‘It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to return to her true home of brotherhood and peaceful pursuits. We cannot remain silent as our nation engages in one of history’s most cruel and senseless wars. During these days of human travail, we must encourage creative dissenters. We need them because the thunder of their fearless voices will be the only sound stronger than the blasts of bombs and the clamor of war hysteria. Those of us who love peace must organize as effectively as war hawks. As they spread the propaganda of war, we must spread the propaganda of peace. ‘
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., February 27, 1967
This weekend around the USA and elsewhere, people will remember and give thanks for the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project and Professor of History at Stanford University has a web page with “Frequently Requested Documents and Audio Clips” that includes ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ (this famous letter was written to respond to a Presbyterian minister and other religious leaders who opposed King), March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (King’s “I Have A Dream” speech given after Presbyterian Eugene Carson Blake’s speech), Acceptance Speech at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and I’ve Been To The Mountaintop (King’s last speech). I sent this web page to our congregation’s members and friends in my weekly pastoral note to encourage people to read. The Nov/Dec 2005 issue of Church & Society looks at “Trusting the Nonviolence of Jesus Christ Today“ from diverse Presbyterian perspectives; it is a fine print resource that also makes good reading for this holiday and other times.
If someone were to pick one of King’s speeches for its relevancy today, it would be a tough decision between his unpublished “The Casualties of the War in Vietnam“ (quoted above) and his better known “Beyond Vietnam“, King’s address delivered to the Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam, in Riverside Church on April 4, 1967 (exactly one year before his death): “…Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men [and women] do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against the conformist thought within one’s bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on.”
One can argue about how many parallels there are between Vietnam forty years ago and Iraq today, but the struggle continues for many people of faith to “move on” from their silence to publicly opposing our government’s war policies in Iraq. The 214th (2004) General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) did a careful study on the war in Iraq, Iraq: Our Responsibility and the Future, and found it to be “unwise, immoral, and illegal.’ While national governing bodies and national church leaders have spoken out prophetically in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr., too few local church pastors or lay people have “moved on” to public opposition to the war today.
“How Many Deaths in Iraq Before U.S. Churches Say Enough?” by Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, was posted online the second day of the New Year with the 3000th death of an American soldier in Iraq; it is quickly becoming very important reading for all who are concerned about the war and faith. This brief essay (only two pages) lays out in clear numbers the cost in lives and money that this war is costing Americans and Iraqis. Beyond the Americans killed, 22,000 U.S. troops have been seriously injured. Over 2,180 Iraqis were killed in December for a total number of civilian deaths between 52,297 and 57,871. The U.S. Congress has appropriated over $500 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and other anti-terrorism operations since 2001 and has been asked to increase funds by 45% in 2007 over what was spent in 2006 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. American intelligence agencies’ assessment has found that the war in Iraq has resulted in an increase of the overall terrorist threats.
This week President Bush proposed more military solutions to the war, ignoring diplomatic solutions recommended by the Iraqi Study Group chaired by Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton. Bush’s proposed escalation has been opposed by American generals and troops in Iraq. Professor Stephen Zunes of the Foreign Policy in Focus has done an in-depth annotated analysis of the President’s speech, pointing out its numerous misunderstandings and untruths.
For Christians, Parham states “Surging troop levels violate three of the time-honored rules of a just war. First, a surge does not provide a reasonable hope for success. It only prolongs the failed war. Winning the war is a myth. Second, a surge does not ensure non-combatant civilian immunity from war. It only escalates in a civil war the number of deaths and disfigurements. Third, a surge increases the war’s costs which already outweigh the original goals for the war.”
What to do? Come to Washington, DC on March 16th and bring friends to join thousands of Christians for a Christian Peace Witness for Iraq: Worship at the National Cathedral; Candlelight procession to the White House; Prayer vigil and witness for peace in Iraq; Pre-witness workshops and training; and Post-witness organizing and strategizing. This ecumenical event has five goals that are explained in an invitational flyer: End the U.S. Occupation, Support Our Troops, Rebuild Iraq, Say NO to Torture and Say YES to Justice.
Former Presbyterian General Assembly Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase, now serving as the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, is one of the key organizers of this event and has written about it on his Blog, “Christian Peace Witness for Iraq March 16th.” For more information go to www.christianpeacewitness.org to learn more about the event and to register to attend. If you want to help us organize, you can contact Rick at [email protected] to get involved.
Beyond organizing for March 16th, Presbyterians can pray, preach, study and advocate. Diverse prayers for peace can be found on the National Council of Churches web site. Dick and Charlene Watts’ ‘Staying Alive Spiritually for the Long Haul as Peacemakers“ has 17 points worthy of pondering and following. “How to Preach Peace (Without Being Tuned Out)“ is a very practical resource for preachers by Dick Watts and Mark Koenig. General Assembly’s Iraq: Our Responsibility and the Future (available online with a study guide) is good for personal and group study. The Thoughtful Christian online resources include The War in Iraq: Why Then? What Now? Discussing Tough Issues is a Presbyterian Peacemaking Program resource to help congregations discuss issues around the war in Iraq. Sojourners offers several different free emails (daily scripture with quotes, news and more).
On the eve of the war with Iraq, Carolyn Winfrey Gillette wrote a hymn-prayer (“God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger“) that included this verse about the power of Jesus’ non-violent love:
Love is patient, kind and caring, Never arrogant or rude,
Never boastful, all things bearing; Love rejoices in the truth.
When we’re caught up in believing War will make the terror cease,
Show us Jesus’ way of living; May our strength be in your peace.
Bruce Gillette is the co-pastor of the Limestone Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware and a member of the National Committee for the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
https://www.witherspoonsociety.org/03-may/war_in_iraq.htm#Bruce%20Gillette
