Letter from Bishop Felton Edwin May
Letter from Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher
United Methodist Statements on War

A message from Bishop Felton Edwin May to United Methodist churches of the
Baltimore-Washington Conference regarding the U.S. invasion of Iraq
 

March 21, 2003
 
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
In these harrowing and confusing days when our nation is at war with the rulers of Iraq, indeed we stand in need of God's steadfast grace and the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding. While sentiments may vary about the wisdom of the preemptive attack our nation has launched on Iraq, we who truly follow the Prince of Peace must feel saddened by the absence of ongoing diplomacy in our government and by the loss of even a single human life.
 
I am thankful to God that we possess intelligence and technology capable of reducing casualties of war. I can only hope that our talents and capabilities will be used to oppose other, more imminent weapons of mass destruction in our world. We know that 28 million people are starving to death in Africa, many of them children, while millions of others on every continent crumble beneath the weight of hunger, AIDS and other diseases, poverty, illiteracy, addiction and other lethal forces. Their suffering is largely a result of economic inequity, political corruption and inhumane neglect. America's quest for global peace, justice and security will only be won when these weapons of mass destruction are also dismantled.
 
May God help us as we continue to pray for the safe return of our men and women in military service and for the comfort and assurance of their families here at home. Moreover, may God help us to raise up leaders who are eager to wage peace and restore relationships in this troubled world.
 
Rather than succumbing to the euphoria of anticipated victory, I urge you to be vigilant in prayer, fasting, the study of Scripture, and active witnessing for a peaceful resolution to this war and for eventual healing in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. I further call upon all of us to engage in self-examination and soul-searching as a nation, for we must seek to understand the root causes of the anti-American sentiment-felt by friends and foes alike-and the terrorism that threatens our security here and around the world.
 
In the meantime, I encourage you to take advantage of the spiritual resources available among our churches, as they seek to offer sanctuary, prayer and wisdom in these painful days of fear, confusion and alienation. For it is in our spiritual connection through Christ that we will find strength and solace for every human need.
 
May God continue to bless you in all that you do in God's name.
 
+ Felton Edwin May

Dear United Methodist Brothers and Sisters,
 
In this season of Lent,  with the world  caught in the grip of  war,  we United Methodists  remember Jesus’ words,  “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.” I call on all our churches in every place to be such a welcoming house for all people.
 
In the midst of our feelings of insecurity and lack of control, Jesus’ words invite us to gather in prayer.
 
Let us pray for all the leaders of the nations who are involved and affected in this present crisis.
 
Let us pray for all the military personnel and for their families and friends who wait, worry, and wonder.
           
Let us pray for a just resolution of this conflict.
 
Let us pray for the innocents in harm’s way, especially the children.
 
In the midst of the increasing international polarization over the appropriateness of this war, Jesus’ words teach us that our church sanctuaries are houses of Christian hospitality.
 
Let our sanctuaries welcome the anxious and fearful, providing for them a place of safety and power that we know through the saving power of Jesus.
 
Let our sanctuaries be gathering places for respectful and honorable Christian conversation across political perspectives.
 
Let our sanctuaries be centers for inter-religious dialogue, especially between Christians,  Muslims, and Jews, that we may grow in understanding of one another.
 
Let our sanctuaries generate support for humanitarian relief for the citizens of Iraq now and in the future.
 
Let our sanctuaries be venues of peacemaking  in our families, our local neighborhoods, and our global community.
 
God is  calling us, the church of Jesus Christ, to be “a house of prayer for all the nations.” Please join us, your Council of Bishops from around the world, in prayer and witness to God’s vision in which the lion and the lamb lie down together in peace.
 
In the name of  Christ, the Prince of Peace,
 
Sharon A. Brown Christopher

"I cannot keep silent; for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Disaster overtakes disaster, the whole land is laid waste." Jeremiah 4:19-20
Our biblical calling to be peacemakers and The United Methodist Church�s longstanding support for peace and justice lead us to lift up the following principles & concerns as we boldly "seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14):

1. "A preemptive war by the United States against a nation like Iraq goes against the very grain of our understanding of the Gospel, our church�s teachings, and our conscience. Preemptive strike does not reflect restraint and does not allow for the adequate pursuit of peaceful means for resolving conflict." (October 4th, 2002 letter to all United Methodists from President of the Council of Bishops, Sharon A. Brown Christopher)
2. "We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We... insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them." (United Methodist Social Principles, Paragraph 165C)
3. "The United Methodist Church categorically opposes interventions by more powerful nations against weaker ones." (2000 General Conference Resolution 277, 'Support for Self-Determination and Nonintervention')
4. "We oppose clandestine operations, such as political assassinations; political and military coups...and propaganda aimed at destabilizing other governments...We oppose activities where national or international intelligence agencies engage in political or military operations beyond the gathering of information." (2000 General Conference Resolution 277, 'Support for Self-Determination and Nonintervention')
5. "The effects of sanctions [on Iraq] has created a humanitarian crisis and the continuation of the sanctions [is] the moral equivalent to waging war against a civilian population" (General Conference Resolution 276, "Sanctions Against Iraq Should Be Lifted").
6. "As Christians we have a moral obligation to support life and stand against any force or action that causes suffering and death; and...as United Methodists, we request the United Nations to declare the practice of impeding the flow or free commerce of food and medicines to be a crime against humanity" (2000 General Conference Resolution 273, "Oppose Food and Medicine Blockades or Embargoes"). Further war and continued sanctions against Iraq will clearly impede the flow of food and medicines and will amount to a 'crime against humanity.'
7. "We endorse general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control." (Social Principles, P. 165C) UN Security Council Resolution 687 (1991) calls for eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and also calls for the whole Middle East to become a zone free of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Regional disarmament, rather than increased arms sales and military threats, is a much surer path to just and lasting peace for all in the Middle East. "We...urge governments to stop military assistance and arms exports to the region" (General Conference Resolution 302, "The Middle East & N. Africa")
8. The Bible calls us to 'beat swords into plowshares' and the Social Principles urge "that the militarization of society must be challenged and stopped." (Paragraph 165C) Estimated costs of a US war against Iraq range from $50-200billion, none of which is included in current US military budget. The US currently spends more than $11,000/second on military expenditures. The US devotes more precious resources to military might than almost all the rest of the world combined (US spends almost 50% of global military expenditures).
9. "We support the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund and affirm the work it does on behalf of those who conscientiously object to payment of taxes for war." (General Conference Resolution 260, "The US Campaign for a Tax Fund") Billions could and should be redirected from war making to meeting basic human needs such as adequate food, housing, healthcare and education - especially for children, both in the US and in developing nations around the world.
10. "The United Methodist Church reaffirms its support for the UN and calls upon all governments to fully support the UN in the fulfillment of its charter and in its highest calling to work for peace and justice for all the world�s people." (General Conference Resolution 307, "In Support of the United Nations.") A doctrine of 'preemptive war' is, by definition, not a last resort; it threatens the use of force contrary to the United Nations Charter which states among its Purposes & Principles: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state" (Article 2.4). The UN Charter allows for armed "self-defense if an armed attack occurs" (Article 51). Iraq has not attacked any member state of the UN in the past 12 years.
11. "We support treaty efforts to ban the development, trade, and use of weapons that are inhumane, are excessively injurious, and have indiscriminate effects." (General Conference Resolution 318, "The United Methodist Church & Peace") The Pentagon plans to use cluster bombs and a variety of other weapons with massive and indiscriminate effects in an invasion against Iraq. The US Central Intelligence Agency estimates a preemptive strike would increase greatly the probability of the use of weapons of mass destruction by all sides.
12. The General Conference Resolution 318, "The United Methodist Church and Peace" unconditionally rejects "any use of nuclear weapons" and supports multilateral disarmament efforts through international treaties - Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Chemical Weapons and Biological Weapons Conventions, and Ban of Anti-Personnel Land Mines convention - as the best means of insuring lasting and comprehensive disarmament.
    The Pentagon has publicly declared it is considering using nuclear weapons against Iraq. The US administration seeks to withdraw from international disarmament treaties.
13. "We as United Methodist Christians: urge the President of the United States to repudiate violence and killing and victimizing of innocent people; [we] oppose the use of indiscriminate military force to combat terrorism, especially where the use of such force results in casualties among noncombatant citizens" (General Conference Resolution 317, "Terrorism"). Tens of thousands of Kuwaitis, Iraqis and US veterans still suffer and die from various ailments (e.g., Gulf War syndrome) as a result of chemical and toxic substances released by bombings during the 1991 Gulf War. A further escalation of war against Iraq would result in many more people suffering health risks and would greatly expand long-term environmental devastation.
    The term, 'collateral damage,' repeatedly used by policy makers, military leaders and the media, trivializes the sacredness of human life - especially the lives of women, youth and children living in countries under attack. Preventing war saves lives and safeguards civilian communities who are at risk of being uprooted, wounded or killed in war. A US war against Iraq would have devastating consequences for people throughout the Middle East and threaten further suffering and violence in Palestine, Israel and among Iraq�s neighbors for years to come.
14. "We endorse the United Nations... as the best instrument now in existence to achieve a world of justice and law." (Social Principles, P.165D) A national security doctrine of 'preemptive strike,' is a fear-based doctrine that ignores international law and reinforces a belief in 'might makes right.' It fosters a political climate that stifles dissent and human rights in many nations. "Illegal and unconscionable activities directed against persons or groups by their own governments must not be justified or kept secret, even under the guise of national security." (Social Principles, P. 164C)
15. "Pray for those in the armed forces who could be placed unnecessarily in harms way and might be under orders to commit acts that violate the Gospel, church teachings, their conscience and international law" (General Board of Global Ministries resolution on Iraq, October 24, 2002). A doctrine of 'preemptive war' places a great moral burden and heightened physical risk on young women and men serving in the armed forces. "We affirm the historic statement: 'What the Christian citizen may not do is to obey persons rather than God...or gloss over the sinfulness of war' ('The United Methodist Church & Peace' 1968 General Conference)" (General Conference resolution 318, "The United Methodist Church & Peace")
16. "We affirm peoples' movements directed to abolition of the tools of war. Governments must not impede public debate on this issue of universal concern ('The United Methodist Church & Peace' 1968 General Conference)" (General Conference resolution 318, "The United Methodist Church & Peace").
17. On Oil & War. "A theology of 'enough'... allows us to move away from worshiping the gods of consumption and material need...a system where the wealthy consume a disproportionate amount of resources...a consumerism that exploits natural resources, exacerbates global resource crises, and causes cycles of global poverty that often lead to local and international violence. We have a choice: We can be sustainers, or exploiters, of creation" (General Conference resolution 188, "God's Vision of Abundant Living"). The US as 4% of world population consumes 25% of world's oil each year.
18. On War & Environmental Damage. "We urge all United Methodist in their daily lives and official capacities to hold society to this higher standard of care for God's creation; that where the preponderance of evidence indicates the probability of harm from some action...that an alternative path must be found" (General Conference resolution 8, "Environmental Law - the Precautionary Principle").

What International Humanitarian Law says:
International humanitarian law generally refers to the four Geneva Conventions adopted in 1949 to protect: wounded and sick in armed forces on land (1st) and at sea (2nd); prisoners of war (3rd); and civilians (4th). It also includes Protocols I & II adopted in 1977 which address additional Protection of Victims of International & Non-International Conflicts respectively.

"It is prohibited to employ methods or means of warfare which are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment." Geneva Conventions, Protocol I Article 35.3 on Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts

"In no event shall actions against [foodstuffs, agricultural areas, crops, livestock, drinking water installations, irrigation works] be taken which may be expected to leave the civilian population with such inadequate food or water as to cause its starvation or force its movement." Protocol I, Article 54.3b

"Works or installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations, shall not be made the object of attack." Protocol I, Article 56.1

Prepared by David Wildman, Executive Secretary, Human Rights and Racial Justice, General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church