Mar Vista Mustang

YAHOO! He's back!

2010-05-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

The incomparable Mr. Will Spotts is back! And he's ready to tackle the upcoming General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Woohoo!

His first critical posting regards a popular, but deceitful, malicious, and perhaps, ultimately harmful map, versions of which American Christians love to brandish among their "peacemaking" resources, in order to lead the witness, your Honor, into believing that Joooos, by hook or by crook, took virtually all of the land from Palestinian Arabs. Sez Will:

This map presentation creates a manifestly false impression. It is an attempt to graphically illustrate injustice. The only problem is that the illustration is itself unjust. And its creators know that – even if ordinary people in church groups or classes don’t notice that they have been manipulated. A more honest map would have distinguished a third group: Palestinian owned lands. As is, without overtly lying, by netting together publicly owned lands and privately held Palestinian lands as if they were one and the same, the map is intentionally misleading. There are, naturally, reasons for this deception – many of which stem from complexities of land ownership in the Ottoman period and from certain British practices. An honest person could make the argument that the category of publicly owned lands is a faulty one. However, an honest person would also have to acknowledge the Mandate restrictions on Jewish land purchases, the limits on Jewish immigration (a policy not applied to non-Jewish immigration), and the creation of the state of Jordan. Given the difficulty in graphically and fairly illustrating this complexity, an honest person would never have produced this map comparison.

The map itself is deceptive, but it is commonplace. Much more sinister, however, is the fact that this is being displayed in an ordinary church.

Will, Will, Will, it's much worse than that when it comes to the PC(USA)! Go look. The map has made in into the Middle East Study Committee's "A Plea for Justice: A Historical Analysis" p. 44.

Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pastors!

2008-10-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

We're taking a break to have some Christian fun. The following has NOTHING to do with antisemitism. I know that some pastors out there subscribe to me. Watch this, because it's sheer excellence from start to finish:

Kudos to Florida Hospital Church in Orlando. "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Pastors!" deserves a "Blue Letter Bible Ribbon." Anyone disagree?

Hamas MP: More Suicide Attacks!

2008-10-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Kind of makes you wonder if minister of Hamas' parliament, Ahmed Abu Helbiya, who urged the above, would step up to be the first volunteer. I ... doubt it.

News stories reporting Helbiya's provocative call to Palestinians protesting on International Al-Quds Day hardly surfaced in the mainstream American media. (The Zionists who control the media have been slacking on the job.) The outrageous Al-Quds Day protests in Iran also failed to register on the American consciousness, despite the attention garnered by Pres. Ahmadinejad's United Nations/NYC visit last week. It's all a pity because an appreciation for the enormity of the threat posed by the fire-breathing rhetoric of said president has to go hand-in-hand with hearing about the citizenry of Iran. From "Iranians mock Holocaust on annual Jerusalem Day":

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranians chanted "Death to Israel" on Friday as Islamist students unveiled a book mocking the Holocaust in an Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day annual parade to show solidarity with the Palestinians.

And in Gaza City, the Islamist Hamas movement that has ruled the impoverished Palestinian territory since June 2007 marked the day by calling for more suicide attacks on Israel.

The book "Holocaust," published by members of Iran's Islamist Basij militia, features dozens of cartoons and sarcastic commentary.

Education Minister Alireza Ali-Ahmadi attended the official launch of the book in Tehran's Palestine Square.

The cover shows a Jew with a crooked nose and dressed in traditional garb drawing outlines of dead bodies on the ground.

Inside, bearded Jews are shown leaving and re-entering a gas chamber with a counter that reads the number 5,999,999.

Another illustration depicts Jewish prisoners entering a furnace in a Nazi extermination camp and leaving from the other side as gun-wielding "terrorists."

Yet another shows a patient draped in an Israeli flag and on life support breathing Zyklon-B, the poisonous gas used in the extermination chambers.

Iran does not recognise the Jewish state, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has attracted international condemnation by repeatedly predicting Israel is doomed to disappear and branding the Holocaust a "myth."

The commentary inside the book includes anti-Semitic stereotypes and revisionist arguments, casting doubt that the massacre of Jews took place and mocking Holocaust survivors who claimed reparations after World War II.

One comment, in a question-and-answer format, reads: "How did the Germans emit gas into chambers while there were no holes on the ceiling?" Answer: "Shut up, you criminal anti-Semite. How dare you ask this question?"

In 2006, the Islamic republic hosted a conference of Holocaust deniers and revisionists and a mass-circulation Iranian newspaper held a cartoon competition on the subject.

... In Gaza, a Hamas parliamentarian called for more suicide attacks against Israel as thousands of Palestinians marched to mark Al-Quds Day.

"We call on all the factions to undertake efforts to contain the enemy and halt its aggression by planning martyrdom operations," Ahmed Abu Helbiya told a crowd of more than 2,000 protesters.

... Quds Day was started by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic, who called on the world's Muslims to show solidarity with Palestinians on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The demonstration was held under an official slogan: "The Islamic world will not recognise the fake Zionist regime under any circumstances and believes that this cancerous tumour will one day be wiped off the face of the earth."

The Pig Soars for UCC's John H. Thomas

2008-09-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I never expected to present my first unqualified Flying Pig award to the United Church of Christ, and, least of all, due to a decision by its general minister and president, John H. Thomas. Despite the membership of the UCC in the World Council of Churches and Religions for Peace, two of five entities which co-sponsored this evening's dinner in New York City with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Thomas issued a statement today in which he explained his reasons for declining.

Before I quote from the UCC.org article, I wish to extend a tip o' the hat to UCCTruths, which I take to have been instrumental in pushing along the process by which Thomas can today declare that "the Emperor has no clothes" to his religious cohorts about the Iranian leader who shows no remorse. Says Thomas:

I was invited to the dinner but have declined. In previous public statements I have objected strongly to the rhetoric of President Ahmadinejad, rhetoric regarding the State of Israel and the historicity of the Holocaust that is deeply disturbing to all who believe in Israel's right to exist and who acknowledge the on-going pain that the Holocaust and its memory still evokes. While the organizers of this event certainly hope to raise their concern over this rhetoric with President Ahmadinejad, I am not convinced this will be effective.

The money quote:

To the contrary, I fear the occasion can and will be used by President Ahmadinejad to claim legitimacy and support for himself by an association with respected United States religious leaders.

And an uncommon consideration from Thomas for the people Ahmadinejad prefers to term "Zionist murderers" and "a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists ... dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers":

I respect the sponsoring organizations' intent for dialogue, but fear that the more likely outcome is sowing confusion and disappointment among our own members and, in particular, the American Jewish community.

The pig is soaring.

SO, You Want to Boycott Israel

2008-07-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently, someone is able to exercise a little bit of levity over a pathetic situation, that being the all-consuming effort by many individuals and groups to make Israel the world's paramount aggressor nation worthy of boycott, divestment, and sanction. True, "So You Want to Boycott Israel?" is a little glib for my tastes, but its point is one that needs airing. Guess, and then watch to find out which Protestant denomination gets a nod for being an ally in the push toward "putting an end to the Israeli success story." (Hint: It's not the Southern Baptists.)

The video urges the viewer to say,"no," to Israeli medical care, but Canadian Lutheran World Relief ("Responding to God's love in service to others...") does one better. It altogether ignores the existence of said care to Palestinians. In a press release describing a donation of more than half a million dollars to Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem, CLWF declares the hospital "is the [cough, cough] only institution offering specialized medical services like cancer treatment and dialysis to Palestinians."

... a tidy claim which must come as a surprise to a facility like Hadassah ("Medical excellence beyond boundaries") which professes on its website:

Hadassah brings first class medical attention to the Palestinian population. We do not let politics into our premises when we save lives of Palestinian babies with severe heart defects. We ignore political aspects when we conduct dozens of collaborative research and clinical projects with Palestinian physicians in a variety of medical and health areas.

Moreover, who's helping Augusta Victoria get its cancer program off the ground? Right again. Hadassah. Back to the webpage:

The Augusta Victoria Hospital is in the process of developing a Cancer Center to serve patients from the West Bank and Gaza. This Centre will initially include basic Radiation and Chemotherapy services. The Hadassah Hospital has committed itself to train staff and provide physicist expertise to assure appropriate quality oncology services at the Augusta Victoria Hospital. Furthermore, Hadassah will provide treatment of complex patients that exceed the capabilities of the Augusta Victoria Hospital cancer program at Hadassah. With this cooperation, both medical institutions saw in it an opportunity to create mutual understanding while developing a much needed Cancer Program that will serve the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza.

At the PC(USA) General Assembly, when overtures calling for Presbyterian moderation and balance were debated, there were arguments against, accompanied by the insistence that "injustice cannot be condoned," as if only the Palestinian side faces injustice. Yet, if I depended solely upon denominational reports like the one above for a picture of the Israeli-Palestinian situation (as I fear many church members do), I too would think that only the Palestinians are the sufferers in this long conflict.

The Mustang Spirit

2008-07-07T11:56:00.001-07:00

Did you know that in 1971 our Congress declared that mustangs are “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people”?

I like that.

Presbyterians: Earnest, But "Easy Prey"

2008-07-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

lazy today. am linking to roberta seid, standwithus, who has oodles and oodles to say 'bout pcusa general assembly. only personal observation i'll make is, jewish organizations have come a long way since the grit hit the van after the 216th four years ago. seid grasps the nuanced dynamics at work in the presbyterian church's formation of its israel-palestine policy, from the top to the bottom. of the committee process, she says:

The almost 1,000 Presbyterian Commissioners and advisory delegates and the other 3,000 Presbyterians who came to San Jose were polite, informally dressed, and very congenial, warmly greeting old friends and newcomers alike. They seem to be a cross-section of Middle America. They don’t raise their voices. When one speaker was too emphatic and loud at the Peace and Justice Committee, he was reprimanded. They scrupulously follow Robert’s Rules of Order [mvm: er, maybe in committee they do, but it's to hell in a handbasket on the general assembly floor]. They earnestly want to do what is right according to their religious precepts, especially helping the disadvantaged and the powerless, and take their deliberations very seriously. They also seem to be tending toward a pacifism that reverberates with the comfort and safety of Middle America and with the Presbyterians’ secure place in the world even as they make moral judgments about what the Jewish state, populated by Jews who are in a war zone and who have rarely had a secure place in the world, should or should not do.

... Many of the committee members, who are all chosen randomly just months before the Assembly starts, and many of the delegates-at-large simply don’t know much about the conflict and its history. Yet, they are asked to make judgments on it that will represent the voice of the 2.2 million-member Presbyterian Church.

They are easy prey for the Church’s anti-Israel bureaucracy. They rely on them as experts, and see no reason to distrust their input. When points of information or clarification were requested as the Committee delegates debated the Israel-related Overtures, ACSWP supplied the answers.

acswp, advisory committee on social witness policy, the same agency that, in commentary on a recent israel/palestinian overture, revived a henry ford codeword, "powerful interests," uttering it on the heels of a link to an article that speaks of ... oil money? you kidding? rather, it is "pro-israel advocacy groups" and individuals with jewish-sounding names.

read seid. she even gives a quick tour through the history of pcusa's policy on israel and palestinians. warning: it ain't purty.

PC(USA)'s Parliamentary Procedure: Flubs, Flaws, ... Flagrant Disregard???

2008-07-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

JULY 5 UPDATE: Shortly after I published the following post, Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow responded to Naming His Grace's criticism of the way parliamentary procedure was applied to the debate surrounding "On Calling for Tolerance and Peaceful Relations Between the Christian and Muslim Communities." At first, Viola of Naming His Grace was dissatisfied with Reyes-Chow's explanation. However, it appears that Viola was sufficiently moved to subsequently inquire of "a friend who was in a much closer range than I of the podium" and then, in a posting called "Yes, I can change my mind!" to conclude "the Moderator simply made several bad judgment calls and corrected one privately, never committing the others again." Yet, all that has transpired since I posted the entry below still leaves intact the question I raised on June 30th in "Calling All Robert's Rules of Order Freaks!" in which I queried my more knowledgeable readers as to whether they thought, on the basis of my verbatim transcript, that debate on 11-01, a controversial Israel-Palestine overture referencing the Amman Call, was improperly closed.

After posing my own questions about the way the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Vice-Moderator applied parliamentary procedure to General Assembly debate over a controversial overture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (see "Calling All Robert's Rules of Order Freaks"), I came across Naming His Grace's discussion of similar complaints, this time in regard to plenary debate over a measure defining certain Christian-Muslim commonalities (emphasis mine):

As some on the floor of the Assembly attempted, by amendments, to make sure the church did not enter into apostasy by saying that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, the Moderator of the Church and others attempted to keep them from their witness.

In particular, the moderator of committee 7 and the new Moderator of the General Assembly, unfairly, paid little attention to parliamentary rules.

As one commissioner gave a strong defense of not using the term a “common God” on the basis of neither offending her Saudi relatives nor her own faith, the committee moderator interrupted her and was not ruled out of order. (Although the commissioner did finish)

The committee moderator was allowed to ask to have a Muslim clergy person who was on the platform speak to the commissioners. This was permitted without the vote of the commissioners and then, although there was someone waiting to speak for the motion, the Assembly Moderator called on a commissioner who was asking to call the question. That meant that after the Muslim speaker, no one was allowed to refute anything he said.

Needless to say this means that in both the committee and the General Assembly a member of the Islamic faith actually was allowed to be the largest influence on the voting Christians. When one lists all of the broken parliamentary rules it is breath-taking.

... It is troubling when the congenial moderator becomes the congenial dictator. Perhaps it is simply a lack of experience.

Perhaps.

I guess all of this raises more questions ... because we're not speaking of presiding over a session in some small backwater where a novice is stepping up to the plate for the first time. We're talking about the highest level of moderation in mainline Presbyterianism, where church polity has a long, venerable history in America. I would think whoever is chosen moderator and vice-moderator would give the impression that they've done this before?

(Is it my imagination or was past Moderator Joan Gray as terrific as I remember her to have been?)

Second question--again, I'm showing my ignorance about Robert's Rules and the like (which is why I need to buy the book pictured), but when it comes to an assembly as auspicious as the GA, isn't there anyone charged with double-checking the moderator's application of procedure? I mean ... when I've watched these webcasts, there are a lot of bodies up there on the dais. Like, give me a break--what are they all doing? The Stated Clerk's up there. Can't "monitor the moderator" be added to his job description to ensure there aren't--as Toby Brown charitably put it--flubs? Just how much do these guys make?

And a related question is, why aren't webcasts of General Assembly action archived for later public viewing? Some of the other mainlines make these available. This is again one of those things that doesn't inspire confidence.

Oy.

WWJD at the PC(USA) General Assembly? (Part 2)

2008-07-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt. 18:6)

At the very end of my first WWJD post, in an update, I questioned if Jesus was to be found at the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s General Assembly. At the very same time, I was discovering the identity of a commissioner I had seen come up to the mic at least a couple of times. Going by comments entered in that posting and comments appearing on the internet, it is evident that I'm not the only person whose attention was drawn to this earnest floor speaker. With some of us, it was his striking resemblance to the Christ of traditional European art that caught our attention. But many others were impressed by the speaker's Christ-like ability to, in a matter of a few well-put words, bring to light the inherent hypocrisy of the proceedings taking place at the Assembly. The Reformed Pastor explains:

...shortly before the discussion of whether to shell out $2 million for lawyers to defend PCUSA’s property claims on departing congregations, there was a vote on a overture entitled “On Creating a Presbyterian Office for the Prevention and Healing of Minister of Word and Sacrament Mis-conduct and Abuse.” The overture as it originally appeared would have required the spending of a bit over $100,000 to establish such an office. In committee, the Office of the General Assembly, the General Assembly Council, and the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns recommended disapproving the overture because of the cost. The result was a compromise between the presbyteries that presented the overture and the Louisville agencies that, by my reading, amounts to, “we’ll try harder to do a better job of dealing with this.”

Could PC(USA) do better by those who've been sexually abused? Commissioner Daniel Moore thought so. According to The Layman came "the quote of the day":

We were just told that we can't spare $100,000 to help the healing of dozens of sexually molested victims. I will not vote in favor of spending $2 million to take my brothers and sisters to court or to give them threat.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I revise my earlier assessment. Jesus was most definitely at the General Assembly.

UPDATE: Rev. Daniel Moore of Guinston Presbyterian Church has sent the Mustang a frabjuous email about the observations many of us made in regard to his presence at the GA:

Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. Your blog and the response to it has been an encouragment for me in a time when I needed it most. I was just sitting here preparing to give my report to the congregation on Sunday and thinking about all the excitement my church expressed at having me be called at the last minute to replace the primary delegate. They knew "God had called me there for a reason." And I believed it too. But upon reflection all I could see was one failure after another. While it is true that Ken was nearly voted in, he was not after all voted in. And in each of the important issues I felt like I was on the "losing side." It seemed as though I sat there helpless to stop the moral decay as it ate away at our denomination. And I began to question if God really had used me in ANY way while I was there except to perhaps humble me.

But when I received your email and read the comments on your blog by both you and the others, I could feel the sting in my eyes of joyful understanding. Perhaps God didn't have me there to "win" for him, but to show others that God was there and watching everything that happened. And that though people who believe in the inerrancy of God's word may be in the minority, they are not alone. Christ is there, and so are a remnant of his followers.

Thank you, for being a bright spot to me in a dark time.

In my life, I have found that the Lord bestows moments of grace when they've been most yearned for. God is good.

Calling All Robert's Rules of Order Freaks!

2008-06-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a full three days since the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted upon overtures recommended by the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee ... and I'm still weighing the outcome.

As I ponder, I want to hear from readers, Presbyterian or otherwise, who have a handle on parliamentary procedure as contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, which PC(USA) relies upon. It seems to me that debate on Overture 11-01, "On Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel," was improperly closed. Of all the overtures that were coming into plenary with Committee 11's recommendation, Overture 11-01 was the one considered most contrary to the viability of a two-state solution by Jewish community leaders. (I covered its many problems in "Go Beyond the Fine Print, Fellahs.")

However, not being a GA junkie, mainlining denomination procedures and motions till my eyeballs go yellow and my teeth fall out, I'm depending on others to call it. Here's how 11-01 went down:

The recommendation for 11-01 was introduced with favorable words by Nancy Kahaian, Moderator of Com. 11.
Commissioner Jim Patton, Seattle Presbytery and on Com. 11, spoke in FAVOR of the main motion.
Commissioner Bob Henley, Kendall Presbytery, moved to amend the motion, asking to delete Item 2. Seconded. Henley spoke to the amendment, explaining that the Amman Call pushed the PC(USA) toward imbalance because of its provisions for a Palestinian right of return and a shared Jerusalem.
Com. 11 Mod. Kahaian introduced Victor Makari, coordinator for the Office of the Middle East and Europe, to explain why the church should be seeking to endorse the Amman Call.
Advisory Delegate Ryan White, Seattle, spoke AGAINST the amendment.
Commissioner Bruce Bush, Stockton, spoke in FAVOR of the amendment.
Commissioner Jeffrey Vamos, New Brunswick, spoke AGAINST the amendment.
Commissioner Bill Plitt, National Presbytery, had a question about the amendment being out of order, but the moderators, after a brief discussion, assured him it was not.

Shifting to a verbatim transciption as debate on the amendment is closed:

Vice-moderator Byron Wade: "Recognize the commissioner, microphone #4."
Mansell: “Frank Mansell, minister commissioner from Whitewater Valley Presbytery. I move the previous question.”
V-mod. Wade: "Is there a second to that motion? [2nd.] We are voting now to close debate on this issue. All those in favor of closing debate, please say 'Aye'? [Aye.] All those opposed? Motion passes."

Then, a verbal slip and recovery by V-mod. Wade when it was time to vote on the amendment:

V-mod. Wade: "Then we will go straight to the vote on 11-01. I'm sorry, I’m sorry, ooh, I’m sorry, on the amendment, excuse me, excuse me, Lord Jesus, excuse me. (Laughing.) I'm sorry about that. On the amendment--The amendment is before you that we are voting on. Once again, let us go back—let us, let us listen to the Word first. Sisters and Brothers, here in our common faith in Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and walking humbly with our God, let us proceed to vote on the question before us. We will vote by keypad once again. I’ll ask that to come up. Advisory delegates, please vote now. Commissioners, you have been duly advised. Let us prepare to vote. Commissioners, please, vote now. The amendment fails."

With virtually no pause to catch his breath, V-mod. Wade immediately moved to a vote on the main motion:

V-mod. Wade: "Now we are back, NOW we are back to the main motion of 11-01. Let us prepare to vote once again on the machines, with the keypad rather. Advisory delegates, please vote now. Commissioners, you have been duly advised. Let us vote. Commissioners, please, vote now. It is approved."

What do you think? In watching a parallel situation later on in the day (debate closed on an amendment, amendment vote taken and failed), it seemed to me that a vote was taken to close debate on the main motion before voting on the main motion took place. The way procedure was applied to the main motion above, there was actually no argument (not counting the introduction of the amendment) heard on the floor against the main motion. Since this was the Committee-recommended overture with the greatest opposition among supporters of Israel, I find it hard to believe that no one would've attempted to speak against 11-01.

Comments are open. Stay on target. I'd especially like to hear from YAADs (don't do drugs).

UPDATE: I received an informed reply from The Reformed Pastor. His response in its entirety is to be found in the comments to this posting, but I want to highlight the main points:

... In my experience, the motion for the previous question ... is among the most misunderstood in parliamentary procedure. The 1915 version of Robert's Rules ... says:

if unqualified it applies only to the immediately pending motion.

Unless one specifically states, "I move the previous question on all that is before us," one is moving to end debate only on the immediate issue (in this case, the amendment to 11-01). Given the way the commissioner phrased his motion ("I move the previous question"), debate should have resumed on the main motion, item 11-01.

You are absolutely correct that if procedure had been properly followed, there would have been opposition to it. ... I don't think this particular breach of procedure, however, was meant to choke off debate--if my experience is any guide, it was simply a matter of no one knowing what the proper procedure is.

I'm not so sure about that last point of yours, Pastor David. When it came to the passage of the minority report on 11-26, "On Middle East Peacemaking," the Israel/Palestinian overture receiving the second-most heated debate on the GA floor, Vice-moderator Wade seemed unable to contain his glee when the minority report, to answer 11-26 with the same 11-01 he cut debate short on, passed. He kept bowing his head as if to hide his broad smile.

But thank you for informing us on the protocol.

PC(USA) General Assembly: Go Beyond the Fine Print, Fellahs

2008-06-27T02:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been presented with a contract that invokes the enforcement of some ordinance by name but doesn't provide details? You ask, "What's 'State Code x.x?'" but the one whose goal is to get you to sign on the dotted line just sort of mumbles something about indemnification in reply.

Such is the case with Overture 11-01, "On Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel," being considered at the current Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly. Please, look at the measure carefully and read the fine print. And even after sorting through the fine details, look up the "Amman Call" referenced in Point no. 2. See the bit in no. 2 about "human rights of refugees"? What is that exactly? An examination of the Amman Call reveals:

That Palestinians have the right of self-determination and the right of return.

I won't belabor here the fine points of the issue. The broad message is this: any effort toward peace will go nowhere on the Israeli side if Palestinian right of return is on the table. Any move that threatens the demographic composition of Israel as a Jewish state is dead in the water. End of discussion.

Keep reading through the Amman Call. Jerusalem, settlements, the security barrier--there's a lot said in this document that bears an innocuous-sounding title. Anything mentioned in the Amman Call about "Palestinian obstacles to peace"? Didn't think so.

Back to the overture. Why does Point no. 3 go into such effort to specify that church resources use "existing materials whenever possible, including back issues of Church & Society as suggested, to interpret such matters as Mission Responsibility Through Investment, the status of Jerusalem, the impact of the security barrier (or 'wall'), etc."? Could it be that the PC(USA) wishes to safeguard its well-honed anti-Israel bias, resisting any calls for an infusion of balance? Ya think?

WWJD at the PC(USA) General Assembly? He'd Stump for Ken Working

2008-06-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

I saw Jesus at the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s General Assembly today. Votes were being cast for positions on the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, and up came Jesus (above, painting and photo) to the mic to urge the delegates to vote for Ken Working. He spoke much as I imagined he would--kindly, with a sincere demeanor. However, the Assembly didn't listen. Some members did, but not quite enough to topple Bradley Copeland.

I kept waiting for Jesus to start overturning tables in respect to other actions taken this week at the gathering in San Jose (named in honor of his step-father). Consider, for instance, the hypocrisy contained in the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee's recommendation to approve Overture 11-33 called, "On Peace with Iran":

That the 218th General Assembly (2008) resolves:

1. That the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) supports a peaceful, diplomatic means to resolve the tensions developing as a result of Iran’s pursuit of its nuclear program, between the United States and Iran.

2. That the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) calls for direct, unconditional negotiations between the United States and Iran with the goal of finding and implementing a peaceful resolution.

3. That the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is opposed to preemptive military action by any nation against Iran.

4. That the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) calls for a renewed effort at all levels—people-to-people, interfaith groups, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and government—to help the United States and Iran eliminate the tensions that have existed between our two nations and to unite the American and Iranian people in a common effort to solve the problems of poverty, illness, and climate change.

Lest there be assumption that "any nation" in no. 3 doesn't include Israel, that sliver of a country down south of Iran and west a little, the one that is regularly pelted with rockets funded by IRAN, the one that gets its existence verbally threatened by the leader of same said country on the order of, oh, every other month, know that the overture's rationale specifies, "United States or Israeli military action against Iran would likely cause increased terrorism throughout the world, including here in the United States."

Er, where did Point no. 5 go?--the one that would prove PC(USA) to be a fair broker for peace:

5. That the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is opposed to any nation threatening to wipe Israel off the map.

Jesus, we've got some tables for you!

UPDATE: Many thanks to Beau Weston of the Gruntled Center for letting me know that the fellow in the photo above is, alas, NOT Jesus! I mean, it may be Jesus in the fellow's heart that allows him to be an earnest, truth-seeking speaker, but it's not Jesus in the flesh. Beau tells me that the fellow is Ralph Reed. No, not the Christian Coalition scoundrel, but just a true Christian doing the best that he can in service of the church.
SECOND UPDATE: Thank you, Beau, for the levity. No, the fellow up above is not someone by the common name of Ralph Reed. And as I compose this, I see on my webcast screen the same fellow, Rev. Daniel Moore of Donegal Presbytery. Ladies and Gentlemen, Jesus is not at the General Assembly ... or is he?

The Pig Went "SPLAT!" Presbyterian Church to Blame

2008-06-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

Nope, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I've been hibernating, but the Presbyterian Church (USA) has yanked me out of my slumber.

For a month there, it was a flying pig moment. I'll let blogger Jon Haber explain:

In May of 2008, a remarkable document appeared on the PCUSA Web site entitled "Vigilance Against Anti-Jewish Ideas and Bias." While church members had already spoken on this topic with their votes in 2006, this document was the first response from the leadership of PCUSA to concerns (expressed by both Jews and significant numbers of Presbyterians) that church language and action regarding the Middle East was tarnished by incorrect or biased information, one-sided accusations, and even anti-Semitic theology.

This was a remarkable work in many ways. Rather than talk in bland generalities, the church document stated outright that "we are aware and do confess that anti-Jewish attitudes can be found among us" and that "anti-Jewish theology can unfortunately be found in connection with PC(USA) General Assembly overtures."

The document also noted that in some materials created or circulated by the church "one finds characterizations of Zionism that distort that movement." It also noted that "The problems and suffering of the Palestinian people are attributed solely - and inaccurately - to Zionism alone."

Most significantly, the statement asked church members to reflect carefully on analysis of the Middle East delivered through the prism of "liberation theology," a reference to the work of those such as the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, a Palestinian Christian group which has been the driver behind church divestment programs over the last decade. The PCUSA paper did not call for a rejection, or even a distancing of the church from Sabeel, but it did caution that intemperate language and anti-Jewish theology could not be excused....

The reaction from Jewish community leaders was sheer bliss. Finally, there was genuine recognition and understanding from a mainline denomination of the connection between the way a policy of Palestinian advocacy is pursued and antisemitism. That the Jewish community hailed the statement even though criticism of Israel in and of itself was not rejected demonstrated that Jewish community leaders had all along been sincere in labeling earlier church actions as "functional antisemitism."

But the pig went "Splat!" before you could say "218th General Assembly." Continuing with Haber:

And then, with no fanfare, no announcement, without even an explanation, this document was quietly replaced by an "updated" version, one which stripped the work of any acknowledgement that the church continues, as it does, to traffic in retrograde theology and stances. Gone was direct acknowledgement of problems with the stands that the church is currently taking, and gone was the reference to Israel's sole responsibility for Palestinian suffering as being "inaccurate," replaced by broad generalizations and hints that criticism of PCUSA had more to do with misinterpretation of good intentions than with actual error.

What a mess. The American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith International, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Hadassah, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, the Rabbinical Assembly, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Women's League for Conservative Judaism, and the Women of Reform Judaism--all of these took back their initial praise, declaiming "Vigilance Against Anti-Jewish Bias," the substitute statement, for being "infused with the very bias that the original statement condemned." Ouch. The Simon Wiesenthal Center chimed in with an op-ed in Christianity Today. Double ouch.

But it doesn't end there. After the pig fell from the sky, it was run over ... by a PC(USA) truck:

Jerry Van Marter, coordinator of the Presbyterian News Service, suggested Jewish critics were overreacting. “The Jewish groups go nuts every time we make any statement they interpret as favorable to Palestine or the Palestinians,” Van Marter told NJJN.

Jewish groups. Go nuts. Every time.

As a Christian, I am so embarrassed.

File this under "Hope"

2008-05-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

From Haaretz, a story of Arab Muslims in Israel:

Galilee Arabs paint mosque blue and white for Israel's 60th

In an unusual gesture of solidarity for Israel's 60th anniversary, villagers in one Arab-Israeli town have have painted the dome of their mosque in the national colors, blue and white.

... "We are residents of Israel. Our religion encourages love and closeness among nations. Jews, Muslims, we are all cousins, right?" A-Taibeh Mayor Hisham Zuabi was quoted as telling Maariv newspaper. "We decided to paint the mosque's dome, the most important, dear, and holy site for us, in the national colors. We are all citizens of the state of Israel. As far as we are concerned, there is no difference here between Jews, Muslims, and Christians."

"We decided to paint the mosque's dome, the most important, dear, and holy site for us, in the national colors. We are all citizens of the state of Israel. As far as we are concerned, there is no difference here between Jews, Muslims, and Christians."

A-Taibeh, which sits adjacent to the moshav Moledet, has a population of about 2,000. Its newly decorated mosque has been in existence for decades. Zuabi was quoted as saying that village residents don't fear criticism or threats because of their decision. Instead, they hope it will serve to unite Arabs and Jews. ...

Summary of UMC Petitions-Divestment, etc.

2008-05-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

For easy access, here's a listing of entries I've written on various petitions of Jewish or Israeli/Palestinian concern that were debated before the recent Methodist General Conference:

On "Socially Responsible Investment Task Force" (passed);
On "Withdraw from Campaign" (rejected, sob!);
On various divestment petitions (every last one rejected);
On "Oppose Divestment from Israel" (rejected);
On "Holy Land Tours" (passed);
On "Israel-Palestine Conflict" (passed) vs. "Way Forward for Israel and Palestinians" (rejected);
On "Israel and Apartheid" (rejected):
On "Antisemitism" (rejected).

To be fair, when I judged the Conference harshly on the last measure, I failed to take into account passage three days before of "Holocaust Memorial Day." The latter encompasses much of what is called for in "Antisemitism." It acknowledges the "Christian Church has a profound obligation to correct historical and theological teachings that have led to false and pejorative perceptions of Judaism and contributed to persecution and hatred of Jews," and expressly calls upon "The United Methodist Church to contrition and repentance of its complicity in 'the long history of persecution of the Jewish people.'"

Yet, the recommendation to reject "Antisemitism" would have been easier to swallow had the Church and Society Committee Chair pointed out that "Antisemitism" was redundant in light of earlier legislation. Rather, Church and Society maintained that "Antisemitism" placed "the United Methodist Church on one side of a very complex issue without recognition of the intricacies and implications of adopting this petition." I suspect the seeming discrepancy in policy stems from the two petitions having been reviewed by two different committees, one more friendly to interreligious concerns than the other.

I don't think I've even written on half of all the submitted petitions that in some way addressed the Jewish community or the Israeli-Palestinian situation. To name some more, there was "Middle East Conflict" (passed), "Global Migration and the Quest for Justice" (passed), "Peace in Palestine and Israel" (rejected), "Statement on Hamas" (rejected), "Support for Israel" (rejected), "Two-State Solution" (rejected). No wonder the General Conference had Jewish visitors. Much hung in the balance for communities outside of the Methodist fold!

General Conference Anti-Israel Playbook vs. the Methodist Quest for Balance

2008-05-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

Step 1--Wait until the Jewish Sabbath has begun.

The anti-Israel/anti-Jewish playbook as defined by committee leaders within the United Methodist Church's General Conference is one that requires committee recommendations that are not Jewish-friendly be brought before plenary after the sun has gone down and Jewish observers have left to celebrate their Sabbath. Don't believe me? Then how is it that all four plenary petitions that bore committee recommendations that ran counter to Jewish preservation in this world were brought forward during the Friday evening session?

I've already addressed the one petition called "Antisemitism." There was another that rejected rhetoric equating Israel with South Africa, but the committee pronouncement to nix it sent it down in flames. Yet, despite the hostile committee recommendations, there was a glimmer, a shred of hope, evident that Methodists desire to pursue a course of moderation and balance.

There were two Global Ministries' petitions that made reference to UN resolutions as they apply to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Global Ministries first submitted for a vote the petition that made Israel the sole bad guy in this conflict. Forget Hamas' daily rockets, forget suicide bombers, forget martial indoctrination of children, forget Iranian and Syrian funding, forget the dispossession of Jews in Arab lands, forget Palestinian leadership corruption--it's all just Israel's fault. It's the settlements and the "Wall" and the ... oh, just read it for yourself. Two-thirds of the delegates bought the committee recommendation to adopt.

Just a little later in the evening, Global Ministries returned to the podium with the second petition called "Way Forward for Israel and Palestinians." The first time I read this petition I was struck by how informed about the conflict its author, whom I knew nothing about at the time, seemed. Now the argument by Global was simply this: vote against this to be consistent with the previous UN one just adopted. One delegate demurred, explaining that this second one harbored true balance. Obviously, some were listening, even though the hour was late and everyone was exhausted in this 10th day of conference. If only 20 more delegates of the 785 voting could've seen their way to change their vote after reading both measures, the committee's recommendation would've been overturned. Only 52 per cent bought the committee's recommendation this time.

The abiding impression I've been left with now that the General Conference is over and divestment is buried is that United Methodists seek the middle path. They instinctively shun the extremes. It's just that their leaders sometimes steer them toward radical edges.

Note: Thank you again to His Royal Highness (and former United Methodist), the Emperor Misha of nicedoggie.net for sending folks my way. You are scandalously funny!

United Methodists and the Oldest Hatred

2008-05-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

A Church and Society petitition against antisemitism failed at the United Methodist General Conference, presumably by a large margin since a hand vote sufficed. The entire text follows.

Like, what is objectionable?

Today, anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide. The United Methodist Church has seen the effects prejudice has had on the Jewish race. Anti-Semitism has caused centuries of humiliating treatment, pogroms of destruction, and the devastation of the holocaust on the Jewish people. As United Methodists we recognize the role of the Jewish people in the plan of God. As United Methodists we will speak out against anti-Semitism when we see it manifested.

Rationale
As Christians it is our duty to stand against this type of racial and religious discrimination.

Let's take this line by line.

Today, anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide.

Yup. Two months ago the U.S. State Department reported to Congress, "Today, more than 60 years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is not just a fact of history, it is a current event." This is not news to American Jews who through their community media too often read about synagogue desecrations and hate crime attacks occurring especially in Western Europe. The State Department noted new forms of antisemitism emerging: "The distinguishing feature of the new anti-Semitism is criticism of Zionism or Israeli policy that – whether intentionally or unintentionally – has the effect of promoting prejudice against all Jews by demonizing Israel and Israelis and attributing Israel's perceived faults to its Jewish character." The rise in hate crimes in Europe goes hand-in-hand with a well-developed anti-Israel animus that the American churches have begun to embrace.

The United Methodist Church has seen the effects prejudice has had on the Jewish race.

Well, if Methodists aren't aware of the effects, then there's a whole new horizon ahead for sensitivity training.

Anti-Semitism has caused centuries of humiliating treatment, pogroms of destruction, and the devastation of the holocaust on the Jewish people.

And we Christians have been the source of much of that pain.

As United Methodists we recognize the role of the Jewish people in the plan of God.

Like the Apostle Paul did.

As United Methodists we will speak out against anti-Semitism when we see it manifested.

No, as United Methodists apparently it is, "We will speak out against petitions condemning antisemitism."

Rationale: As Christians it is our duty to stand against this type of racial and religious discrimination.

Sounds rational.

Try this experiment. At any time that strikes your fancy, on the Google News tab, enter these two words: synagogue swastika

Antisemitism is not just a problem of our grandparents' generation.

Methodist "Holy Land Tours" (Almost) Does No Harm

2008-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Moderation wins again, making all concerned winners: United Methodists, Palestinians, Israelis, Jews of the world. In its original form, the innocuously named "Holy Land Tours" had been a stealth sanction of only one country in the Holy Land (wanna guess which one?). In committee, harsh language with shades of the Judenboykott of 1933 was removed, replaced with text that was genuinely committed to assisting the Palestinian tourist trade and local economies; for example: “ask travel agents/agencies whether local people [i.e., Palestinians] are involved in the development of the ‘tour packages.’"

One problematic section which remains urges those traveling to Israel and the occupied territories to rely on the deeply flawed Israel-Palestine: A Mission Study as a resource. What is evident from reading the manual is that its deceitfulness and blatant one-sidedness do not lay a Christian foundation for helping Israelis and Palestinians establish a future in the Holy Land.

Methodists Kill Divestment (This Time It's True)

2008-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

To rephrase Mark Twain, the earlier reports of divestment's death were an exaggeration. Referrals to reject by a UMC General Conference legislative committee were elsewhere hailed as the death knell of a divestment effort seeking to sanction Israel in some respect. Your trusty MVM blogger took a wait-and-see approach. Indeed, through the week divestment petitions took an on-again, off-again trajectory. However, as of this morning, United Methodist divestment, at least as a mandate by this Conference, is dead.

Combined with the measure calling for a Socially Responsible Investment Task Force passed earlier, Conference delegates have taken the path of moderation in addressing corporate engagement, and by so doing have done honor to the Wesleyan way.

There are still a handful items scheduled for plenary debate that address the Israeli-Palestinian situation. I'll be giving a rundown if action is taken before the conclusion of the GC.

The Tall "Apartheid" Wall

2008-05-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Note: the illustration is not drawn to scale.
When I've polled my friends, most know that the state of Israel has been building a West Bank barrier. Nearly each envisions the barrier as a kind of "Great Wall of the Holy Land." Since depictions in the media, including church websites and printed resources (the United Methodist Church being no exception), strictly favor images of soaring grey walls over those of shorter high-security fencing, it is no surprise that my circle imagines an "apartheid" barrier so dense and tall that an Israeli would never have to lay eyes on a Palestinian neighbor.

However, concrete accounts for only about 10% of the length of the barrier, with only a smaller portion of that featuring heights that scale about 28 feet. A campaign of suicide bombing entailed the creation of this monolithic, expensive enterprise that is now set for completion in 2011. Likewise, the above illustration speaks to why the barrier, for just a small fraction of its total length, must in certain locales be tall and impervious to sniper fire. Palestinian towns that have proved to be sources of attack have found themselves surrounded by a tall barrier. No attacks, no wall. This is a sad, difficult outcome of harsh realities. The one silver lining in the whole matter is that deaths due to suicide bomb attacks have dramatically fallen since construction on the barrier was begun.

UMC: Withdraw from Campaign

2008-04-29T22:11:00.001-07:00

One of the the General Conference petitions consigned to tomorrow's dustbin--otherwise known as Calendar C04--is Calendar Item No. 1102, Petition No. 81391, a measure obtusely titled, "Withdraw from Campaign." It's a pity that it will be summarily dumped as it addresses a critical activity Global Ministries has been engaged in since the birth of "The Campaign" about six years ago. The Campaign? The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. That mouthful is the name of an organization.

The value given to civility has been evident throughout this Conference. Even Bishop Scott Jones, visibly exasperated by the end of this evening's session, remained civil. However, The Campaign that Global Ministries generously funds is anything but civil. The Capitol Hill "End the Occupation" rally that The Campaign held last June, and at which United Methodist Women President Kyung Za Yim spoke, didn't strike a civil note. The Campaign Steering Committee members that the UMC has shared the table with haven't exactly been civil, either; a founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is one. To refresh memories about the ISM, about a dozen ISM members back in 2002 rushed into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to bring supplies to Palestinian terrorists locked in a siege with Israeli forces.

Above all, Global Ministries' commitment to The Campaign makes a mockery of the United Methodist Church's stated endorsement of a two-state solution. Examine the rally photos again. Does this look like an affirmation of an Israel living side-by-side with a free Palestine? Spend time on the website of The Campaign. No endorsement of a two-state solution will be found.

Since this may be the last time "Withdraw from Campaign" will see the light of day, I reproduce its straight-forward text:

Withdraw from Campaign (81391-GM-NonDis)

The General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) shall withdraw its membership in the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and end any financial contributions, including staff participation.

Rationale:
As seen on this coalition’s website (www.endtheoccupation.org), this group dismisses Israeli security concerns, seeks “to isolate Israel economically, socially, and culturally,” promotes “comprehensive divestment” against Israel, partners with activists opposing the Jewish state’s continued existence, and overlooks anti-Israel aggression while denouncing Israel with inflammatory rhetoric.

Methodists to Create "Socially Responsible Investment" Task Force

2008-04-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Last evening, UMC delegates voted to convene a task force that would implement a common standard for "determining prohibited investments and positive investment principles that are consistent with The United Methodist Social Principles." The resulting investment standard would be one that could be utilized by individuals, as well as, institutions. A critical part of the measure urged "the Task Force to seriously consider global human rights needs, for example, the Middle East, Sudan and China." That last bit appears to address concerns that the resolution not become a tool for actions focused on one single nation. We shall see in the next four years if the United Methodist Church genuinely assumes a global approach.

The item was successfully amended on the General Conference floor to include attempts at "holy conferencing" with identified companies. (Er, Mr. Sex Slave Trader, can we "holy conference" with you? ... Just kidding; I'm behind "holy conferencing" as it is a principle that distinguishes church actions from secular ones.) Another amendment that was attempted, but was ~~defeated~~ rejected, would've included the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. (...Because if the UMC winds up going after the country that holds half of the world's Jews, then maybe there should be formal avenues of dialogue with Jewish leaders. Ya think?)

The hand vote on that last interreligious amendment seemed close enough, I thought--at least in the portion of convention hall real estate captured on my webcast--to warrant the moderator calling for a second vote via laptop. I was surprised when he indicated that the "againsts" had it. The other oddity in all this is that the record of plenary motions, as of this typing, over at UMC's internet legislative tracking service contains errors [no longer; see update below], namely, but not only, no mention of the interreligious amendment.

This modern life.

UPDATE: That was quick! Someone fine-tuned the record of plenary motions. Before, each proposed amendation read, "After the words, 'for the purpose ... addition of 'including Holy Conferencing with companies.'" Now, those lines simply read, "Amend the main motion."

UPDATE: The record of plenary motions has been further updated to reflect a detailed record of the amendments.

NOTE: Regarding the inquiry about the photo, that is General Conference Delegate Mary Baldridge, a director within Global Ministries' Women's Division, motioning to limit debate right before the SRI Task Force petition was introduced to Plenary.

Caught on Live Webcast-General Conference

2008-04-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Wasn't the Ugandan children's choir the sweetest?
Update: If you missed them, video is here, news article here.

Methodist Bishop Swenson: NO to Divestment!

2008-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Bishop Mary Ann Swenson has just earned my vote as UMC's top interfaith leader. Yes, I know that she doesn't oversee the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, but with this article co-authored with Muslim leader, Dr. Nur Amersi, Bishop Swenson proves she GETS it when it comes to describing the situation that exists between Palestinians and Israelis.

Likening the United Methodist Church's role in addressing the conflict to family who sometimes make a couple's break-up even more traumatic, Bishop Swenson advises positive action, not harm. Key passages:

As a Christian and a Muslim, who ourselves would be minorities in Israeli society, we believe our most constructive role should be to support responsible investment in Israel, not punishment through divestment actions destined to backfire.

Rather than divestment, we support investment -- financial and otherwise -- in Israeli enterprises that address social and economic inequalities, enable joint business enterprises, increase employment among the Arab population, and offer high-quality social services to underprivileged and minority citizens. Such enterprises are seeding the ground for a flourishing, mutually beneficial society for Israelis and Palestinians.

It's an honest article that doesn't shirk from citing social problems of discrimination and lack of opportunity, problems which we Americans are still striving to resolve in our own society. Swenson and Amersi are also cognizant of what roadblocks Palestinian leadership, in Gaza and the West Bank, place on the path to a peaceful split. Of a recent visit Swenson and Amersi took to Israel and the territories, they write:

We also came to understand how successive corrupt Palestinian leaderships have fed the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in the territories. Any wishful thinking that divestment will lead to military calm along Israeli-Palestinian borders is strategically flawed. The present war of attrition between Israel and self-governing Gaza has been instigated and sustained by the extremist Hamas leadership whose charter calling for the eradication of Israel harms the very people it claims to serve, malnourishing the nascent Palestinian state which otherwise has the support of virtually the entire international community.

Is the General Conference listening? Investment, not divestment.

Children with 20 Seconds to Take Cover

2008-04-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

Susanne Hoder called them "home-made rockets"--the near daily Qassams that are fired upon the Israeli city of Sderot. Back in January, during the United Methodist pre-General Conference, Hoder, a leader in the UMC divestment movement, did acknowledge their existence, in one breath condemning and minimizing their ability to instill terror in the Israeli civilian population. The mere 18 words she devoted to acknowledging the Palestinian share in perpetuating the hostilities were a poor attempt at striking a note of balance in her 10-minute case for divestment against Israel.

In blog entries where I've brought forth examples of Hamas' twisted lust for Jewish death, I've hoped to convey a sense of the existential threat Israelis face. My desire hasn't been to consign the entirety of the Palestinian people to a future of never-ending occupation. I deeply hope that Christians continue to assist Palestinians toward achieving a goal of having a free, independent, democratic, and, not least of all, economically flourishing state. However, the path that I see Christians increasingly favor, of sanctioning only the Israeli side of the ledger, is one that threatens the very essence of Israel's viability in the Middle East. Helping one nation does not have to come at the expense of the other. Hoder's minimizing of Gazan rocket attacks and her silence on suicide terror, on the teaching of murderous hate to children, and on Syria and Iran's role in fueling the conflict are symptomatic of a wider Christian trend to, in effect, throw Israel under the bus.

For the moment let's try to imagine why Israel maintains a stiff control over Gaza's borders. Watch this brief clip and imagine yourself having to take cover for the 10th time in a day from a "home-made" rocket. Warning! The clip shows one of the workers not making it to safety in time:

One more. This time picture yourself sending off your children to school. Two minutes after seeing them turn the corner, you hear the alarm to take cover. Taking cover yourself, you can only hope and pray they make it to a shelter in time:

Thousands of these rockets have been fired upon Sderot in the past few years. Some days have seen as many as 50 interruptions to a day's work. Some days have seen more than just frenzied interruptions.

It's ironic that Hoder minimized these rockets as "home-made" before she launched into a condemnation of Israel's control of Gaza's perimeter. They are home-made precisely because Israel works to keep heavier artillery from getting into Hamas' hands.

A Methodist Resolution to Support

2008-04-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Since the text of "Oppose Divestment from Israel" is lengthy, I'm not going to post the whole petition available here. If you know a UMC General Conference delegate, please bring this petition to his or her attention.

And many thanks to His Imperial Highness Misha at nicedoggie.net for sending readers my way. I'm glad you beat me to the punch in blogging on the UMPortal Bethlehem op-ed, because you are WAY funnier than I could be. I needed some humor in my life after reading that distorted article. Thank you for elucidating the issues in your unique Rottweiler way. (Oh!--but that potty mouth!)

Oppose Divestment from Israel (80503-C1-R9999)

WHEREAS, Israel is nearly the only long-standing democracy among its neighbors in the Middle East; and
WHEREAS, both the president of Iran and the new Hamas government of the Palestinians have called for the destruction of Israel; and
WHEREAS, some church groups have selectively advocated for divestment of firms doing business with Israel while ignoring severe human rights abuses by the governments of Israel’s neighbors; and ...
WHEREAS, the Arab-Israeli conflict is very complex, and it is irresponsible to simply place all blame on Israelis while ignoring the serious failures of the Palestinian leadership and of other Middle Eastern nations; and
WHEREAS, divestment campaigns against Israel typically ignore such important historical realities as the expulsion of Jews from nearby Arab lands, Israel’s occupation of the Occupied Territories resulting from a war of self-defense against armies preparing for its annihilation, and the subsequent refusals of the aggressor nations to negotiate for the return of the occupied land in exchange for recognizing Israel’s right to exist; and
WHEREAS, it would be extremely unbalanced, unfair, and unjust for The United Methodist Church to take any action of divestment from Israel without also taking divestment action against Iran and Syria, whose state sponsorship of terrorism has claimed many innocent lives and played an unquestionably negative and deadly role in hindering peace and justice in the region; and
WHEREAS, while no nation, including Israel, has been perfect in upholding human rights, Israel has a better human rights records than its neighbors;
WHEREAS, Israel stands nearly alone among Middle Eastern nations in its guarantees of religious freedom, upholding women’s equality, and protecting homosexuals from severe repression; and ...
WHEREAS, while we decry accusations of anti-Semitism being used to stifle legitimate criticisms of the Israeli government, we also cannot ignore the fact that such campaigns to single out the world’s lone Jewish state for criticism and punitive action do amount to targeting Jews for negative treatment and exclusion; and ...
WHEREAS, in 2002, Harvard President Lawrence Summers included the fact that “some at universities across the country have called for the University to single out Israel among all nations as the lone country where it is inappropriate for any part of the University’s endowment to be invested” in a list of recent “actions that are anti-Semitic in their effect if not their intent”; and ...
WHEREAS, in a 2002 column, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz noted that while Israel is “far from perfect, it “has shown extraordinary concern for avoiding civilian casualties in its half-century effort to protect its civilians from terrorism,” is not “the only country that is occupying lands claimed by others” who seek independence, and has a Supreme court that is far superior to other Middle Eastern nations in its record of granting justice to Arabs and Muslims, “as many have found in winning dozens of victories against the Israeli government, the Israeli military and individual Israeli citizens”;
WHEREAS, for The United Methodist Church to endorse any action of punitive divestment from Israel would stand in sharp contrast to the recent efforts by some leaders of our denomination to seek respectful dialogue with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while opposing punitive actions against his repressive regime and would constitute an inexplicable double standard;

Be it therefore resolved, that the 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church goes on the record as opposing any effort to selectively target Israel for divestment; and
Be it further resolved, that we affirm Israel’s right to exist within secure borders and to use appropriate means to protect its citizens from terrorism as non-negotiable; and
Be it further resolved, that we decry the terrorist violence of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other extremist groups in the region; and
Be it further resolved, that we affirm our commitment to justice, human rights, and self-determination for all people in the region, including Israelis, Palestinians, religious minorities in other Middle Eastern nations, and Arabs and other minorities within Israel.

On "Hamas for Kids" Today

2008-04-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Alfatehmag.net, "Hamas for Kids," never lets me down in providing a strange mix of children's fare, at once normal as the images on our own children's computer screens and repulsive. To the right is contemporary sweetness--big eyes and hot tea wrapped up in pink innocence. Yet other pages betray sensibilities that leave me feeling sick to my stomach and, above all, wondering ... why church "peacemakers" don't hold Hamas to the same standard that they hold Israel.

Obama Camp Scopes Hillary's Rev. Wright

2008-04-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

There's a tidbit of two-week-old news at 2 Political Junkies that has eluded wider political notice, but still might figure in Clinton-Obama's fight to scratch each other's eyes out to the finish. If the powers that be at the United Methodist General Conference, set to open this week, proceed to apply to Israel the rhetoric of "apartheid" and "ethnic cleansing" as they have in their Israel-Palestine Mission Study or pass a divestment action against the Jewish state, then we might see the Obama camp take further advantage of making Clinton's religious affiliation the Jeremiah Wright of her campaign.

Two congressmen, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-Fl) and Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), recently spoke at a political forum held at a Jewish Community Center in Pittsburgh. Engel, supporting Clinton, made some Rev. Wright swipes. Wexler, there for Obama, jabbed back. According to 2 Political Junkies:

At one of the later (though brief) discussions of Reverend Wright's sermons, Wexler dropped something a very subtle bomb. Came out of no where and I had to dig around a little to see its importance. Speaking to a largely Jewish audience (and speaking for himself, he was very careful to point out at that point, not the Obama campaign) he said that the Anti-Defamation League has issed a report about the United Methodist Church's divestment in Israel. Here's the ADL's press release. It begins:

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on the United Methodist Church (UMC) to repudiate a "distorted and mendacious" report on Israel produced by one of its divisions that refers to Jews as "monsters" and compares Israeli actions to the Nazis.

The 225-page report, titled "The Israel Palestine Mission Study" comes at a time when there is a movement within the United Methodist Church to support resolutions to divest from companies doing business with Israel. The UMC is holding its quadrennial national conference in April 2008, and several draft anti-Israel divestment resolutions are being put forward for consideration. The study was produced and published by the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries.

He then asked, rhetorically of course, why Methodists weren't being asked to denounce the church.

Why would this be an issue at a candidate's forum at the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Center sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh?

Senator Clinton is a Methodist.

Already the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) has pulled its Caterpillar divestment petition. Some on the sidelines have thought that GBCS, fearing not being able to collect sufficient votes at the GC, worked out a deal with Caterpillar. The next two weeks will tell if other petitions piling blame upon Israel for its conflict with Palestinians will be embraced by the wider Methodist polity.

Through it all, we can bet that the Obama camp will be watching.

The World is Upside Down

2008-04-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

I think the comment I've heard most frequently this past week is, "And to think I voted for him!"-- "him" being Jimmy Carter. It's with good reason that remorse is being expressed. What justification can there be in meeting with a governing entity so wrapped up in murder that it can publish the accompanying photo on its children's website? The scene is taken from the suicide bombing that occurred in Dimona last February and depicts the Orthodox Jewish outfit Zaka cleaning up blood shed in that incident. If you visit that webpage of "Hamas for Kids," you will also be treated to images of one of the attackers. I can't read Arabic, but the visual page bears the earmarks of a loving tribute.

Equally nuts is the support that the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center received for its conference held in Seattle this past weekend. The ability of this Palestinian organization to achieve respectability among Christian leadership appears to exist in an inverse relationship to the denunciations its leader, the Rev. Naim Ateek, has received among Jewish leadership and others who recognize in his sermons the vocabulary of "teachings of contempt." The roster of honorary co-chairs for the Seattle event reads like a Who's Who of American Christian leadership: Rev. Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary; Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA); Bishop Edward Paup, Chief Executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, to name a few.

I would like to think that someone imbued with the intellectual thoughtfulness of President Mouw has simply been taken in by the side of Rev. Ateek that sounds wholly reasonable in what he is pursuing on behalf of Palestinians. To the Los Angeles Times last March, Ateek said:

"We are Palestinian Christians," he said. "This is certainly not our only agenda, but if we are not concerned with justice and peace and reconciliation, what is our faith really about? It's part of our responsibility as Christians -- part of being faithful to the truth and to our baptismal covenant -- to respect the dignity of every human being and speak out about injustice."

I read that and my response is, "Where do I sign up?" Yet, in the Saudi-funded Washington Report on Middle East Affairs of last January/February, Ateek speaks words that have dignity and meaning only in an ethnic/religious context like that of Darfur, not Israel:

“Today, the government of Israel is guided by a blind obsession for Palestinian land and by a deep desire to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians and force them to leave their territory,” said Ateek. “For quite some time even Israeli Jewish writers have been using the word apartheid to describe what Israel is doing," said Ateek, who praised former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for his courage in using the term in the title of his controversial 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.

"Blind obsession for Palestinian land," "ethnic cleansing," "apartheid"--does Pres. Mouw abide by these descriptions of Israel? If so, then why isn't he, and every Christian leader who honestly believes this, not first and foremost calling up interfaith partners supportive of Israel to insist that the ethnic cleansing stop? Why has progress on the matter instead consisted of conferences and literature aimed at instructing Christians on the alleged sins of Israel? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

As for Ateek, I've long been haunted by a sermon of his I read in which his definition of what a suicide bomber is bears a strange, perverted affinity to Hamas' apparent definition. Ateek's 2002 Cornerstone sermon called "Suicide Bombers" ostensibly rejects violence and terror, while simultaneously proving itself an excuse to promote the notion that terror and violence are relative terms. By drawing a comparison between a suicide bomber with the ancient biblical hero, Samson, Ateek can then ask, "Is the story of Samson legitimate because it is written in the Bible while the story of Ahmad is rejected because it is not and therefore he is condemned as a terrorist?"

I still gasp at the comparison much as I gasped when I first encountered the blood-soaked scene above on the children's website. In his sermon, Ateek properly describes most of the events leading to Samson's suicide moment: his torture in captivity, the brutal gouging out of his eyes, the bringing him into a place of revelry (to entertain his captors, the Bible adds). But it's with the suicide bomber that Ateek loses his moral bearings. He doesn't acknowledge that the suicide bomber freely seeks out the place to inflict his terror, generally a place where normal people--men, women, and children--are quietly going about life's productive work.

What kind of Christians are we if we can't establish the difference?

Uniting, Not Dividing

2008-04-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

In honor of Passover which begins today, I am posting a video of the incomparable Ofra Haza, a Jewess of Yemenite parentage who arose from humble origins in Israel to become a world-renowned singing artist. Her story is one of drawing diverse peoples together as she recorded her songs in more than a dozen languages. Singing "Im Nin'alu":

A loose translation of the Hebrew lyrics found here reads:

If the Doors Are Locked

If there be no mercy left in the world,
The doors of heaven will never be barred.
The Creator reigns supreme, and is higher
than the angels
All, in His spirit, will rise

By His nearness, His life-giving breath
flows through them.
And they glory in His name
From the moment of genesis,
His creations grow,
Captivating and more beautiful.

The wheel in his circle thunders
Acclaiming His Holy name
Clothed in the glory of His radiance,
The six-winged cherubs surround Him,
Whirling in His honor
And with their free wings sweetly sing,
Together, in unison.

Ofra Haza died at the age of 42 in the year 2000.

Global Ministries' Damage Control

2008-04-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

The United Methodist Church's General Board of Global Ministries has of late been doing damage control over its Israel-Palestine: A Mission Study for 2007-2008. Harriet Olson, chief executive of the Women's Division, has gone so far as to disassociate the text from the church's drive toward divestment:

Olson told United Methodist News Service that the Israel-Palestine mission study was not intended as a report of the church or a textbook. Nor does it advocate for divestment from Israel as a political tool, although Fair Witness has tied it to that issue. "It's not about divestment," she said.

This is an odd claim to make as it's one that is easily called into question. On page 141 of the mission study, a session assignment clearly asks "for volunteer(s) to read the online resource 'Why Divestment? And Why Now?' ... and be prepared to summarize the ideas and discuss it."

In the course of close to NINE THOUSAND WORDS in "Why Divestment? And Why Now?," published by Americans for Middle East Understanding, David Wildman, a Global Ministries' director, undeniably advocates for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against the state of Israel. Since the mission study doesn't present a parallel assignment to read and discuss an article arguing against divestment, then one can only conclude that, yes, UMC's mission study does advocate for divestment.

"Next Year in Seattle!"

2008-04-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

Today we review this year's United Methodist Church's Holocaust storybook offering, designed to inform children on the brutality of the Nazi regime in which millions of men, women, and children were taken from their homes and shipped by cattle cars to concentration camps where they were worked to death or faced systematic execution. Pictured in the illustration is a Nazi SS soldier in the midst of scrutinizing the fake passports of the Goldberg family who are hoping to cross into Switzerland--

--Excuse me? I'm mistaken...? This is not the Holocaust children's book? You say I'm supposed to be reviewing From Palestine to Seattle: Becoming Neighbors and Friends--Children's Storybook on Israel and Palestine? But the illustration ... that looks just like a Nazi soldier !

Welcome to a case of "Holocaust inversion" geared toward children, courtesy of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Holocaust inversion is the phenomenon in which Israelis or Jews, as the case may be, are portrayed as Nazis, and Palestinians, as the Jews of today. The above illustration and another one in From Palestine to Seattle leave little doubt in my mind that the intention of the publishers was to depict Israeli soldiers as the new Nazis. You can see the other illustration within this detailed analysis of the book. If you prefer reading a quick outline of the book's problems, look at this page by Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East. Per Fair Witness the essential problems with the story are:

Nowhere in this “storybook” is there an explanation for the Israeli restrictions on Palestinians. Nowhere in this “storybook” is the Israeli struggle to defend against suicide bombing shown.

American children are shown only the Palestinian perspective -- travel restrictions, road blocks and checkpoints. But the reason for these restrictions, road blocks and checkpoints is hidden from them.

Americans and Palestinians are depicted as bright, friendly and peaceful. Only Israelis are shown in a negative light.

It boggles the mind that a Christian denomination would go down this path. And as if to further rankle Jewish sensibilities, the children's story concludes with a line that demonstrates an appalling amount of chutzpah. At Passover, Jews express their longing for a return to the homeland by wishing each other, "Next year in Jerusalem!" How, then, does the UMC story end?

"Next year in Seattle!"

Really, it does.

A Blog Is Born: The Holocaust Psyche Is Too Damaged to Love?

2008-04-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

(tap, tap) Testing ... testing ... I didn't think I'd do this, create a blog. Heck, with two blogs created every second, cyberspace is becoming an awfully crowded place. (I wonder who my blog twin is....)

My first challenge is to determine how to embed a YouTube video. I figure the best way to christen a blog is to honor a man who performed the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, showing no greater love than to lay down his life for others. It was a Monday, much like today, a year ago this week, that Virginia Tech Professor Liviu Librescu took four bullets shot by gunman Seung-Hui Cho as the former blocked a door, thereby saving the lives of more than 20 students. This YouTube video honors the courage and legacy of Prof. Librescu:

The self-giving courage of Prof. Librescu belies the image of the Holocaust survivor that the United Methodist Church, via Global Ministries' United Methodist Women, has been passing off to its membership in the past year. The UMC would have its membership believe that "Holocaust consciousness" has scarred the Jewish psyche into an attitude of rage, fear, and oppression.

"... the Holocaust continues to influence the actions and identity of its citizens. The depth of these scars and their impact on the Israeli or any Jewish psyche cannot be underestimated. The pain, the self-imposed sense of failure, and the attendant rage has infected Israeli society in terribly corrupting and unhealthy ways."

"Standing behind each Arab or Palestinian, Israelis tend to see SS men determined to push them once again into gas chambers and crematoria."

The above are a sampling of the kind of passages found in the UMC's Israel-Palestine: A Mission Study for 2007-2008 by Rev. Stephen Goldstein (with an appended guide authored by Sandra Olewine). The manual is being used to instruct the Methodist fold on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I wonder what Prof. Librescu's family and students would say to that.

UPDATE: "Courage Under Fire - Virginia Tech" was put out by the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education ( NCFJE ).