Jesus' Priorities According to Bob Edgar and the National Council of Churches

Bob Edgar, President,

National Council of Churches

In anticipation of tonight’s Justice Sunday II here in Nashville, leaders of left-leaning religious organizations held a conference call to criticize the event. (Full transcript here.) They argued that holding an event like this one in a church violates the separation of church and state.

But there were some interesting contradictions between their public arguments and their own activities related to politics and policy. . .

For example, Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance, remarked that his organization’s motto “People of faith and good will restoring democracy” means that:

. . .religious people in this nation should be major contributors to a healthy democracy, and to the political process.

Right. That’s exactly what Justice Sunday is about – raising awareness among Christians of how important it is to be involved in the political process. And to highlight the important role the Supreme Court plays in shaping our culture.

Addiitonally, Rev. Bill Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, said that:

No person or group can honestly claim to represent ‘the’ single authentic faith perspective on a given issue. Americans of faith and good will differ on the issues facing our country today, but those differences should never be cause for questioning another’s faith or patriotism.

Well, you won’t find anyone at Justice Sunday making any such claims about being the authentic perspective. I challenge anyone to give an example of that kind of statement directly from the event — not something alleged to have been said via the media.

But I can give you an example from one of the participants on the conference call. Wander on over to the website of Bob Edgar, President of the National Council of Churches, and this is what you will find. An article prominently headlined thusly:

Edgar: Jesus’ priorities, not politics, guide NCC

peace, anti-poverty and eco-justice programs

Kid. You. Not.

Make no mistake. He is claiming “Jesus’ priorities” for their political agenda. “Peace,” “anti-poverty,” and “eco-justice,” are code words for a leftist political agenda against the war (any war); against welfare reform; and supporting an environmentalist agenda like PETA’s.

Need more evidence? Look further on down the page. They explain that: “The NCC has come under fire in recent months for advocating for good environmental stewardship, working to end poverty and for calling for a plan to reduce U.S. military presence in Iraq.”

Celeste Zappala

Protesting in Crawford

In fact, Edgar’s immediate itinerary following the conference call included a stop in Crawford, Texas to visit Cindy Sheehan and the Gold Star moms there protesting the war. The visit, said Edgar, “was not political or partisan.”

And the group that Edgar was speaking to when he laid out “Jesus’ priorities?” The article says it was a “gathering of Baptist pastors, ministers and lay leaders . . .”

He has every right to do that. And he has every right to lobby on behalf of liberal causes.

But I don’t see how he then has any standing to criticize Justice Sunday.