NCC: Russia-Georgia Conflict Joins a Dismal Trend

[Philip Jenks]

The Russia-Georgia conflict joins a dismal trend;
but violence solves nothing, Christians declare

New York, August 13, 2008 -- Russia's attack on Georgia is a
disheartening reminder that the 21st century remains a  primitive age of
fanatical nationalism and military bullying, members of the National
Council of Churches USA said today.

Even more distressing, said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General
Secretary, is that both Russia and Georgia are Christian nations with
ancient church roots. 

"Church leaders and laity in both nations have courageously borne
witness to the Gospel of Christ in the halls of political power, but
their words have gone unheeded."

In a letter sent today to Patriarch Alexei of the Russian Orthodox
Church and Patriarch Ilya of the Georgian Orthodox Church, leaders of
the Orthodox Peace Fellowship (OPF) said political leaders who ignored
the patriarchs' warnings "have blood on their hands."

"What a sin and a scandal it is to see these armies shedding each
other's blood," wrote Jim Forest, International Secretary of the OPF and
Alexander Patico, OPF Secretary for North America. "That such an event
can happen is a poignant reminder of how often, among Orthodox
Christians no less than others, national identity easily takes priority
over our common identity as children of the One God." 

Orthodox Christians and all of the 35 diverse traditions that compose
the National Council of Churches testify that our Creator is a God of
love who came to us in human form to save us from destruction, calling
on us to love god and one another, Kinnamon said. "The military
intervention in Georgia, like all actions born of hatred or callous
self-interest, is an act of madness, a senseless rejection of God's love
and salvation.

Kinnamon said it is also deeply disturbing to note that the brutality in
Georgia is part of a world-wide trend. 

"Every day we hear reports of military intervention and violence in the
Philippines, in Sri Lanka, in Sudan and Darfur, in Zimbabwe and
elsewhere. There is also considerable suffering in Afghanistan and Iraq,
although our media's preoccupation with those conflicts distracts us
from suffering in other nations."

"This commitment to peace with justice is a basic tenant of the
churches' movement toward visible unity," Kinnamon said. "The delegates
to the World Council of Churches' founding assembly in Amsterdam in 1948
put it succinctly: 'War is contrary to the will of God.' War may at
times be a necessary evil, but it is inherently evil.  Christians must
never identify violence against others with the will of God or
countenance such rhetoric when used by their governments. God's purpose
is shalom. We do not go to war in the name of God. 

Military violence around the world concerns all 35 member communions of
the National Council of Churches, Kinnamon said. "Some of the most
eloquent responses have been from our members and friends who came into
being to serve the causes of nonviolence and peace."

In response to a request for comments on the Russia-Georgia conflict,
Thomas Swain, Clerk of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious
Society of Friends, sent a beloved 17th century quote from Quaker
William Penn, founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

 "A good end cannot sanctify evil means; nor must we ever do evil, that
good may come of it.... It is as great presumption to send our passions
upon God's errands as it is to palliate them with God's name.... We are
too ready to retaliate, rather than forgive, or gain by love and
information. And yet we could hurt no man that we believe loves us. Let
us then try what Love will do: for if men did once see we love them, we
should soon find they would not harm us. Force may subdue, but Love
gains: and he that forgives first, wins the laurel (1693)."

The full text of Kinnamon's statement follows:

Christians at war

Statement by the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary, National
Council of Churches USA

New York, August 13, 2008 -- Russia's attack on Georgia is a
disheartening reminder that the 21st century remains a  primitive age of
fanatical nationalism and military bullying.
 
Even more distressing is the fact that both Russia and Georgia are
Christian nations with ancient church roots. Church leaders and laity in
both nations have courageously borne witness to the Gospel of Christ in
the halls of political power, but their words have gone unheeded. 

Political leaders in Russia and Georgia -- indeed in many other nations
including our own -- seek to justify military interventions on the
grounds of national interest or public security. In general the churches
of Christ reject such puerile political rationalizations. 

The Orthodox Peace Fellowship, representing Orthodox around the world,
has been particularly clear in condemning the conflict in Georgia as "a
sin and a scandal." 

Orthodox Christians and all of the 35 diverse traditions that compose
the National Council of Churches testify that our Creator is a God of
love who came to us in human form to save us from destruction, calling
on us to love god and one another. The military intervention in Georgia,
like all actions born of hatred or callous self-interest, is an act of
madness, a senseless rejection of God's love and salvation.

This commitment to peace with justice is a basic tenant of the churches'
movement toward visible unity. The delegates to the World Council of
Churches' founding assembly in Amsterdam in 1948 put it succinctly: "War
is contrary to the will of God." War may at times be a necessary evil,
but it is inherently evil.  Christians must never identify violence
against others with the will of God or countenance such rhetoric when
used by their governments. God's purpose is shalom. We do not go to war
in the name of God. 

We welcome signs that the conflict in Georgia is ebbing, but we note
that the underlying causes of nationalism and ethnocentrism --
corruptions of the Gospel of Christ -- remain in place. It is deeply
disturbing to note that the brutality in Georgia is part of a world-wide
trend. Every day we hear reports of military intervention and violence
in the Philippines, in Sri Lanka, in Sudan and Darfur, in Zimbabwe and
elsewhere. There is also considerable suffering in Afghanistan and Iraq,
although our media's preoccupation with those conflicts distracts us
from suffering in other nations.

Our fervent prayer is that people of good will throughout the world will
awaken to the fact that injustice and hatred are the greatest dangers we
face, and that war, violence and the abuse of power are the markers of
our destruction. 

As Americans, we pray that our country will learn the ways of peace and
restore its reputation as a credible witness for restraint and
nonviolence.

We pray out of a knowledge that the suffering in war can never be
understood by those who have not experienced it -- the nauseating,
incapacitating fear, the horror of seeing loved ones dismembered and
dying, the suffocating stench in the aftermath of battle. We pray for
all who suffer in times of armed conflict, especially the young, the
old, the innocent bystanders. We pray for those who put on their
country's uniform and trust that the jobs they are sent to do are
necessary and just. 

We also pray for the discernment and courage of church and religious
leaders and persons of faith in nations that struggling with these
issues. We pray for political leaders throughout the world, that they
may hear God's still but persistent voice when they face difficult
decisions for the welfare of their nation. We pray for a time when
military intervention is no longer considered a reasonable solution to
political problems, and when those who decide to go to war are regarded
as criminally unbalanced.

We pray for a peace that is more than an absence of war. We pray for a
peace that is founded on God's love and built on our love for one
another. We pray for a peace that stills the turbulence in our souls. We
pray for the peace that passes all understanding.

Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary
National Council of Churches

The NCC is the ecumenical voice of America's Orthodox, Protestant,
Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches.
These 35 communions have 45 million faithful members in 100,000
congregations in all 50 states.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228, NCCnews at ncccusa.org