From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org
RELIGIOUS LEADERS RESPOND TO CLINTON INVESTIGATION
From
CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)
Date
27 Aug 1998 13:21:17
Religious Leaders Respond to Clinton Investigation
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
USA
Contact: The Rev. Dr. Albert Pennybacker, NCC, 212-
870-3260
Internet: www.ncccusa.org
NCC8/27/98 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELIGIOUS LEADERS RESPOND TO CONTINUING CLINTON
INVESTIGATION
Call for Forgiveness, Healing and Leadership
NEW YORK, August 27 --- The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown
Campbell, General Secretary of the National Council
of Churches (NCC), is one among a group of religious
leaders who have issued "A Pastoral Letter To The
Nation" calling for forgiveness, healing and
leadership so there can be "a return to the real
needs of people."
The letter counsels: "It is time to put to rest
what has occurred, to do things that will set this
matter right and to focus anew on the needs in our
own land and threats to stability, justice and peace
in our world. It is time once again to be led by
our President."
"This is an open letter from a group of
religious leaders who wanted, as pastors and rabbis,
to share a word of healing with the nation and to
invite all people of goodwill to sign," Dr. Campbell
explained.
In addition to Dr. Campbell, initial
signatories include the Rev. Dr. Andrew Young, NCC
president-elect and former mayor of Atlanta, the
Rev. Dr. Gardner Taylor, pastor emeritus of Concord
Baptist Church in Brooklyn and Rabbi Arthur
Schneider, Senior Rabbi of Park East Synagogue in
New York City. Other prominent pastors also have
signed the letter.
The full text of the letter and the initial
signatories is attached.
-end-
An Appeal For Healing
A Pastoral Letter To The Nation
As pastors and rabbis we have found ourselves asking
what is happening to our country. In this moment we
speak out of diverse religious heritages that have
historically called us to wholeness in our common
life. "The tragedy is not that things are broken,
the tragedy is that things are not mended again."
(Alan Payton, Cry The Beloved Country)
We want our country back! We urge a return to the
real needs of people. Urgent issues are before us.
We want our presidents to be allowed to be
president. We want religious leaders, the media and
public life to be guided by self-discipline,
responsibility and compassion. We want legal
processes to be embraced by ethical considerations
and by simple human decency.
The words of the prophet Micah instruct us: ". . .
what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?"
Our religious heritage has taught us to name
unacceptable behavior, private or public, as
unacceptable. It is the route toward healing. The
President confessed: "It was wrong." What more must
we know? We are not shocked by human failure. We
are familiar with the needs of the human spirit and
reach out to those in pain. We ourselves speak as
the flawed to the flawed.
We want the eyes and ears of children to see, hear
and feel the Word of the Living God. We want them
to see and hear images and voices of reconciliation,
grace, mercy and redeeming love.
It is now a time for forgiveness and healing.
Governments err and presidents make mistakes; we are
all sinners. But the God of love and justice does
not judge us without the hand of grace and mercy.
It is a time to reclaim the nation's finer
character. We believe that health and dignity can
grow anew to serve us.
We counsel:
It is time to put to rest what has
occurred, to do things that will set
this matter right and to focus anew on
the needs in our own land and threats
to stability, justice and peace in our
world. It is our common humanity
that yearns for healing. It is time
once again to be led by our President.
We need our country back.
We appeal to the conscience of all citizens of good
will. We appeal for prayer for the President and
his family. We appeal for prayer for our nation and
by our nation. Let us pray for all who have sadly
been caught up in this web of human agony
Initial Signatories
(titles for
identification only):
Bishop Vinton Anderson
Prelate, Second
Episcopal District,
African Methodist
Episcopal Church
Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Dr. Amos Brown
Pastor, Third Baptist
Church
San Francisco,
California
The Rev. Dr. Joan Brown
Campbell
General Secretary,
National Council of the
Churches of Christ in
the USA
New York, NY
Dr. Tony Campolo
Professor of Sociology,
Eastern College
St. Davids,
Pennsylvania
Rabbi David J. Gelfand
Senior Rabbi, Jewish
Center of the Hamptons
East Hampton, NY
The Rev. Dr. C. Welton
Gaddy
Pastor, Northminster
Baptist Church
Monroe, Louisiana
The Rev. Dr. Robert L.
Maddox
Senior Pastor, Briggs
Memorial Baptist Church
Bethesda, Maryland
The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss,
Jr.
Olivet Institutional
Baptist Church
Cleveland, Ohio
The Rev. Dr. John Wade
Payne
Senior Minister, Park
Avenue Christian Church
New York, NY
Rabbi Arthur Schneier
Senior Rabbi, Park East
Synagogue
New York, NY
The Rev. Dr. Gardner
Taylor
Pastor Emeritus,
Concord Baptist Church
Brooklyn, NY
The Rev. Dr. Andrew
Young
President-Elect, NCCC
Atlanta, Georgia
Additional signatures
welcomed
Contact: 212-870-3260
-0-
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