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<\/a>Source: Institute for Religion and Democracy<\/a><\/p>\nThe National Council of Churches will be using grant money from atheist billionaire George Soros\u2019 Open Society Institute to power its political agenda on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n
Even while sinking financially, the National Council of Churches \u2013 a group with the ostensible mandate to engender unity between disparate Christian denominations \u2013 continued its leftward track last week as its governing board met in New York City to discuss its advocacy initiatives for the coming fiscal year. The NCC has been forced to pare down its staff roster and budget for years in order to account for declining revenues from member denominations and foundations, and has had a history of making up these deficits by soliciting grants from politically charged, liberal institutions (to download IRD\u2019s expos\u00e9 of the NCC\u2019s financing, click here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Several left-leaning resolutions, including those aiming to promote relaxed immigration policies, were passed and other positions, such as its largely pacifist stance on the use of American military force and opposition to federal austerity measures, were affirmed. The grant from Soros\u2019 Institute would be used specifically for its advocacy efforts to restructure the U.S. criminal justice system through the National Criminal Justice Commission Act (S. 306).<\/p>\n Pacifism Endorsed<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the NCC, reiterated the Council\u2019s opposition to U.S. conducted anti-terrorist operations.<\/p>\n Kinnamon lauded the World Council of Churches\u2019 Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), an initiative that was by and large very critical of U.S. military intervention in most of its forms over the past decade, particularly its anti-terrorist activities. Several representatives from the NCC were present for the WCC\u2019s International Ecumenical Peace Convocation which began in Jamaica last week. The convocation aims to be a capstone to the WCC\u2019s campaign to \u201celiminate global violence\u201d \u2013 an initiative that has heavy-handedly scrutinized the U.S.\u2019s military role in the world while largely skirting that of terrorist organizations and oppressive dictatorships.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that this convocation will remind us that peace is the message of all of our communions, not just the Friends, Brethren, and Mennonites,\u201d said Kinnamon.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are various dimensions to our agenda that play in this\u201d convocation, Kinnamon continued, citing causes the NCC has promoted such as the complete disarmament of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, scaling up of gun controls in the U.S., and the push to end U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The NCC will be presenting its study paper released last year, Christian Understanding of War in an Age of Terror(ism)<\/em>, which treats the Christian historical teaching of just war with skepticism and \u201cseeks to make selective conscientious objection a priority for education and advocacy during the next five years.\u201d<\/p>\n Attached to the paper is a study guide written by several NCC-affiliated members from Church of the Brethren, Mennonite and Quaker traditions.<\/p>\n \u201cUS military spending is more than 40% of the world\u2019s total \u2013 equal to the next sixteen countries combined,\u201d reads the study paper. \u201cWhat future do we see for the cozy relationship between American Christians and the American imperial project?\u201d The paper goes on to criticize the War on Terror as a \u201cconflict with no clear beginning, without demarcated boundaries, against multiple (often invisible) adversaries\u2026 In this war, we soon encounter the limits of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n Kinnamon noted that this was not the first time the Council has advocated conscientious objection. \u201cI was told this of course would be a real stretch,\u201d he said, \u201conly to learn that the governing board of the National Council first endorsed selective conscientious objection in 1967, in the middle of the War in Vietnam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have struggled with this issue over the years, let\u2019s struggle with it again,\u201d Kinnamon said.<\/p>\n Specific resolutions spelling out the NCC\u2019s \u201cconscientious objector\u201d stance on military service will be set before the Council during its September governing board meeting that will reflect conversations held at the Jamaican convocation, said Kinnamon. \u201cWe are likely to hear repeated assertions out of the anniversary of 9\/11 of our need for security. What can we say about it?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n