wfn.org | NCC Responds to IRD

[owner-umethnews@ecunet.org]

"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3128 notes).

Note 3128 by UMNS on Aug. 14, 1996 at 16:30 Eastern (19089 characters).

SEARCH: church-fires, arson, burnings, Campbell, Knippers, NCC, 
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Linda Green                        414(10-21-31-71){3128}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             Aug. 14, 1996

     
National Council of Churches responds
to conservative think-tank's charges  
     

                 by United Methodist News Service

     
     Responding to charges that the National Council of Churches
(NCC) "should apologize for perpetuating the 'great church-fire
hoax,'" the NCC's top official said "we have nothing for which to
apologize." 
     NCC staff executive the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell made the
statement in response to a letter from Diane Knippers, president
of the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy,
(IRD).
     Knippers' letter claimed the 46-year old ecumenical council
had created the church arson story, "absent evidence that black
churches burn more frequently than white churches to raise money
for its leftist political agenda."
     The contents of the letter were released to the media by the
IRD in an Aug. 10 press release.
     In a letter of reply to Knippers' accusations, Campbell
wrote, the NCC is not "perpetrating a hoax" but has, in fact,
"played an important part in bringing to the nation's attention
the suffering of pastors and their congregations, isolated from
one another and largely ignored before June." 
     She wrote that the NCC has responded to the suffering caused
by -- and long has stood against -- racism at the insistence of
its member churches. "Anything less would betray [the NCC's]
commitment to a gospel of justice and love."
     Knippers also claims the NCC "exaggerated the church burning
phenomenon to promote a radical agenda" and that its officials
"jawboned" the church burning issue into a national crisis. 
     She said studies by three major United States media outlets
show that arson at black churches is a fraction of the 600
churches that are torched every year. She said church arson has
declined "dramatically" from a figure of over 1,400 in 1980.
     According to Campbell, "there is no hoax." She said arson and
vandalism at African-American and multiracial churches has
"increased dramatically and persistently over the past 18 to 30
months." She called the increase "all the more startling" because
church burnings overall had declined in recent years. 
     Campbell noted that in the past 18 months the rate of white
church arsons has not increased. By comparison, "the rate of black
church arsons is more than double what it has been in previous
years." 
     She asserted that more than 60 African-American and
multiracial churches were burned between Jan. 1, 1995, and June
30, 1996. "That is more than in the previous five years combined,"
Campbell said. 
     Campbell wrote that while approximately the same number of
black and white churches have been burned since 1995, black
churches are burning in proportion to their number at four times
the rate of white churches. She estimated there are 63,000
African-American churches in the United States, compared to
approximately 235,000 white churches.   
     Quoted in the Aug. 9 issue of the Wall Street Journal,
Knippers charges the NCC with using church-arson "to justify its
thesis that America is on the verge of a race war."
     The IRD claims that the NCC has misrepresented the church
burning issue "to smear ... conservative Christians as racists"
and continues to create "a crisis atmosphere" to fuel fears, hurts
and misunderstanding between the races, instead of focusing on
"genuine examples of racism in this country." 
     She said that the NCC should concentrate on "racial
reconciliation" as a spiritual endeavor rather than "exploiting
legitimate concerns about racism to fund-raise for its dubious
political agenda." 
     The NCC is not saying that every Black church burning has
racial overtones, Campbell noted, but she pointed out "a clear
pattern of racist motivation that is not true of attacks on white
churches."
     According to Campbell, "racism lives among all white
Americans and must be addressed." She said that when words are
uttered by people to scapegoat and demonize people of color, "they
grant permission for evil to flourish. Good religion is always on
the side of all that unites and makes us whole, all that
integrates and heals." 
     According to the Wall Street Journal, the NCC was struggling
to raise money to fund racial justice programs but by "couching
the burnings as a national disaster orchestrated by organized
white supremacists groups" and by buying "provocative" advertising
in major newspapers, the organization "has raised more money more
quickly than it has for any previous cause."
     The NCC has raised approximately $9 million in gifts and
loans from foundations and contributions from individuals,
churches and the interfaith community to help rebuild the burned
churches and deal with underlying issues of racism.
     The newspaper article also questions how much freedom fund-
raisers should be given to spend funds on causes other than for
what the money was raised. The story questions accountability
after reporting that some donors to the NCC campaign were
concerned after learning that money may be used for purposes other
than rebuilding.
     In her reply to Knippers, Campbell addresses the fund-raising
issue, declaring that the NCC made its member churches aware of
the church burnings and that the churches could receive disaster
funding. She said numerous foundations wanted to help and the
nationwide "Burned Churches Fund" grew from their response.  Of
the $9 million raised, Campbell said 85 percent is to be used for 
rebuilding and 15 percent for programs addressing racism and
administration.
     "The NCC has said consistently from day one that we were
committed to addressing two dimensions in these tragic events" --
rebuilding for ongoing ministries and challenging the racism that
fuels the acts of hatred.
     "We must take such a holistic approach lest we rebuild
churches only to have them burn down again. We want the hate-
motivated attacks on churches to stop," Campbell wrote.
                              #  #  #

SEARCH: church-fires, arson, burnings, Campbell, Knippers, NCC, 
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Linda Green                        414(10-21-31-71){3128}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             Aug. 14, 1996

     
National Council of Churches responds
to conservative think-tank's charges  
     

                 by United Methodist News Service

     
     Responding to charges that the National Council of Churches
(NCC) "should apologize for perpetuating the 'great church-fire
hoax,'" the NCC's top official said "we have nothing for which to
apologize." 
     NCC staff executive the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell made the
statement in response to a letter from Diane Knippers, president
of the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy,
(IRD).
     Knippers' letter claimed the 46-year old ecumenical council
had created the church arson story, "absent evidence that black
churches burn more frequently than white churches to raise money
for its leftist political agenda."
     The contents of the letter were released to the media by the
IRD in an Aug. 10 press release.
     In a letter of reply to Knippers' accusations, Campbell
wrote, the NCC is not "perpetrating a hoax" but has, in fact,
"played an important part in bringing to the nation's attention
the suffering of pastors and their congregations, isolated from
one another and largely ignored before June." 
     She wrote that the NCC has responded to the suffering caused
by -- and long has stood against -- racism at the insistence of
its member churches. "Anything less would betray [the NCC's]
commitment to a gospel of justice and love."
     Knippers also claims the NCC "exaggerated the church burning
phenomenon to promote a radical agenda" and that its officials
"jawboned" the church burning issue into a national crisis. 
     She said studies by three major United States media outlets
show that arson at black churches is a fraction of the 600
churches that are torched every year. She said church arson has
declined "dramatically" from a figure of over 1,400 in 1980.
     According to Campbell, "there is no hoax." She said arson and
vandalism at African-American and multiracial churches has
"increased dramatically and persistently over the past 18 to 30
months." She called the increase "all the more startling" because
church burnings overall had declined in recent years. 
     Campbell noted that in the past 18 months the rate of white
church arsons has not increased. By comparison, "the rate of black
church arsons is more than double what it has been in previous
years." 
     She asserted that more than 60 African-American and
multiracial churches were burned between Jan. 1, 1995, and June
30, 1996. "That is more than in the previous five years combined,"
Campbell said. 
     Campbell wrote that while approximately the same number of
black and white churches have been burned since 1995, black
churches are burning in proportion to their number at four times
the rate of white churches. She estimated there are 63,000
African-American churches in the United States, compared to
approximately 235,000 white churches.   
     Quoted in the Aug. 9 issue of the Wall Street Journal,
Knippers charges the NCC with using church-arson "to justify its
thesis that America is on the verge of a race war."
     The IRD claims that the NCC has misrepresented the church
burning issue "to smear ... conservative Christians as racists"
and continues to create "a crisis atmosphere" to fuel fears, hurts
and misunderstanding between the races, instead of focusing on
"genuine examples of racism in this country." 
     She said that the NCC should concentrate on "racial
reconciliation" as a spiritual endeavor rather than "exploiting
legitimate concerns about racism to fund-raise for its dubious
political agenda." 
     The NCC is not saying that every Black church burning has
racial overtones, Campbell noted, but she pointed out "a clear
pattern of racist motivation that is not true of attacks on white
churches."
     According to Campbell, "racism lives among all white
Americans and must be addressed." She said that when words are
uttered by people to scapegoat and demonize people of color, "they
grant permission for evil to flourish. Good religion is always on
the side of all that unites and makes us whole, all that
integrates and heals." 
     According to the Wall Street Journal, the NCC was struggling
to raise money to fund racial justice programs but by "couching
the burnings as a national disaster orchestrated by organized
white supremacists groups" and by buying "provocative" advertising
in major newspapers, the organization "has raised more money more
quickly than it has for any previous cause."
     The NCC has raised approximately $9 million in gifts and
loans from foundations and contributions from individuals,
churches and the interfaith community to help rebuild the burned
churches and deal with underlying issues of racism.
     The newspaper article also questions how much freedom fund-
raisers should be given to spend funds on causes other than for
what the money was raised. The story questions accountability
after reporting that some donors to the NCC campaign were
concerned after learning that money may be used for purposes other
than rebuilding.
     In her reply to Knippers, Campbell addresses the fund-raising
issue, declaring that the NCC made its member churches aware of
the church burnings and that the churches could receive disaster
funding. She said numerous foundations wanted to help and the
nationwide "Burned Churches Fund" grew from their response.  Of
the $9 million raised, Campbell said 85 percent is to be used for 
rebuilding and 15 percent for programs addressing racism and
administration.
     "The NCC has said consistently from day one that we were
committed to addressing two dimensions in these tragic events" --
rebuilding for ongoing ministries and challenging the racism that
fuels the acts of hatred.
     "We must take such a holistic approach lest we rebuild
churches only to have them burn down again. We want the hate-
motivated attacks on churches to stop," Campbell wrote.
                              #  #  #

SEARCH: church-fires, arson, burnings, Campbell, Knippers, NCC, 
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Linda Green                        414(10-21-31-71){3128}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             Aug. 14, 1996

     
National Council of Churches responds
to conservative think-tank's charges  
     

                 by United Methodist News Service

     
     Responding to charges that the National Council of Churches
(NCC) "should apologize for perpetuating the 'great church-fire
hoax,'" the NCC's top official said "we have nothing for which to
apologize." 
     NCC staff executive the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell made the
statement in response to a letter from Diane Knippers, president
of the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy,
(IRD).
     Knippers' letter claimed the 46-year old ecumenical council
had created the church arson story, "absent evidence that black
churches burn more frequently than white churches to raise money
for its leftist political agenda."
     The contents of the letter were released to the media by the
IRD in an Aug. 10 press release.
     In a letter of reply to Knippers' accusations, Campbell
wrote, the NCC is not "perpetrating a hoax" but has, in fact,
"played an important part in bringing to the nation's attention
the suffering of pastors and their congregations, isolated from
one another and largely ignored before June." 
     She wrote that the NCC has responded to the suffering caused
by -- and long has stood against -- racism at the insistence of
its member churches. "Anything less would betray [the NCC's]
commitment to a gospel of justice and love."
     Knippers also claims the NCC "exaggerated the church burning
phenomenon to promote a radical agenda" and that its officials
"jawboned" the church burning issue into a national crisis. 
     She said studies by three major United States media outlets
show that arson at black churches is a fraction of the 600
churches that are torched every year. She said church arson has
declined "dramatically" from a figure of over 1,400 in 1980.
     According to Campbell, "there is no hoax." She said arson and
vandalism at African-American and multiracial churches has
"increased dramatically and persistently over the past 18 to 30
months." She called the increase "all the more startling" because
church burnings overall had declined in recent years. 
     Campbell noted that in the past 18 months the rate of white
church arsons has not increased. By comparison, "the rate of black
church arsons is more than double what it has been in previous
years." 
     She asserted that more than 60 African-American and
multiracial churches were burned between Jan. 1, 1995, and June
30, 1996. "That is more than in the previous five years combined,"
Campbell said. 
     Campbell wrote that while approximately the same number of
black and white churches have been burned since 1995, black
churches are burning in proportion to their number at four times
the rate of white churches. She estimated there are 63,000
African-American churches in the United States, compared to
approximately 235,000 white churches.   
     Quoted in the Aug. 9 issue of the Wall Street Journal,
Knippers charges the NCC with using church-arson "to justify its
thesis that America is on the verge of a race war."
     The IRD claims that the NCC has misrepresented the church
burning issue "to smear ... conservative Christians as racists"
and continues to create "a crisis atmosphere" to fuel fears, hurts
and misunderstanding between the races, instead of focusing on
"genuine examples of racism in this country." 
     She said that the NCC should concentrate on "racial
reconciliation" as a spiritual endeavor rather than "exploiting
legitimate concerns about racism to fund-raise for its dubious
political agenda." 
     The NCC is not saying that every Black church burning has
racial overtones, Campbell noted, but she pointed out "a clear
pattern of racist motivation that is not true of attacks on white
churches."
     According to Campbell, "racism lives among all white
Americans and must be addressed." She said that when words are
uttered by people to scapegoat and demonize people of color, "they
grant permission for evil to flourish. Good religion is always on
the side of all that unites and makes us whole, all that
integrates and heals." 
     According to the Wall Street Journal, the NCC was struggling
to raise money to fund racial justice programs but by "couching
the burnings as a national disaster orchestrated by organized
white supremacists groups" and by buying "provocative" advertising
in major newspapers, the organization "has raised more money more
quickly than it has for any previous cause."
     The NCC has raised approximately $9 million in gifts and
loans from foundations and contributions from individuals,
churches and the interfaith community to help rebuild the burned
churches and deal with underlying issues of racism.
     The newspaper article also questions how much freedom fund-
raisers should be given to spend funds on causes other than for
what the money was raised. The story questions accountability
after reporting that some donors to the NCC campaign were
concerned after learning that money may be used for purposes other
than rebuilding.
     In her reply to Knippers, Campbell addresses the fund-raising
issue, declaring that the NCC made its member churches aware of
the church burnings and that the churches could receive disaster
funding. She said numerous foundations wanted to help and the
nationwide "Burned Churches Fund" grew from their response.  Of
the $9 million raised, Campbell said 85 percent is to be used for 
rebuilding and 15 percent for programs addressing racism and
administration.
     "The NCC has said consistently from day one that we were
committed to addressing two dimensions in these tragic events" --
rebuilding for ongoing ministries and challenging the racism that
fuels the acts of hatred.
     "We must take such a holistic approach lest we rebuild
churches only to have them burn down again. We want the hate-
motivated attacks on churches to stop," Campbell wrote.
                              #  #  #

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