A Call To The Churches

The following call was issued on Ash Wednesday, February 13, by leaders of more than 20 Protestant and Orthodox denominations, including five historic black churches; as well as 15 Roman Catholic bishops; dozens of Catholic women's and men's orders; evangelical groups; and a variety of ecumenical organizations and movements. A complete list of signers is available from Sojourners.

The churches are at the forefront of those urging peaceful alternatives to war in the Middle East. We said, "War is not the answer." We have wrestled with our varied theological traditions, returning to fundamental questions of the Christian faith. We agreed that the stakes in human lives were so high, and the potential for catastrophe in a Middle East war so great, that military confrontation had to be averted. Even in victory there would be no winners in this war. War would bring nothing but loss to us all and unleash violence that would only multiply and reverberate around the region and the world in the days ahead -- and likely even for generations to come. We insisted that there are alternatives to war and indicated what they could be.

But now the nation is at war -- a war that should have been avoided. And a great human tragedy of yet unknown proportions has begun to unfold. When Gabriel Habib, General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, was recently asked by a BBC reporter, "Whose side is God on in this war?" his response was: "God is on the side of the suffering."

Already many people are suffering: young American servicemen and women being sent into battle and their fearful families at home; people of color who are a disproportionate number of those doing the fighting, even while many of their families still fight for survival at home; Kuwaitis enduring brutal occupation; Iraqi families living under the daily rain of bombardment; Israeli parents putting gas masks on their children under the terror of missile attack; Palestinians and other Arabs who see their hopes for dignity and freedom dimmed by the clouds of war; prisoners of war paraded on our television screens; Iraqi draftees being carpet-bombed in the desert; the thousands of refugees who are already fleeing for their lives.

It is for the sake of these -- and the many more who will follow -- that we oppose this war on moral grounds and remain opposed to it now. On their behalf we call for a halt to the fighting -- a ceasefire -- and a fresh effort to find a diplomatic solution.

We call upon our churches across the country to open their doors and their hearts in a time of national trauma and to reach across international boundaries to our brothers and sisters in the Middle East who are also in great crisis.

Let our churches reach out in spirit of dialogue and seek ways to bring Muslims, Christians, and Jews together to address our fears, concerns, and hopes for peace.

Let our churches exercise their pastoral and prophetic ministry by becoming places of comfort and calm sanctuary in the midst of the "Desert Storm" of war, thus reclaiming the historic tradition of providing "safe shelter" in times of trouble.

Let our churches be havens of prayer, silence, and meditation throughout the week for those who seek the peace of Christ in the midst of media bombardment and the political noise that surrounds us.

Let our churches offer prayers of intercession for wisdom and compassion on the part of political leaders on all sides of this conflict, and for mercy and justice for war's many victims.

Let our churches provide pastoral support for military personnel, comfort and hope for their families, friends, and communities as they grapple with their fear, confusion, and grief.

Let our churches stand ready to help those returning from war with physical, psychological, economic, and spiritual wounds and needs.

Let our churches offer support and assistance to conscientious objectors who are refusing military service for reasons of faith and conscience, and to those who cannot obey military orders that conflict with the church's teachings on the sacredness of human life.

Let our churches become places for reasoned discussion and spiritual discernment for those wrestling with the moral issues at stake in this crisis, and for those seeking both a deeper understanding of the Middle East and a Christian response to modern warfare.

Let our churches speak clearly their historic teachings on war and peace, and provide moral guidance for soldiers, citizens, and political leaders.

Let our churches give voice to the cries for justice of those silenced by grinding poverty and inequality in our own society, of those who will pay the price of this war not only in dreams deferred but in the denial of basic human needs.

Let our churches embrace the bereaved, maimed, and homeless of the Middle East through a generous response to the ministry of compassion.

Let our churches become centers for nonviolence, preparing people to act and to respond to conflict in ways that take seriously the gospel mandate to love one another.

Let Christians help build a disciplined, morally-based nonviolent movement in response to the war in the Gulf and in response to poverty and suffering throughout the world.

The words of the gospel cannot be reconciled with what is now happening in the Gulf. It is on Jesus' call to be peacemakers that we are united and will take our stand.