Contact NCC
News Service: 212-870-2228 | E-mail mailto:pjenks@ncccusa.org
| Most Recent
Stories | NCC Home
National Council of Churches member communions New York, May 3, 2011 – The death Sunday of Osama Bin Laden does not “eradicate the scourge of terrorism," but it should stimulate the churches to commit themselves “to moving forward together as witnesses for God’s love and peace.” The statement, released Tuesday on behalf of the National Council’s member communions, says:
Now the member communions of the National Council of Churches pray for God's help as we commit ourselves to moving forward together as witnesses for God's love and peace. In November 2001, as the world reeled from the terror attacks, the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service challenged their communions to take the lead: It is time [we said then] for us as an ecumenical community to make a renewed commitment to a ministry of peace with justice, and to make real in these days the call of Jesus, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) In his Beatitudes, Jesus calls us, his followers, to be merciful if we are to receive mercy; he reminds us that the peacemakers are blessed and will be called children of God. And, he proclaims us "the light of the world"; our good works should be a beacon to others so they may give glory to God. (Matthew 5:14-16) We lift up "Pillars of Peace for the 21st Century," a 1999 Policy Statement of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. We reaffirm and highlight the Statement’s call to build a culture of peace with justice characterized by these convictions: 1. "the transcending sovereignty and love of God for all creation and the expression of that love in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, whose mission was to reveal understanding about that divine presence, to proclaim a message of salvation and to bring justice and peace; 2. the unity of creation and the equality of all races and peoples; 3. the dignity and worth of each person as a child of God; and 4. the church, the body of believers, whose global mission of witness, peacemaking and reconciliation testifies to God’s action in history." Osama Bin Laden is dead. Just as Christians must condemn the violence of terrorism, let us be clear that we do not celebrate loss of life under any circumstances. The NCC's 37 member communions believe the ultimate justice for this man's soul -- or any soul -- is in the hands of God. In this historic moment, let us turn to a future that embraces God's call to be peacemakers, pursuers of justice and loving neighbors to all people.
The Rev. Dr.
Michael Kinnamon
The Rev. Canon
Peg Chemberlin
Bishop Charles
Leigh
The Rev. Paula
Clayton Dempsey
The Rev. Dr.
Sharon E. Watkins
The Rev. Dr.
Robert K. Welsh
Stephen M. Veazey
The Rev. Dale E. Luffman
Stanley J. Noffsinger
The Rev. Dr.
Mark S. Hanson
The Rev. Dr.
Donald J. McCoid
Ms. Sylvia Graves
Herman
Harmelink III
Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky
The Rev. Robert M. Nemkovich, Jr.
The
Rev. Gradye Parsons
The Rev. Dr. Walter Parrish III
The Rev. Geoffrey Black
Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster
Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader
Rev. Dr.
Stephen J. Sidorak, Jr. (Refresh page to see additional signatures) Statements from other groups:
The Roman Catholic Church Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation. NCC News contact: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org |