| Labor Day Weekend. And this morning, there are two particular labors that are heavy on my heart, two particular labors of peace to which, I believe, Christ is calling us as Americans, as a nation. The first is the labor of finding a way to avoid war with Iraq, and the second is the labor of sitting down with other nations to discuss how to live harmoniously with Earth’s natural resources, how to implement around the globe viable patterns of economic development both equitable and sustainable.
Now, in today’s Second Lesson we’ve just heard the apostle Paul offer his summation of some of the key moral principles taught by Jesus. Listen once again, please, to what Paul says: “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18) “…never avenge yourselves.…” (12:19) “…‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them, if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.…’” (12:20) “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.” (12:17) “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.” (12:16) What powerful and timely messages Paul offers us Americans, coming as they do against the backdrop of present-day discussions in Washington about whether or not we should invade Iraq and of this week’s debates in Johannesburg, South Africa, about whether or not the U.S. will work with other nations to live in equilibrium with Earth’s natural resources and to create patterns of sustainable economic development that are equitable for all. Now, the labors of peace to which Christ is calling us this day are made all the more difficult, and all the more essential, by the clear and evident circumstance that in our nation’s government there are a number of powerful persons who are determined to go to war with Iraq regardless of what almost all other nations advise and a number of powerful persons who are determined to pursue a set of unilateral economic and environmental policies rooted principally in American self-interest rather than in American generosity. As the biblical prophets recognized long ago concerning the affairs of state in ancient Israel and Judah, the issues of whether or not to go to war and of how to provide for the well-being of all persons-these are moral issues of the utmost importance and consequence. So, in the tradition of the prophets, I feel called this morning to address from the pulpit, head-on, these crucial ethical issues. First, the issue of how best, in a way consistent with the teachings of Jesus, the Prince of Peace-teachings that are stated in part in our First Lesson and summarized by Paul in our Second Lesson-how best to resist and oppose the evil of Saddam Hussein’s plans and actions while at the same time avoiding war. From the end of the Gulf War in 1991, under the first Bush administration, until September 11, 2001, under the second Bush administration, our government viewed supporting and cooperating with the United Nations’ weapons inspection program as the best possible means to prevent Saddam Hussein from ever again developing and using nuclear or chemical weapons of mass destruction. Now up to the end of 1998, as is widely agreed, the U.N. inspection program that was in place was effective. The head of that program from 1994 to mid-1998, a U.S. Republican and ex-marine named Scott Ritter, has recently restated his firm belief that his team had been 90-95% effective in finding and destroying all the then-existing elements of Iraq’s nuclear and chemical weapons programs. However, in December, 1998, the U.N. withdrew its weapons inspectors in anticipation of a bombing attack by the U.S. and Britain. And since then, Saddam Hussein has refused to allow those inspectors to return-thus, the uncertainty about whether or not he has redeveloped his nuclear and chemical capabilities. Shortly after last September 11th, the Bush administration began to voice its belief both that Saddam Hussein was linked to al-Qaeda and that he had redeveloped his nuclear and chemical capacities. This claim has never been substantiated by the administration, yet since 9/11 it has been repeated ever more insistently. Then just within the past few weeks both Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have stated that they no longer see any point in trying to persuade Saddam Hussein to allow unconditional arms inspections in Iraq by U. N. experts. Such inspections would be futile. And they argue this in spite of the fact that the evidence available to all the other members of the Security Council suggests otherwise and in spite of the fact that both the former head of the inspection team, Scott Ritter, and the present head of that team, Hans Blix, remain quite confident that inspectors would be able to detect and render harmless any nuclear or chemical plants or weapons that Saddam Hussein may have developed over the past four years. Meanwhile, Vice-President Cheney went on this past week to say not just once but twice that the only solution to the problem of Iraq is “regime change.” And Cheney seems to have left his listeners with the clear impression that the only way to achieve “regime change” is to launch a first-strike war. Now, the issue of whether the violence of war can ever be justified has been debated by Christian theologians and ethicists for 1,500 years. A few have concluded that nonviolent pacifism is the only moral option that a follower of Jesus may choose. However, most, including me, believe that the violence of war is occasionally morally permissible, but only if the decision to go to war can satisfy a strict test by meeting a lengthy list of weighty ethical criteria. This morning, I will highlight just the criterion on that list which the Bush administration has most clearly failed to meet. In Christian just-war theory, the use of violence and force in response to a threat of evil must always come as a last resort. So, for the U.S. to initiate the violence of warfare against Iraq without first having used every other means available to pressure Saddam Hussein into accepting unfettered arms inspections-that would be, according to Christian just-war theory, an unjustifiable evil. Thus, in the name of this venerable Christian just-war tradition, I urge our government to put an end to its rhetoric of war and to join forces with the other members of the Security Council to press Saddam Hussein with full vigor into letting the U.N. inspection team back into Iraq and into allowing that team to do its work freely and fully. I truly believe this is the course of action that would fulfill Paul's injunctions to us in the 12th chapter of Romans, when he says: “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18) “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.” (12:17) And now the second critical moral issue, the issue of how best, in a way consistent with the teachings of Jesus found in our First Lesson and summarized by Paul in our Second Lesson-how best to cooperate with other nations in developing equitable, sustainable economies that can coexist in peace with Earth’s environment. This past week and for three more days this week, over 100 nations are gathered together in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the United Nations’ World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Johannesburg summit continues the work of two previous gatherings with the same agenda: 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden, and 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The task of this summit is to get the developed nations (the wealthy ones) and the developing nations (the poor ones) to work together on adopting a plan of action both for reducing world poverty and for preserving Earth’s environment. It is widely agreed by experts that poor nations cannot safeguard the treasure of their natural beauty and their environmental resources unless they can simultaneously enjoy a strengthening economy. So, failing to reduce world poverty greatly increases the threat to Earth’s environment. But developed nations perceive that increased prosperity in developing nations may well have a negative impact on our own standard of living. For example, in order to assist poor countries, rich countries are being asked to reduce or eliminate tariffs on a number of goods exported by developing countries, but doing that may affect employment patterns in the rich nations. And rich nations are also being asked to reduce or eliminate agricultural subsidies, so that food products from developing countries can find much wider markets. Now, here in the United States only 20% of the food produced still comes from the small, independent farms. 80% is produced by agribusiness, by companies that are being made wealthy by continued government agricultural subsidies, by corporate welfare, if you will. So why is our government so rigid in refusing to reduce these subsidies? There's another heated discussion taking place in Johannesburg, in the United States and in developed nations. The European Union and the United States are disagreeing volubly over strategies to preserve the environment-in particular, over the issue of setting targets and time frames: first, for the preservation of endangered plants and animals; and second, for the conversion from non-renewable fuels like oil and gas, whose burning accelerates global warming, to renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind power, which have no negative impact on the environment. The U.S. is arguing against setting a goal of having renewable energy sources fulfill 15% of the world’s energy needs by 2010. Instead, we have announced our own independent plan to help increase Africa’s access to clean water and energy sources by over the next four years spending there $1 billion, actually quite a small sum, especially since most of that is coming from already existing programs rather than from any new appropriations. Well, most nations consider this summit and its evolving action plan to be of vital consequence for the world’s well-being. So arriving in Johannesburg over the next few days for the conclusion of the meeting is a grand procession of more than one hundred heads of state-presidents and prime ministers. But there will be one conspicuous absence from this parade-the president of the richest and most powerful nation in the world, the president of our own country, George W. Bush. Once again, President Bush is content to reinforce what The New York Times has aptly called his “well-deserved reputation … for indifference to environmental problems and reflexive hostility to multilateral remedies.” President Bush, I believe, needs to have a change of heart. He needs to hear again and to heed these words spoken authoritatively by the apostle Paul: “…outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10b) “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.” (12:16) So, two labors of peace for us Christians on this Labor Day Weekend: the first is the labor of urging President Bush and his administration to work with the U.N. Security Council in using every means available to pressure Saddam Hussein into letting the U.N. inspection team back into Iraq and into allowing that team to do its work freely and fully, so that the violence of war can be avoided; and the second is the labor of urging President Bush and his administration to work with other nations to find a way for all of us to live harmoniously with Earth’s natural resources while implementing, around the world, viable patterns of economic development that are both equitable and sustainable. As we begin to fulfill these labors of peace, I suggest that either today or tomorrow we send e-mails to President Bush, sharing our understanding of the course of action our nation should take. And here is his address (it’s really simple): president@whitehouse.gov. And if you don’t have access to e-mail, send him a postcard at: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., 20500. Dear friends in Christ, hear these words of Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) And hear these words of Paul: “Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11). Let us pray: O God, help us as we labor to persuade our nation to be a peacemaker rather than a peace-breaker. And help us to overcome our focus on comfort and personal advantage so that we may be freed to join with persons around the world in the labor of ending poverty and restoring the beauty of Your creation. This we pray in the name of Christ. Amen. |
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