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Displaying results 1 - 10 of 79 items found. (File; Thu Jan 31 14:30:00 CST 2008) Description: Just Peace Church Overview 2. Just Peace Church Pronouncement 1985 (File; Thu Jan 31 14:32:00 CST 2008) Description: Just Peace Church Pronouncement 1985 3. Just Peace Church Pronouncement (File; Thu Jul 17 13:58:00 CDT 2008) Description: A 1985 General Synod Pronouncement spelling out the commitments of the UCC as a Just Peace Church (Web Page; Mon Mar 29 13:07:00 CDT 2010) Description: Becoming a Just Peace Church 5. Just Peace Church Pronouncement (File; Thu May 31 10:10:00 CDT 2007) (Web Page; Thu May 24 11:48:00 CDT 2007) Description: General Synod pronouncement and proposal for action on the United Church of Christ as a 'Just Peace Church' 7. How to be a ‘Just Peace Church' in times like these (Web Page; Thu Jun 05 08:37:00 CDT 2008) Description: How to be a ‘Just Peace Church' in times like these Some 500 mourners attended the memorial service at First Congregational UCC in Milford, Mass., for Herbert Homer, 48, who died aboard United Airlines Flight 175 when it crashed into the World Trade Center. Homer and his wife, Karen, had celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary last spring. With talk of retaliation and war, many UCC congregations struggle with what it means to be a Just Peace Church. Jay Malonson/Milford Daily News photo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By J. Bennett Guess November 2001 The horrific tragedies of September 11 and the subsequent U.S. bombings over Afghanistan have been cause for many in the United Church of Christ to consider deeply the role of the UCC as a "Just Peace Church"—especially in difficult times like these. Justice and Witness Ministries has called upon laypersons, pastors, professors and congregations across the church to help us all think through these complex and important issues. In 1985, a General Synod pronouncement called upon the UCC to be a Just Peace Church. This action underscored the words of the Rev. Robert V. Moss, the second president of the UCC, who wrote in 1971, "We now need to put as much effort into defining a just peace as we have done in the past in defining a just war." The General Synod defined "just peace" as the interrelation of friendship, justice and common security from violence. The pronouncement called the church to a vision of "shalom" rooted in peace with justice and placed the UCC General Synod in opposition to the institution of war. Here are excerpts from some of the responses Justice and Witness Ministries has received: No peace without justice, no justice without peace Many churches have mixed records on supporting war or opposing war. The churches of New England, for example, generally supported the Revolutionary War as necessary to achieve freedom and end the colonial domination of the Colonies by England. They generally supported the Civil War as necessary to end slavery and maintain the unity of the country. But they also generally opposed the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War of 1845. Other churches in different parts of the country might have had different reasons for supporting or opposing specific wars. Does this mean that only a few churches should be considered peace churches? Or does it mean that the search for peace is complex, confusing, and the reality of peace is elusive? Does it mean that the search for peace and the search for justice and an end to oppression are hopelessly intertwined? ... Many mainline Protestant churches, over the past couple of decades, have come to consider themselves Just Peace Churches. This is a conscious attempt to balance the passion for peace with the passion for justice, recognizing that there is no peace without justice and no justice without peace. The quest for peace and the quest for justice are intertwined. It is a false peace, the false peace identified by the prophets, that tolerates unjust domination and oppression, crying "Peace, peace," when there is no peace. The Rev. Jay Lintner Former head of the UCC's Office for Church in Society's Washington, D.C., office More just policies needed toward the whole Arab world Nothing characterizes Just Peace theology more than a clear recognition of the differences in the way we view the world when we are powerful and when we are powerless. While nothing justifies terrorism, terrorists receive support from people who are so oppressed and marginalized that it seems there is no other way to make their voices heard. The United States must look at itself and its policies to determine how more just policies can be developed toward the whole Arab world and how we can encourage other nations to do the same. This will not cure terrorism, but it will tend to change the climate that harbors them and gives (Web Page; Thu Jun 05 12:00:00 CDT 2008) Description: Synod speaks to the issues October 2001 Historically, the UCC's General Synod has given voice to a number of issues relevant to the events of Sept. 11. These include: Peace Priority General Synod 13 (6/30/81)—Calls for enlisting all parts of the church in study and action to develop policies and programs to resolve global tensions, reverse economic dependence on arms production, reverse the arms race, and prohibit the development and use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Just Peace Church General Synod 15 (7/1/85)—Affirms the UCC to be a Just Peace Church; defines Just Peace as the interrelation of friendship, justice, and common security from violence; outlines the elements of a Just Peace theology; places the UCC General Synod in opposition to the institution of war and affirms support for the United Nations. Flag as Symbolic Speech General Synod 17 (7/4/89)—Affirms deep respect for the U.S. flag as a treasured symbol of democratic values; calls upon American people to recognize its communicative power; deplores abuse of flag but affirms the right to use the flag as symbolic expression, even when abhorrent to the vast majority; opposes Constitutional amendment to restrict freedom of expression or which exalts the flag as the only symbol that may not be used as a means of political expression. Support for Armed Forces Personnel General Synod 18 (1991)—Declares its care, support and appreciation for the men and women of our Armed Forces; encourages congregations and members to care for members of the Armed Forces and their loved ones; urges support for conscientious objectors. Violence in our Society General Synod 20 (7/3/95)—Calls on all local churches, Conferences and Associations to become involved in ending the violence in our society; calls on UCC members to advocate for public policy programs which address the root causes of violence and poverty; encourages each local church to organize its own peace action team to develop resources for alternative entertainment activities and family violence awareness and prevention curriculum. (Web Page; Mon Jun 09 10:06:00 CDT 2008) Description: September 13, 2002 An open letter from the Collegium of Officers regarding the statement of United Church of Christ leaders on Iraq, the Middle East, and war "Courage in the struggle for justice and peace" is one of the powerful affirmations in the United Church of Christ Statement of Faith. It is central to the identity of our church. It is one of our most ardent prayers and richest blessings. To be part of the United Church of Christ is to be part of the struggle for justice and peace. —From A Just Peace Church, ed. Susan Thistlethwaite In the United Church of Christ, with its cherished diversity, we have a wide range of views about the acceptability of war as a means of resolving disputes. Some of our forebears engaged in the armed struggle with Great Britain for American independence; one of our noted theologians, Reinhold Niebuhr, argued from the standpoint of "Christian realism" that injustice must be resisted, if necessary by war, thus justifying U.S. participation in World War II. Others in our tradition, however, have opposed war in principle, including pastors and laypeople who adopted the very unpopular stance of conscientious objection during World War II and the Vietnam War. In 1985, the United Church of Christ?s General Synod declared our church to be a "just peace" church, a church that would consistently seek nonviolent solutions to disputes whose attempted resolution by war would inevitably lead to death and destruction. In 2001, General Synod voted that the United Church of Christ join in the World Council of Churches? Decade to Overcome Violence. During the period leading up to the first Gulf War of 1991, our church and other churches were challenged to reflect on two basic issues: can war ever be justified by Christian belief; and, if war is, under certain circumstances, a necessary, if regrettable, measure, did the various rationales proposed for "Desert Storm" meet the criteria that have classically been applied to determine whether recourse to war was justified. There are a number of remarkable parallels between that time and the present, as well as some notable differences. The cast of characters is almost the same, including a protagonist named George Bush and Saddam Hussein himself. Both have sought to enlist religion as an ally in the cause. In fact, in 1991, on precisely the same day, Saddam Hussein declared a "jihad" or "just war" against the U.S. and the coalition, and President Bush said bluntly that "God is on our side." Neither leader, according to his own religious tradition, was authorized to make such a statement, but both leaders were operating in an environment in which religion and patriotism were closely enmeshed. In 1991, the issue felt most strongly by Middle Easterners, even beyond the invasion of Kuwait, was the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and Arab participation in the anti-Saddam alliance was predicated on a promise, which proved to be hollow, that the U.S. would act swiftly and decisively to resolve that issue fairly. Today, despite all the U.S. administration?s efforts to deflect attention to Iraq, the Arab and Muslim world?s attention remains riveted on Israel and (Web Page; Mon May 11 12:34:00 CDT 2009) Description: Rev. Dr. Héctor E. López is the son of Florencio Blanco and Julia Carrillo Lopez, immigrants from Mexico, dedicated Congregationalist and UCC lay leaders. His social justice work started in 1964, when he co-founded and directed the West Oakland Christian Parish, working with African Americans, Latinos, and European Americans in the areas of economic, educational and racial justice. Dr. López is the first Latino ordained in the UCC and the first Latino UCC Conference Minister in the United States. In 1981, he was the first Latino elected to the UCC Executive Council and helped design the Council of Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM). His justice work in the church has spanned many settings, both academic and in local churches in California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. Dr. López has been a mentor, an inspiration and a role model for the Latino constituency of the UCC and for the larger Christian family. His life experience, his spirit-driven passion for justice, his overall legacy, and his commitment to the message of Jesus Christ are the reasons the Council for Hispanic Ministries and its partners were proud to honor him with the establishment of The Rev. Dr. Héctor E. López Scholarship for Latina & Latino UCC Seminarians. (Put his picture with the quote below) ‘I dream of a day in which every congregation of the UCC is multiracial, multicultural, open and affirming, accessible to all, and a just peace church.’ –– The Rev. Dr. Héctor López, March 2007 |
