NCC’s Fourth of July Message
This Fourth of July is shaping up to be a real humdinger, as every anti-American group grabs the opportunity to grandstand; the National Council of Churches leads the way: A Call to Speak Out. (Hat tip: Split Level Head.)
Declaring that the time has come to say no to leaders “who have sent many honorable sons and daughters to fight a dishonorable war in Iraq,” the NCC Governing Board is urging people of faith to speak out on the Fourth of July. “This year our nation is at war as we observe the 4th of July, a day that honors those founders who spoke out for independence from tyranny.,” the Governing Board’s statement declares. “Today in Iraq a cruel dictator has been deposed, yet the suffering of the Iraqi people continues ….. No weapons of mass destruction have been found; no link to the attacks on September 11, 2001 has been shown. It has become clear that the rationale for invasion was at best a tragic mistake, at worst a clever deception. As people of faith, we believe in the transcendent sovereignty and love of God for creation, and that the responsibility of human beings is thus to pursue justice and peace for all. We also believe that, as the biblical prophets of old, who in faithfulness to God spoke out to a people and a nation they loved, in humility before God, we too are to speak to a land and people we love. As religious leaders we invite others who share our affections and dismay to recognize the time has come to speak out.”



