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By Heather Hahn*
2:00 P.M. EST Nov. 9, 2010 | PANAMA CITY, Panama (UMNS)
United Methodist bishops called on Christians to overcome racism and
other sources of animosity to recognize the sacredness of every human
being.
“As people of faith, we are charged to build the beloved community
because Christ has broken down the dividing walls and ended the
hostilities between us,” says a pastoral letter
approved at the Nov. 2-6 Council of Bishops meeting. “Yet, we continue
to build walls in the church and in the world which separate us and
cause our hearts to grieve.”
On the final day of their recent fall meeting, more than 80 active
and retired bishops also agreed to a planned campaign for humane
immigration reform in 2011.
The New Year’s Resolution Campaign 2011
calls on Christians to contact U.S. Congress members and pray daily for
reform that “reunifies families and provides a pathway to legal status
for undocumented immigrants.”
The campaign is sponsored by the U.S. Immigration Campaign of the
Interfaith Immigration Coalition, with support from the National Council
of the Churches of Christ and the United Methodist Board of Church and
Society.
A call to civility
Bishops said they hope to encourage civil discourse with their statement on racism.
Wisconsin Area Bishop Linda Lee, a member of the council’s Task
Force on Racism, said it was urgent that the Council of Bishops call
for greater compassion in human relations because of intensifying
rhetoric and violence against racial, ethnic and religious minorities
around the globe.
“At this moment in history in the U.S. and elsewhere, our silence is a
statement,” she said. “So if we don’t make a statement in
writing, it could be seen as complicit with what is happening.
... We will have lost an opportunity to speak to our churches at a
moment when they need to have an idea what we believe.”
The far-reaching statement dealt with sources of animosity in the various regions of the world where United Methodists worship.
- In the Philippines, the statement calls for “breaking down the
barriers between mainline society and tribal peoples,” with equal
rights in land possession and free education for all.
- In Africa, the statement condemns the legacy of colonialism.
- In Europe, racism is a growing problem “with political parties
openly working against minority, ethnic and religious communities,” the
document says.
- In the United States, the document cites a “rapid escalation of
violence related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religious
preference.”
The statement also denounced the rise of terrorism and “the religious
persecution of various faith communities, including Christians.”
“The church is called to decisively and directly counter these acts
and engender and empower a ‘perfect love that casts out all fear,’” the
statement says, citing 1 John: 4:18.
Addressing persecution
The statement also denounced the rise of terrorism and “the religious
persecution of various faith communities, including Christians.”
“The church is called to decisively and directly counter these acts and
engender and empower a ‘perfect love that casts out all fear,’” the
statement says, citing 1 John: 4:18.
“This is a statement that helps us to speak up in our areas,” said
Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of Germany, “by taking the spirit and our
common witness as a council to say that we as people of faith stand up
against racism, which unfortunately is all over the world.”
*Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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