wfn.org | NCC General Secretary Responds to IRD Report

["Carol Fouke" <cfouke@ncccusa.org>]

For Immediate Release

Statement by the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar
General Secretary, National Council of Churches
September 27, 2004

The Institute of Religion and Democracy's report titled "Human Rights
Advocacy in the Mainline Protestant Churches 2000-2003," released today
(Sept. 27), addresses the important matter of human rights in a fatally
flawed way.

The report assumes that all that the National Council of Churches USA does or
says about human rights gets reported out in resolutions and news releases. 
It ignores the NCC's sound, comprehensive policy base on human rights,
especially the foundational "Human Rights" policy adopted by the Council's
highest governing body in December 1963, and that body's November 1995
reaffirmation and expansion of that policy, "Human Rights: The Fulfillment of
Life in the Social Order."

In truth, the ideologically conservative IRD cannot claim to have produced an
objective report, having among other things used another ideologically
conservative group, Freedom House, as its barometer on human rights. 

The NCC naturally addresses many public statements to the government of the
United States out of concern about how our own country behaves as a global
citizen.  

The most unfortunate part of the IRD's report is its apparent attempt to hurt
Jewish-Christian relations by quite blatantly planting seeds of suspicion
that the mainline churches are anti-Semitic.  The IRD wrongly and dangerously
equates any criticism of the government of Israel and its policies with
anti-Semitism.	

The NCC seeks justice for all people in the Middle East.  It is working for
justice in the land where our Savior walked and where our Christian brothers
and sisters, along with Jews and Muslims, are crying out for justice. The NCC
grieves all loss of life, including Palestinians and Israelis, and has said
so.  

We regret the IRD's attempt to play partisan, secular politics with important
matters of Christian faith and ministry.  

-end-

National Council of Churches USA
New York, NY USA
www.ncccusa.org

Media Contact: 212-870-2252; cfouke@ncccusa.org