February 2006 UCCtruths.com Archive

"I have committed my life to helping the poor and I believe that if more companies followed Wal-Mart's lead in providing opportunity and savings to those who need it most, more Americans battling poverty would realize the American dream," said Ambassador Young.

"I have closely followed the recent public debate -- much of it one-sided -- on Wal-Mart's impact on America's working families. I've watched the attacks, I've listened to the charges, and I think the critics have it wrong. For those who care about the poor it is time to step up, speak out and join this national discussion," Ambassador Young added.

Hawaii Conference Min. - Dissent and False Prophets

In the upcoming March issue of the Hawaii Conference Newsletter, The Friend, Conference Minister Charles Buck makes an analogy to the concerns raised in the NFL with instant replay to concerns raised within our denomination. His conclusion?

Viewed in instant replay—especially with the rapidity and ease that the internet gives to people who want to sound the warning—it is understandable how individuals may sense that we are a church in deep trouble. But down on the playing field, closer to the action, people gain a

different, and still valid, perspective.

The analogy is a good one, but probably not from his "perspective". Instant replay in the NFL helps make sure that the calls on the field are accurate. If dissent within our denomination helps us to be more accurate, we should encourage more of it, not less as Buck seems to suggest.

Buck is right that the perspective "closer to the action" is valid, but he fails to recognize that it's not the only perspective. The internet give us the ability to closely examine issues within our denomination outside of the "action" on the field. It's worth noting that while football fans love instant replay, the referees do not... after all, who likes having their judgment questioned?

While I uphold the right of anyone to express their views and opinions, I am disappointed that some parties would distort and exaggerate the truth in doing so, spreading bad news, as it were, at the expense of distracting us from our mission of proclaiming good news.

The fact that life is filled with challenges doesn’t mean that we are in crisis. Negative messages reveal, I believe, more about the persons spreading them than they do about reality. The apostle Paul urges us to keep this perspective of false prophets:

Keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned. Avoid them. For such people do not
serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.…I want you to be
wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil. (Romans 16:17-19)

Translation: While Buck claims to uphold the right of dissent, if you exercise that right and disagree or challenge the leaders of our denomination, you are a false prophet.

This is probably the most disturbing of Buck's comments because he really isn't talking about the "action" on the field and offers no examples of distortions or exaggerations. It sounds good and he probably feels better saying this but it's nothing more than a cheap shot. If dissent doesn't reflect reality, then why doesn't Buck offer specific examples of exaggerations?

Buck really can't offer examples because Conference Ministers like himself are a significant part of the problem... and, unlike Buck, we'll provide examples.

After the debacle of the divestment resolution at General Synod in July, Conference Ministers like Buck rolled over on the matter and refused to question UCC President John Thomas about it when given the opportunity. Internally, the issue was raised by General Synod delegates, committee members who felt betrayed by Thomas' action and the UCC Pension Board - not your standard dissenters within the UCC. The "instant replay" that appeared on this site consisted of a letter from the Pension Board to John Thomas. Hardly the works of "false prophets".

The UCCIB issue surfaced at UCCtruths.com only after we received a number of emails from leaders at the local church level explaining how they were being strung along about insurance renewal information. Conference Ministers like Buck, who were well aware of the issues with UCCIB, should have been able to address these concerns quickly but didn't - so we did. Again, this is hardly the work of false prophets and UCCIB's lack of communication can't be blamed on a hurricane.

Raising concerns about our denomination shouldn't distract "us from our mission of proclaiming good news" and Buck's suggestion that it does only serves as a weak excuse for not trying to address the legitimate concerns of the church. As Buck notes, we have much to be grateful for and his example of the hurricane donations are a tribute to the generosity of our members but it doesn't justify the lack of leadership we have at the conference level of our denomination.

Witness for Justice?

The standards movement in public education, including the federal No Child Left Behind Act, has been offered up as the way to close achievement gaps by raising academic expectations to confront what President Bush calls “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

We have a standards movement because during the past fifteen years many people of power and influence worried that American students are not learning enough in school.

It is a lesser known, and for me, more worrisome fact that during this same period the high school dropout rate has grown alarmingly.

There may be sound and faithful reasons to disagree with the No Child Left Behind Act, but Resseger clearly didn't do her homework. In the 15 year period Resseger mentions in this 'witness', high school dropout rates have decreased, not increased. According to the Child Trends Databank, the dropout rate between 1990 and 2004 dropped from 12.1% to 10.3%. The premise of the article and title are completely inaccurate.

What's actually 'alarming' is that Resseger couldn't possibly have researched this information before offering her 'witness'. Resseger, like many national office staff, is apparently driven by blind politics.

The national office staff aren't the only ones with fault. This past week I heard from a few Conference Ministers concerned about "the tone" of this site. If you, the Conference Ministers, started insisting that the national office exhibit a truthful and faithful witness, this site wouldn't have any more content. Instead of spreading conspiracy theories about why churches are leaving, resist the herd mentality and start exercising some leadership.

Advocacy without oversight

UCC Justice and Witness Ministries and Global Ministries continue campaign of misinformation on Palestinian aid

The United Church of Christ's Justice and Witness Ministries issued an Action Alert this past week urging Congress to maintain aid to Palestinians because of "the tremendous economic suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people". In his support of the Action Alert, Peter Makari of the UCC Global Ministries added that "the US should honor its financial commitments made in recent years to alleviate Palestinian suffering" and to "resist Congressional calls to cut off assistance for the Palestinian people".

Congress is considering legislation that sharply restricts Palestinian aid until the Palestinian Authority publicly acknowledges Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State, recommits itself to all prior agreements including the Road Map, purges its security services of terrorists, dismantles the infrastructure of terrorism, and halts all anti-Israel incitement. Contrary to what Makari and JWM claim, the Act being considered in congress, H.R. 4681, is clear that the restriction of aid does not include humanitarian assistance. From Sec. 620L of the Act:

(b) Exceptions- Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to the following:

`(1) ASSISTANCE TO MEET BASIC HUMAN HEALTH NEEDS- The provision of food, water, medicine, sanitation services, or other assistance to meet basic human health needs.

UCC makes statement on Hamas

UCC President John Thomas and Peter Makari (Global Ministries) have issued a statement on the election victory of Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Unfortunately, the carefully worded statement doesn't go far enough and ignores the prospect of suffering that Christians in the Palestinian territories face.

It is refreshing (and important) that John Thomas and Peter Makari recognize that it is critical for Hamas to renounce violence and to recognize Israel. Maintaining aid to the Palestinian people is much more difficult and complex. If we maintain aid without linking it to the Hamas governments responsibility to stop terrorism and to recognition of Israel, are we really making progress towards peace? On the other side, if we stop aid and the vacuum is filled by Iran and Syria, is Israel any safer? No one can say for sure - especially those of us who will not pay the consequences of this decision. On this, we must rely on the wisdom of the Israeli government.

What is most disturbing about this statement, though, is what it does not say. As we noted last week, Hamas has made it clear that Christians in the Palestinian territory will be second-class citizens. We are not fans of Sabeel, but it's odd that the UCC statement doesn't recognize the problems that a UCC partner like Sabeel now faces in the territory.

The statement overall is not that bad - it's just not that good. It's a missed opportunity.

(Note: Although the UCC statement is dated February 3, it was not posted until February 10).

UCCIB Business Plan Approved by Committee

The 15 member Board of Directors for UCCIB has "unanimously" approved UCCIB's 2006 business plan according to UC News. From the article:

The UCCIB’s full corporate board, comprised of the UCC’s conference ministers, met immediately following the board meeting. Following an extended discussion that went on for “around 7 hours,” the corporate board also passed the business plan, said newly-elected UCCIB Chairman of the Board, the Rev. Gene Miller, conference minister of the South Dakota Conference.

This is good news but it's terribly incomplete. Part of UCCIB's problem is that it has not been very transparent about the changes and challenges it has been going through for several months. Management turnover as well as conflicting information about coverage has raised doubts about the program throughout the UCC. While most conferences have retained UCCIB coverage, a few, including the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference, have dropped its coverage. The Insurance Board Web site has almost no information and UC News didn't begin covering the issue until the concerns of local churches were raised by UCCtruths.com. It's great that a board "comprised of Conference Ministers" is confident of the business plan, but this statement alone doesn't really mean that much - how many of them have business or insurance backgrounds? UCCIB has a credibility problem and it's acting CEO, Bennie Whiten, Jr., has done a miserable job of communicating with the local church and conferences. The financial challenges that UCCIB has faced because of the bad hurricane season are understandable, but there is no reason to believe that next season won't be just as bad. If Whiten and UCCIB want to establish credibility, they need to share the business plan with the stake holders who will be most effected by it - the local churches.

The Best Church Advertisement - Ever

UCC Global Ministries takes jab at Massachusetts Conference

on General Synod Resolution

In a surprising statement, the UCC's Global Ministries took a shot at the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC for submitting an alternative resolution on divestment at General Synod. From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs:

Nathan Wright of the United Church of Christ, Global Ministries, shared a play-by-play of the UCC process which resulted in the passage of a resolution supporting the use of economic leverage. After several UCC conferences had passed resolutions, Nathan, then living in Beit Sahour, asked the YMCA in Jerusalem to send a letter to Global Ministries supporting a church divestment initiative. “Sabeel went one step further,” Wright said, “sending a personal letter to every single conference,” including a copy of the Sabeel document on morally responsible investment. Prior to the convening of the summer General Synod—the gathering of the UCC’s 39 conferences—the Massachusetts conference came out with a substitute resolution encouraging economic support for both Palestinians and Israelis. Describing the move as “an obvious attempt to derail us,” Wright, although not at the Synod, reported that there was hot debate in the midst of intense media attacks by Jewish organizations.

That's a pretty bold statement for someone who wasn't at the General Synod. The truth is actually much worse.

Three proposals were presented to the committee charged with studying the divestment issue at General Synod. Originally, two resolutions on divestment were presented and an additional resolution on "selective investment" was submitted just before General Synod by the Massachusetts Conference. The committee that was charged with studying these issues consolidated the divestment and investment resolutions and, after days of deliberations and study with testimony from all sides of the issue, proposed a single resolution that intentionally omitted any reference to divestment.

The night before the vote on the new resolution, UCC President John Thomas (with Bennie Whiten, Jr., Peter Makari and Lydia Veliko) helped create a substitute resolution that inserted divestment language back into the resolution without consulting the committee that spent days studying the issue and without the advice of the Pensions Board of the UCC (who would be responsible for implementing any sort of divestment). The substitute resolution was presented to the plenary of the General Synod 30 minutes before the beginning of the session and with less than an hour of discussion, approved the divestment resolution. John Thomas' shameful involvement undermined the careful study of the issue by the committee.

The Massachusetts Conference was well within its right to offer an alternative resolution and the arrogant attitude of Global Ministries is not acceptable. If it weren't for the financial generosity of the Conferences, Global Ministries wouldn't even exist.

No more options for UCC in Palestinian-Israeli conflict

The United Church of Christ's national office and Global Ministries have been unusually silent since the Hamas victory last week - and understandably so. While UCC President John Thomas was all too eager to express disappointment the moment that Pope Benedict was selected, he is now at a loss about the Hamas victory. What can the UCC really say? The Hamas victory does not bring optimism for peace and it does not bring optimism for Christians in the Holy Land.

For Christians - and the UCC in particular, the new political landscape in the Palestinian territories is extremely precarious. Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Zahar, has made it clear that Christians will be second-class citizens when he said "in the Islamist Palestinian state, every citizen will be required to act in accordance with the codes of Islamic religious law". In addition, Hamas is planning to implement a special tax, called al-jeziya, on all non-Muslim residents in the territories. In an interview with Karby Legget, published in the December 23-26 edition of The Wall Street Journal, Hassam El-Masalmeh, the leader of Hamas at the municipal council of Bethlehem, stated that “we in Hamas intend to implement this tax someday. We say it openly – we welcome everyone to Palestine but only if they agree to live under our rules.” The WSJ article went on to say that Christian female employees of Bethlehem were forbidden to shake the hands of visitors.

What can the UCC say? Further criticize the separation barrier that protects innocent people from terrorists? Now that the UCC's beloved Sabeel will be second-class citizens in the territories, "Liberation Theology" will take on a whole new meaning. Should we now expect the General Synod to pass a resolution to boycott Hamas? Not a chance. After all, for Sabeel, this was never about liberation.

What can the UCC say? We could always reach back in the playbook and pretend that Hamas is really our friends like former UCC Executive Minister Dale Bishop said of Iran back in 2002. As with Bishop's musings on Iran then, the cheerleaders in the denomination will believe it while everyone else will discount it (or ignore it) all together.

No, what the UCC should say should be honest. It should articulate the complexities of the crisis but recognize that an organization like Hamas cannot be considered an honest broker of peace with the positions it holds. We must recognize the crisis that Christians ~and Israel~ face with a group like Hamas in charge of the Palestinian territories and we must be open to all options that protect innocent people.

'Still Speaking' Television Ad Approved

The 'Still Speaking' television advertising buy for the Lenten season was approved yesterday by the Executive Committee of the UCC Executive Council even though it's still not able to be financially supported by pledges as originally planned by the campaign organizers. Unspecified grants from Local Church Ministries, Justice and Witness Ministries and Wider Church Ministries will make the ad buy possible. As reported here last week, a commitment has also been made by the campaign to raise an additional $1 million to sustain the ad buy.

Justice and Witness Ministries not "Lovin' it"

McDonald’s produce suppliers have guaranteed us that our tomatoes will be sourced by Florida-based suppliers who use only employees (not day laborers) and that their wages and benefits will meet or exceed the wage/benefits proposed by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). This program commences with the current growing and harvesting season. An independent study has been commissioned to verify that McDonald’s suppliers are meeting this commitment. If this study indicates any gaps, McDonald’s suppliers will address them to ensure that workers are earning the difference in wages and benefits, starting with the current growing season.

This sounds pretty specific. Notice that the UCC doesn't challenge McDonald's commitment to the workers, just that they "engage in negotiations with CIW". In other words, this about supporting organized labor, not justice for workers.

More Changes at UCCIB

The popular AVP for Accounts for the UCC Insurance Board has resigned. In an email, Bennie Whiten, Jr. (acting President and CEO for the UCC Insurance Board) announced that Jacque Elliott-Dawson will be stepping down effective February 9th. In the same email, Whiten asked for "patience in what continues to be a tumultuous time for us all". UCCIB has been plagued by numerous problems since Whiten took over the helm and new questions about UCCIB are being raised as a result of Elliott-Dawson and the recent departures of other key employees.

Andrew Young goes to work for Wal-Mart