More than a month after the release of the Manhattan Declaration, it remains unknown if any United Methodist bishops or board/agency leaders have signed the document. The declaration, now carrying more than 300,000 signatures, analyzes the dehumanizing forces at work in the world and affirms three general principles:
- The sanctity of human life;
- The dignity of human marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife;
- The rights of conscience and religious liberty.
The Manhattan Declaration (executive summary here) was largely drafted by Robert P. George of Princeton University, Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School, and Chuck Colson of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, with input from a wide range of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders.
In a column released Dec. 21, Riley B. Case, associate director of the Confessing Movement Within the United Methodist Church, wonders why United Methodist leaders seem reluctant to support and promote the declaration.
Dr. Riley B. Case
The [Manhattan Declaration, so called because its original signers met in Manhattan] was released Nov. 20, and is intended to be a declaration of Christian moral and theological principles in response to forces, national and global, that are leading to the breakdown of civil society….
The [document's] analysis [of these forces] is extensive. For example, the section on the sanctity of human life addresses “ethnic cleansing,” war, sexual trafficking of girls and young women, the exploitation of vulnerable laborers, the abandonment of the aged, racial oppression and discrimination, the persecution of believers of all faiths, and the failure to address and halt the spread of preventable diseases like AIDS.
It also — and at this point, the document becomes more controversial — addresses the loss of the sense of dignity of persons that drives the abortion industry and movements for assisted suicide, euthanasia, and human cloning for biomedical research….
The declaration has been widely reported and discussed in the secular and most Christian media. However, acknowledgment of the declaration among United Methodist institutional leaders is conspicuous by its absence. United Methodist News Service has carried no articles on the declaration. The United Methodist Reporter printed one small paragraph acknowledging the declaration and commenting that the declaration called for the possibility of civil disobedience. This is disappointing.
The declaration basically is a reflection of traditional Christianity. It would be supported by the vast majority of United Methodists in the pews. It has been supported by many United Methodist pastors and laypersons (at least among those who know about it).
More importantly, it is basically in agreement with the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. Not only do our Social Principles and our Book of Resolutions support almost every issue raised by the declaration, they would not be in conflict even with the more controversial ones, including the dignity of human marriage as the conjugal union of a man and a woman, the importance of the family, and the sanctity of human life.
However, the Manhattan Declaration obviously is an expression of traditional and evangelical Christianity and, as one seminary person related to me once, “We choose not to be identified with that form of Christianity.”…
So, if mainline leaders are not interested in declarations like the Manhattan Declaration what are they interested in? Well, for one, the bishops issued a statement on “God’s Renewed Creation: Call to Hope and Action.” This statement, which was to be read aloud in every United Methodist Church, would direct the church’s energy toward reversing global warming and concern for carbon footprints.
Following this there is a commitment of church resources toward seeking to influence the events at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The World Council of Churches wanted churches to sound bells, drums, gongs, or other instruments on Dec. 13, to call attention to the importance of this event. At this moment United Methodist apportionment money is paying the way of at least six and probably more UM agency staff and board members to go to Copenhagen and lobby or demonstrate or do whatever at the conference….
Whatever is occupying the time and energies of church leaders it does not seem to be on issues relating to marriage, family, dignity of the individual, and religious liberty. These are the issues addressed by the Manhattan Declaration.
Although Riley Case concedes that it’s “possible there have been bishops or church agency staff persons who have signed onto the declaration,” thus far apparently none has made a public pronouncement about becoming a signatory.
“We at The Confessing Movement would be most pleased if names of such persons or their comments could be passed on to us,” Dr. Case writes.
One of the Manhattan Declaration’s original signatories is Thomas C. Oden, the UM Confessing Movement’s honorary chairman. Dr. Oden is the author of Turning Around the Mainline: How Renewal Movements are Changing the Church (Baker) and is the general editor of InterVarsity Press’s 29-volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.
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Read the full Manhattan Declaration here. You may “sign” the document (via the Web) here. (Disclosure: The author of this blog is a signatory.)
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Riley B. Case, a retired clergy member of the Indiana Conference, is associate executive director of the Confessing Movement and a member of the Good News board of directors. He also serves as president of the board of the Kokomo (Ind.) Rescue Mission.
Dr. Case’s books include Evangelical and Methodist: A Popular History (Abingdon) and Understanding Our New United Methodist Hymnal (Wipf and Stock).
Related articles |
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| • | Manhattan Declaration: List of religious leaders signatories |
| • | The Manhattan Declaration: A call to mainline leaders, clergy, members | Association for Church Renewal |
| • | Manhattan Declaration and mainstream values | Janice Shaw Crouse, American Thinker (Dec. 6, 2009) |
| • | The Manhattan Declaration: Where I stand | Scot McKnight, Beliefnet.com |
| • | Why I signed the Manhattan Declaration | Albert Mohler |
Many UM leaders, particularly the Council of Bishops, and, predictably, the General Board of Church and Society, are not supporting the Manhattan Declaration because they have cavalierly replaced traditional Christian tenets with modern leftist political ideology. Their politics has become their de facto religion. They have become so entrenched in ideology that they are unable to step back and view the situation objectively. It’s that simple.
These UM leaders should be replaced or they will continue to drag this denomination into the relativistic sewer it has been descending into for the past 40 years.
Well, I’m no bishop or agency chair, but I do support the Manhattan Declaration (I actually finally read it yesterday) and hope that more people will read and carefully consider its contents.
I know that our Social Principles also support the dignity of the human individual and call for true freedom of conscience and religion (as does the declaration); our Social Principles support “laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman” (as does the declaration); and our Social Principles call for a respect of the sanctity of the lives of unborn babies — and also of their mothers (as does the declaration).
So it seems to me a no-brainer that the UM leadership should support this declaration. I wonder what they would say if asked why they haven’t?
It also seems to me that the UM General Board of Church and Society tends to lobby very selectively for the Social Principles — that is, they lobby for climate stewardship or fighting poverty in keeping with our Social Principles; but they don’t seem to do much lobbying to ban partial-birth abortion or to support laws that define marriage as a union between one man and one woman (both of which are supported by our Social Principles). That is, those Social Principles that align with the principles of the political Left are supported by Church and Society in their lobbying, while those that align with the political Center or Right are apparently ignored.
This is a great scandal, but no one (i.e., among bishops and other leaders) seems to be calling them out on it.
I am in full support of this declaration.
I wonder how many other Christian denominations and leaders are willing to take a stand. I’m afraid the Church is spreading a social gospel instead of a “repentant” one as Wesley preached.
These issues in UMC caught my attention when I saw they were similar to ones I see in today’s politics. I began forwarding articles like these to our pastor, often with personal comments. Except for one instance, I have received no feedback, nor have these issues been addressed in church or our publications.
I am a member of only 3 years, just a little shorter time from when I came back to Christ. My wife and I joined UMC together. We are both active in our church. I am so serious about Wesley’s teachings that I bought a set of his writings.
Now I have become disillusioned with UMC, particularly the leadership. I just read Mike Tooley’s book, Taking Back the UMC. Even taken with a grain of salt, it is a serious criticism of who leads UMC.
And, without being judgmental towards any one individual, I would say many of our leaders need to seek repentance for many reasons. And, need replaced.
I am revoking my membership in the UMC, whose Social Principles are fraught with socialistic and Marxist tenets. I do not believe the Social Principles are aligned with Scripture (well, about 80% of it anyhow). Why don’t we focus on Christian principles instead?
I am outraged that my monetary donations have been used to support politics, lobbying, and a left-wing agenda to “transform” what is already greatest nation on earth. The UMC will not receive one more cent from my wallet.
God bless to my UMC family. I’m outta here.
We were shocked and disappointed when learning of the UMC leadership supporting of the March 21, 2010 passage of the health care bill.
We are again shocked and disappointed that UM leaders are not in support of the Manhattan Declaration. They seem to support same sex marriages, the murder of unborn children and the use of church tithes to promote a Marxist takeover of American Churches.
I was raised in the Methodist church. I am now 66 Years old. I am no longer attending a United Methodist church. We are now attending a Southern Baptist church and plan to resign our membership in the UMC. It is my opinion that continue following the UMC bishops would be a unholy sin.
God, please bless America.