and covered a range of topics including the role of religion in transforming conflict, Iraq, nuclear proliferation, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What the delegation found most encouraging from the meeting with President Ahmadinejad was a clear declaration from him of no intention to acquire or use nuclear weapons, as well as a statement that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be solved through political not military means. Finally, he said, “I have no reservation about conducting talks with American officials if we see some good will.”

We believe it is possible for further dialogue and that there can be a new day in U.S. – Iranian relations. The Iranian government has already built a bridge toward the American people by inviting our delegation to come to Iran. We ask the U.S. government to welcome a similar delegation of Iranian religious leaders to the United States.

As additional steps in building bridges between our nations, we call upon both the United States and Iranian governments to:

Immediately engage in direct face-to-face talks
Cease using language that defines the other using “enemy” images
Promote more people to people exchanges including religious leaders, members of Parliament/Congress, and civil society
As people of faith, we are committed to working towards these and other confidence building measures, which we hope will move our two nations from the precipice of war towards a more just and peaceful settlement.


For more information, contact:

Dan Webster
Director of Media Relations
National Council of Churches, USA
475 Riverside Drive Suite 880
New York, NY 10115
Phone: 212 870-2252
Fax 212 870-2030


email: dwebster@ncccusa.org

Restored to Wholeness

I was introduced to the phrase “restorative justice” when I was doing a Clinical Pastoral Education class in 1994. Two of my classmates worked within the area of prison ministries; one was a Roman Catholic nun who arranged for children to visit incarcerated parents and the other was a Missouri Synod Lutheran Deaconess who worked “behind the wall” at Statesville Prison near Joliet. I knew the concept--if you look at a situation from the angle of “what needs to be repaired and restored” rather than from the angle of “who did it and how should they punished”—but I had no idea that there was a whole movement within the criminal justice system itself hoping to apply its concepts. I was quite encouraged by that.

My interest in this area was heightened when later on in my ministry I would meet a young man who had once been a member of the church I was currently serving and during the ensuing years as I continued to visit him during his ten-year incarceration. I read books, I attended conferences, I gave workshops at local churches and once even taught a week-long class in restorative justice. It remains one of my social justice passions.

This model of justice, which I believe comes extremely close to Jesus’ model of forgiveness and restoration, avoids the cyclical model of wrong and retribution which is seen in far too many areas of our lives and in our world. Remember the Hatfields and the McCoys not to mention some of the international feuds that have been going on for centuries? It calls us to bring together victims, community and victimizers to craft a solution that seeks to restore to the victim that which has been lost, holds the victimizer accountable for their actions and brings the full resources of the community together so that justice can be truly done.

As we enter the Season of Lent—this season of penitence and forgiveness—let us remember that we are called—not to a faith of retaliation but to a faith of restoration.

what a church can be

We lost a dear member of our congregation on February 1st. Roberta was a Life Deacon; she was chosen for this honor because of her unfailing love and loyalty for her church. She wrote the following prayer many years ago and for me it pretty much sums up what a church can be:

My church is composed of people like me. We make it what it is. I want it to be a church that is a lamp unto the path of the pilgrims, leading them to goodness, truth and beauty. It will be – if I am. It will be friendly, IF I am. Its pews will be filled, IF I help to fill them. It will do great work, IF I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, IF I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, IF I bring them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirit, IF I am filled with these qualities of a true church member. Therefore, in the quietness of this morning worship and in the silence of my own soul, with the help of Almighty God, in Christ, I shall dedicate myself anew to the task of being the kind of person that I want my church to be! Amen.

by Roberta Hackett

Christian love me more

My favorite hymn is Jesus Calls Us and my favorite verse goes like this:
Jesus call us from the worship of the vain world's golden store,
from each idol that would keep us, saying "Christian, love me more."

All day today I've been listening to commentary (on NPR no less) about the Super Bowl ads which cost over 2 million dollars for a thirty second spot. I'm not a big football fan (as any of my congregants can tell you) but I could be persuaded to watch the Super Bowl if not for the gross display of materialism. Why is it that we can bemoan the fact that New Orleans has not yet been rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina, that children are going hungry all around the world, that poverty is rampant and there are people who do not have adequate health care--and yet when we are bombarded with ads that sell unneeded items and demean human sexuality we find little to be concerned about?

In my mind--I think that any advertiser that spent that $2,000,000 on humanitarain aid ought to be given a free thirty second spot during the Super Bowl that read "(Big Brand) is helping rebuild our world by donating the cost of one Super Bowl Ad to (name the project)."